NavList:

John H, you wrote:
"First on the Fisher's Island waves: I've actually paddled in the Race off of Fisher's, it's quite a thrill."

Really?! You're braver than me. :-)

And you wrote:
"In this case, the current itself will create a wind-stress. If you have absolutely still wind, and some current flowing, the current itself will create waves due to the wind stress on the surface."

Well, maybe. But we're talking about a current running at five knots, maybe eight at times. Would a five to eight knot wind acting over still water produce waves like we see in the Race? I don't think they would. How about surface waves derived from turbulence lower down? There are surely internal waves down there, density variations, etc. And finally, as with the Gulf Stream, I think it's more likely that surface waves entering the fast current region are being focused by the current variations themselves. As the current ramps up, the waves are refracted in. Wave speeds are relative to the water. If the water is in motion, then can't we just model that as a motionless medium with a variable index of refraction?

-FER