Passage-planning term for a point on a route where the tidal stream is so strong or the sea so rough at the wrong time that a small vessel must arrive within a set window, usually at slack or the start of a fair stream. A coastal passage is planned backward from its tidal gates, and missing one can mean anchoring for six hours. Tidal races off headlands are the classic gates.
The race off the point is the tidal gate, we need to be there at slack, so leave the marina by 0630.
Also heard as
- gate
Related terms
Fair tide
A tidal current flowing in the same direction a vessel wants to go, adding to its speed over the ground.
Slack water
The short lull when a reversing current almost stops while it swaps between flood and ebb.
Wind against tide
Wind blowing opposite to a tidal current, which builds short, steep and sometimes breaking seas.
Tidal diamond
A lettered diamond symbol on British-style charts linked to a table of tidal stream direction and rate hour by hour.