

In the past 20 years I have transited Woods Hole Passage dozens of times in sailboats smaller than Mr. Eubank's boat. Fortunately, I have not encountered the dangerous current set that he did. It always seemed to me that the current generally followed the channel after making the turn in Broadway. Since reading of his unfortunate experience, I will pay more attention to that point in the future. The currents I have encountered at Woods Hole are hydraulic currents. The current flows full strength SE or NW unless you arrive within about 20 minutes of slack water. Most of the time the currents are 4 or 5 knots, although the Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book does state that the current can exceed 7 knots. Donald Hagen holds a 100-ton captain's license. He lives in Sherborn, Mass.