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Secrets of the St. Lawrence
The wind and the waves - Graveyards
Basse-Côte-Nord
- "Now, listen to this. If the waves start getting steeper when you're close to shore, watch out. You're approaching shoals. Be particularly cautious of waves breaking at the mouth of a river."
Shoaling
The numerous shoals along the shore and near islands can often be traps. When the waves reach the shallow water, they slow and begin to tumble and break.
There are 2 types of situations: in the first, the bottom rises gradually and so do the waves; in the other, the bottom rises abruptly, as is often the case at the mouth of a river.
In the second case, the waves will break suddenly and form a line of surf. Mariners need to watch out for the underlying bar of alluvial deposits built up over the centuries. Underwater cliffs produce the same effect.
Depth
If the depth of the bottom is at least half the wavelength, the waves will be able to flow smoothly over such shoals.
If the depth of the bottom is less than that, the waves will become steeper and may tumble into breakers.
Out in the open sea, mariners need to watch out for banks. They will cause the sea to behave the same way.
- 1. Fore to aft
- 2. What Cartier missed out on
- 3. Conversion
- 4. The Secrets of the St Lawrence
- 5. The wind in your sails - Hard a-port!
- 6. The wind in your sails - Fast or slow?
- 7. The wind in your sails - The wind's paths
- 8. The wind in your sails - Against the wall
- 9. The wind in your sails - Solar energy
- 10. The wind in your sails - Under the stars
- 11. The wind and the waves - The windway
- 12. The wind and the waves - Wave wars
- 13. The wind and the waves - Graveyards
- 14. The wind and the waves - Conflicting seas
- 15. Symbols
- 16. The St Lawrence, from 1 to... - Legend
- 17. The St Lawrence, from 1 to... - Calling all sailors
- 18. The St Lawrence, from 1 to... Hot spots
- 19. Local listings - Québec - Pointe-des-Monts
- 20. Local listings - Pointe-des-Monts - Cap Whittle
- 21. Local listings - Cap Whittle - Blanc-Sablon
- 22. Local listings - Gaspésie - Baie des Chaleurs
- 23. Local listings - Îles de la Madeleine
- 24. Sailors take warning - White-outs
- 25. Sailors take warning - The sky above us
- 26. Sailors take warning - Keeping a weather eye
- 27. Sailors take warning - Fair weather and foul
- 28. Sailors take warning - The unexpected
- 29. The four seasons - Wind aplenty
- 30. The four seasons - Vessel icing
- 31. The four seasons - Ice cycle
- 32. Extra - Beaufort
- 33. Extra - Handy references
- 34. Extra - Old Salts and Sea-dogs
- 35. Extra - The crew
- 36. Extra - A to Z
- 37. Extra - Stations
- 38. Extra - Areas
- 39. Credits
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