Letter: Breaching Bateman Island causeway would create unmanageable current for boaters

Regarding “State responsible for mitigation if Bateman causeway breached,” (TCH, July 6). I am a lifelong boater and have captained vessels up to 76 feet long; my current boat is 37 feet. The editorial mentioned breaching the causeway could result in a current through the marina of 1.9 knots per hour. That does not sound like much until it is broken down.

One knot is one nautical mile of 6,000 feet, meaning that 1.9 knots equals 11,400 feet per hour, or 3.17 feet per second. The alleys between the docks are 50 feet wide, but several of the larger vessels stick out into the alley by up to 10 feet. There are about 10 boats in the marina of 30 feet in length or more and widths up to 12 feet, including mine.

The result is a maximum clearance for many vessels of 14 feet or less on either side. Even a light wind already pushes these boats towards the side when coming in or going out at half a knot. Now add a side current of 3.17 feet per second to the momentum of a large cruiser, and it becomes impossible to navigate for even the most experienced boater, and extremely difficult for smaller boats.

This story was originally published July 10, 2016 at 2:18 AM with the headline "Letter: Breaching Bateman Island causeway would create unmanageable current for boaters."