[ArgleBargle]

Hi

i live on the west coast of canada (Vancouver Is.) and sail a 32 foot jeanneau. there are a lot of narrow passages around to negotiate with fairly high currents (many with currents near or in excess of my boat's hull speed - Porlier pass, Baynes Channel, Gabriola Pass, Active Pass etc) . Usually i consult the tide/current tables and aim to pass at slack water, but occasionally, due to circumstances and commitments, I end up fighting a contrary current.

my question is this - commercial traffic aside, is there a strategy to make good time against the currents? i try to look for back eddies and steer for them, but with little success. I would think that closer to the shore the current should be less, but of course that's not really where i want to be when there is much of a current.

any thoughts?

-ArgleBargle