Welcome to MyTideClock.com
Set for Westbrook, Duck Island Roads, CT

About the Clock:
Our goal was simple. We wanted to provide an electronic version of the traditional tide clocks used for decades to give boaters a quick sense of the local tides. What you see on the left is the result - a lightweight widget that mimics the mechanics of those simple clocks, but with one significant improvement: The MyTideClock.com widget automatically adjusts itself each morning to the first high tide of the day for a specified water location.

Before we explain how the clock works, let's start with a warning: The MyTideClock.com widget should not be used for navigation. We say this because the tide clock widget simply estimates tidal movements, and does not know what the actual tide conditions are. The only thing it knows for sure is the predicted time of today's first high tide at a specified location. From that point on it merely calculates what the current tide phase should be based upon the distance the moon has revolved around the earth since that predicted high tide occurrence.

How does the MyTideClock.com widget calculate tidal movements? First and foremost, the widget is basically a lunar clock that functions somewhat like a standard clock. As we all know, a standard clock is designed to track to a standard solar day - which is the amount of time it takes the earth to turn from the Sun and make a complete rotation on its axis to face the Sun again. But a tide clock has a different timing mechanism that tracks a lunar day - which for oceanographers is the amount of time it takes the earth to turn from the Moon and make a complete rotation on its axis to face the Moon again. Another way to think of a lunar day is the amount of time it takes for the Moon to appear in the exact same spot in the sky after a full rotation. The MyTideClock.com widget tracks a lunar day the same way a standard clock tracks a solar day – two rotations of a tide clock’s hand equals one lunar day. This ratio allows the tide clock to represent two high tides and two low tides per lunar day just as a standard clock represents two twelve-o-clocks and two six-o-clocks per solar day.

While the Moon is the major force on the daily tide movements, it is not the only influence. The unique characteristics and location of a particular body of water will delay the Moon's influence, and that is why a tide clock must be set for a specific location. If Moon and location were the only variables to contend with, then a tide clock would have a high degree of precision. But there are other factors such as the cyclical influence of our Sun's gravitational force, and daily weather variations such as storms. These factors that can temporarily alter lunar and location influences in complex and unpredictable ways that can run askew of the consistent movement of a simple tide clock. When we put this all together, you can see that a tide clock can do little more than give you a general sense of the ups and downs of your local tide.


Disclaimer: The MyTideClock widget and the calibration service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. MyTideClock.com expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of accuracy and reliability for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

MyTideClock.com makes no warranty that the widget or the calibration service will meet user requirements, or that the service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error free; nor does MyTideClock.com make any warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of the widget or calibration functionality or as to the accuracy or reliability of any information obtained through the widget or that defects in the widget will be corrected.

Terms of Use: By using the mytideclock.com widget, you agree that the widget is intended only for general information about tides and you will not use it to navigate a boat. You also acknowledge that the mytideclock.com widget is a free service that is maintained on a best-effort basis, and may be terminated at any time without advanced notice. You also acknowledge that the the mytideclock.com widget may not always be accurate.