Are you entering the 2021 Vineyard Race?

The complex strong tidal currents at the eastern end of Long Island Sound can be challenging for even the most experienced race navigators.

Key questions need to be considered. Will you depart Long Island Sound via The Race, Plum Gut, or The Sluiceway? What are your tactics for the return back into Long Island Sound on the way home? How you negotiate these complex and strong tidal currents could be the difference between a good race and a Great Race. 

Fortunately, Tidetech has accurate high-resolution tidal current forecast models for the entire course available in GRIB format. This allows you to make the best navigation decisions giving you more time to simply sail fast and gain an advantage over your closest competitors. 

We are very pleased to release a new model of Chesapeake Bay in time for the Annapolis to Newport Race! Sourced from NOAA the model covers the entire bay in incredible detail, showing for the first time the complexity of the currents everywhere in the Bay from Annapolis to Cape Charles, including the Potomac River.

The creation of ocean current maps depend on the measurement of sea level, which is the base level for measuring elevation and depth on Earth.

At 16km wide, and stretching 105km long between the Strait of Malacca and the Karimata Strait, the Singapore Strait is a crucial gateway between Asia and Europe. Due to the high number of ships transiting the area, the Singapore Strait can become incredibly congested and requires a tight traffic management system to ensure that vessels are coming into port at the right time, every time.

Whatever craft you sail, currents can have a significant effect on your transit times across an ocean, particularly where the major ocean currents such as the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream flow. However, the beginning and end of most ocean crossings transit coastal waters, where there can be strong tides. Understanding how and why each type of current forms and where they occur increases the likelihood of a successful passage - whether it be a 'just-in-time' arrival on a ship or a podium finish in a yacht race.

Credit: NASA

We are very excited to release our new model of Long Island Sound. With a resolution of 110m the model covers whole Sound in incredible detail, showing for the first time how the tidal currents flow around key locations across the region.

Suppose you're familiar with oceanography and some of the more treacherous shipping routes of the world. In that case, you'll know about the challenges for the shipping industry that the Strait of Gibraltar poses. This narrow passage that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea has many elements that contribute to the complexity of tides and currents in this area, and this article explores how it all works.

It’s been three years since we released the Singapore and Malacca Straits 800m high resolution tidal model. This model benefits vessels using route and speed optimisation systems in this busy stretch of water by taking advantage of accurate tidal speed, direction and height data to create bunkerage savings..

We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve developed a 50m tidal model for Rio – our highest resolution tidal model yet – and it’s being used by several Olympic sailing teams in preparation for the 2016 Games..

Applied oceanography specialist Tidetech has introduced tidal optimisation as a critical tool for improving efficiency on coastal shipping routes.