Water Depth at the Port Vincent Marina Entrance:

There has been some considerable discussion in the club re the marina entry depths at Port Vincent.

Below are some notes from Greg Patten owner of G-Wizz from the CYCSA we hope you find useful.

 “The actual water depth at the marina entrance (when you pass an imaginary line between the ends of the north and south breakwater rock walls) is equal to the tide datum plus 2.00 metres.

 For example, if the tide chart shows 1.00 metre at noon, then the actual depth at the entrance would be 1.00m plus 2.00m = 3.00m metres of depth.

 Apart from slight variations across the mouth of the marina entrance, the only other variable I have experienced is “water level as a function of high winds”.  From experience, this varies up to 200mm either side of the tide datum with at least 20 knots of breeze.  

Please find below my chart for this variable (all based on 20 knots of breeze).

Northerly: - reduce actual depth by 100mm
Southerly: - increase actual depth by 100mm
Easterly: - increase actual depth by 200mm
Westerly: - reduce actual depth by 200mm

 With regard to the best tide charts to use, I use “T-bone tides”, which is an online model and provides tides for thousands of sites around the world (including Port Vincent) and calculates down to one-minute increments.  In calm conditions this model is extremely accurate, and has saved us hundreds of hours waiting at marina entrances and avoided many groundings, and has pretty well eliminated “trial and error”.