We were stuck in Golden Isles Marine for the last 3 months due to a broken feathering prop on our sailboat They come and they go there, but, only about twice a week. We would watch them o by fron the docks.
We went out of that channel week a go Thursday. Ocean was indeed calm inside the harbor, and it is 40+ feet deep in there. BUT, once you are in the channel, you do NOT, go out of it for a long way. The channel goes straight through the bar and it is 40+ on one side of the markers, 2 feet on the other. You have to be on point all the way out.
We are now in Beaufort, SC after a delay caused by Dorian. We went out Warsaw and came in Port Royal. It was a washing machine out there. We are gonna run the ICW for a bit.
The deep channel with shallow margins as described can cause interesting behavior in a ship. It has been mentioned that the overturned ship met another entering the port. Ships in such narrow confines suction water from ahead and raise levels behind. Pressure waves created by their movement can create lateral movements in other vessels. A ship within a channel which closes upon a margin with a drastic change in water depth will shear away into the deeper water. All these possible factors will be examined.