Timing your entrance at an inlet is the first step. Whether heading out to sea or returning home, the time at which you transit the inlet is the most important. Timing it for slack current is the safest, but the time of high or low tide is not necessarily the time of slack current. The two can be offset by several hours (consult current tables in addition to tide tables to see the difference).
When navigating along the coast from inlet to inlet, time your departure based on arriving in optimal conditions. If this is not possible, it could mean waiting outside the inlet or making a run along the coast and back until conditions are more favorable.Another tool you have in a commercial-traffic situation is the Automatic Identification System. It identifies the name, type and speed of other vessels near you, and increases your ability to maneuver safely around them. Beyond what your boat’s AIS sees, it’s also useful to have a marine traffic app on a tablet or smartphone, to show vessel traffic before you may see it on your boat’s AIS receiver.
In some inlets, recreational boat traffic can be as large of a concern as commercial traffic. I remember coming into the Beaufort, North Carolina, inlet one morning after an overnight run from Charleston, South Carolina. I had timed our arrival to be just at the beginning of the flood current entering the inlet. What I didn’t plan for were dozens of sportfishing boats heading out for the largest sailfish tournament on the East Coast. It was one the most difficult entries I’ve ever made through an inlet.
If you have to transit an inlet with or against a mild current, it is best for the wind to be in the same direction as the current. This will help knock down any waves. The worst condition is having the wind against the current; this will cause the waves to build, sometimes dramatically. In certain scenarios, wave heights in an inlet can be multiple times higher than sea conditions forecasted for that day.
