I have mentioned a few times in the blog that we are considering sailing a bit south once we pass over the top of Cape York. We have been told that by doing so, we would have a bit smoother ride since the tidal currents are not quite so strong as you cross the gulf. The tidal current flows against the direction we will be sailing and are counter to the direction of the prevailing SE winds. This results in the waves "standing up" and the ride is very lumpy and uncomfortable. The stronger the winds, the worse the ride.

I was doing research on this today and found a very good article that describes the phenomena and presented this figure, which shows how the strength of the tidal surge, as measured by amplitude, varies across the gulf, Torres Strait and the Arafura Sea.

I have drawn two arrows on this figure. The black arrow shows the conventional path that cruisers take to cross the gulf. It shows how they cross through regions of the gulf with the highest tidal strength. The red arrow shows the route we have been advised to take. While it also passes through areas of significant tidal strength, the amplitudes are less than the convention route. Again, the degree of lumpy seas that can form is also a function of wind strength but, given that it is predicted to be blowing between 15 and 20 knots when we cross, I believe we will first head south before attempting the crossing.