Cruising To Toba Inlet
Toba Inlet Wind & Current
Wind
In the summer, winds tend to blow up the Inlet during the day, being particularly strong in the afternoon, and down the Inlet at night and in early morning. This is a general rule, as it is not unusual to have calm winds or completely different winds blowing in the Inlet at the same time. Winds may even blow in different directions on opposite sides of the same reach, or come gusting down a steep valley as a 'williwaw' hitting the water violently before shooting perpendicularly across the Inlet.
Currents
Although tidal ranges in the Inlet are substantial (up to 18 feet in early spring), normal tidal currents are minimal because of the great depths of the Inlet. Often there is a prevailing outward surface current, caused by the flow of fresh water in a layer over salt water, which can be 1 to 2 knots after prolonged rainfall or after hot weather in early summer has caused rapid melting of snow and glaciers in the mountains. A strong wind blowing out the Inlet can increase this surface current and a strong wind blowing up the Inlet may eliminate it altogether. The surface current tends to be strongest along the western or nothern shores on the Inlet so, as a general rule, keep starboard when travelling to or from the head of the Inlet.