Public Discussion Forum

Hi everyone,

I’m planning on taking my Selene 47 to Fisherman’s Bay Marina on Lopez this summer. I’m looking at a 4ft high tide. If you’ve taken a 47 or larger through the Fisherman’s Bay inlet I’d love to get your GPS track. Looks super tight especially with a marginal high tide.

Thanks,

Ryan

Hi, you will love it there. i have taken my 48 in and out many times. It is well marked and pretty easy, watch the markers and depth sounder. Back in the 80's a friend with a classic wooden yacht hit the cut off metal piling that held the marker before the floating one was used. the tide was low and the floating marker drifted. the Coast Guard basically rebuilt his boat, better than new. they removed that hazard and all has been well since then. The Islander Lopez was the hot spot of the islands with big name bands playing, not sure what they are up to now.. enjoy

Capt. Brian Calvert

M/Y Furthur 4823

Subic Bay Philippines

I went there on my old sailboat with a 6’ draft. I made it fine, but wouldn’t go back. Not worth it. Using anything but visual is asking for trouble.

The last time we went into Fisherman's Bay we did so moving slow on a rising tide (a must) and had a soft keel grounding on sand/mud bar that wasn't supposed to be there. The tide lifted us off in about 5 min and we floated into the bay. A local said that the charts are not accurate and you need to watch the local traffic.

Bill Bahlburg
5903

I've been in and out of Fisherman's Bay many times over several decades in boats with 5.5' to 6' draft, and have yet to touch bottom. That said, I also avoid entering or leaving at low tide and prefer a mid-to-high rising tide, but went in at a 4' (rising) tide last summer. Like any twisty silted channel, the silt moves around a bit and I agree the charts aren't quite correct in there, but they also aren't entirely wrong. In addition to the obvious steps of watching the buoys and your chart plotter location to help ensure you aren't missing any buoys in the circuitous route, I pay very close attention to depth. If things start getting shallower than the charted depth, I steer into a different part of the channel, looking for more depth - and always find it. Yeah, I know you all know all of this, but it's worth mentioning that the bay requires care but needn't actually be avoided.

As to the original question, I do not preserve my tracks and so don't have that available to share. It's not a bad idea, though - I'd probably feel better having a record of where I found depth last time I was there...
Mike Woolf, Oom Pa Pa, hull 4026