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Posts: 186
Registered:
November 2002
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Re: White Islands watch out
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Thu, 19 August 2010 13:09
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I'm sorry to hear about your experience at the White Islands, one of my favorite anchorages, when conditions are right.
The entrance is fairly narrow and the anchorage doesn't have a lot of room. The two widest areas are at the 20' and 24' soundings on the chart below. A lot of current also sweeps through it every tide. I have been here with 5 or more other boats once, but I was one of the late arrivals and anchored next to another boat between those two soundings. Even though I seemed to have plenty of room to hang as the sun set, when the wind died the current had us all hanging askew. I ended up re-anchoring 2 or three times in the night and in thick fog and hanging on incredibly short scope to avoid swinging into my closest neighbor or the very close neighboring rock. Needless to say, this was not a restful night.
The Whites can also be rolly when there is a swell out in the bay. Again, the current can be partly to blame, because it can swing the boat broadside to the swells. But when the sea is calm, and the anchorage uncrowded, it is hard to find a more peaceful spot.
There have been lobster buoys in the Whites every time I have been there, but they are not toggled (two interconnected buoys), just single buoys. I have found the guys hauling them to be very courteous, too. Generally they can work around anchored boats, even if they are on top of the buoys.
I'm very interested to know exactly where you found ledge on your way out. The entrance slot can be deceptive at higher tides because the deepest water is on the eastern side, not in the middle, and there is a nasty rock south of the eastern island, just outside the entrance.
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