Lots of good points here, was it worth it, are you single, do you have an auxilliary on board, all the correct safety gear, spare fuel and water, life insurance, the list goes on.................
Compare your trip with solo round the world yachting, long as you prepare correctly you're in there with a chance of making it back alive!
Problem is, how do you prepare for the unexpected!
Hope the ride wasn't too uncomfortable, I'd be a cripple for a week at least, lol!
Cheers!
The weather was great not a rough ride home and yes i had all the safety gear,nigelr u hit a bit of a soft spot there all theses round the world record breakers how many lives do they put at risk?. I don't want to andanger anybody else's lives,and yes the fishing was tops red emperrior sweetlip trout etc.
C4M how populated is it out there? if you had a mechanical/electrical problem could you anchor up and see another boat within a couple of days?
Just curious on how remote it really is. One day I might go have a look, love quiet locations.
cheers fnq
No fnq on a good day generally a few boats passing through heading out to the reef. Once apon a time it may have been quiet but with the poulation of the Mackay area now and the growing amount of boats nearly need traffic lights out from Mackay Harbour. Aaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhhh once apon a time.
Creeks , no problems .6 m seas was the forecast , do it. I have.
I've seen 12 foot tinnies 30 mile out in similar conditions so you are not the only one, beware you will cop a lot of flack if something goes wrong...
A bit like that bloke on the jetski , but that was really rough and dark lol ...
The only bit that scares me is storms but , gets pretty rough out the back of percys or scawfell etc ....
And have all the required safety gear and some, and maybe an auxillary ??
Why didn't you just go to the reef , over halfway there......
Ta.
C4M - can certainly see the attraction............... let people know when and where your going, etc etc, correct preparation and go with your gut-feeling!
If you are young and single, reliable boat and motor, radio etc, know the area and have the weather sussed, preferably for the next 48 hours, man I'd definitely be tempted!
Make sure you have effective strategies worked out for what you will do if something goes wrong. Practice them if you can.
If you have these in place, and are familiar with them, you will feel very much less anxious should the unexpected occur.
Goes without saying, but bear in mind your life is at risk, take as many steps as you can to be prepared!
Best of luck and take care!
Last edited by nigelr; 28-01-2007 at 07:11 AM.
If the weather is good and the boat seaworthy what is the problem? I regularly fished Keeper reef out of Townsville (40nm) in a 4.5m tinnie with a tiller steer 35hp without any problems. A couple of times when the wind came up we just took a little longer to get home.
As long as your experienced and done your preparation. Good stuff, that's what life's stories are mad of. You will remember it and retell the story for the rest of your life, only young once.
Wayne
Hi C4Me
Cant see a problem, as long as you know your rig and
your limitations, just remember one third fuel for trip out,
two thirds for coming home.
PS Being mad is half the fun.
cheers Mick
There are quite a few variables on the chances of coming home safely. Some we can control, others we cannot. It all depends on the "MIX" we choose. The list is not complete, but just the ones I can think of immediately. Others are invited to add to the formula.
a) The seaworthiness of the craft
b) The skill/experience of the skipper
c) The weather forecast
d) The availability of backup systems
Some factors beyond our control are:
a) Unforeseen hazards eg; half submerged container etc
b) Fatal construction flaws in the craft that are unseen
Generally, bigger is better. However some big boats will never be safe if say the skipper is a boozer and risk taker.
In summary, choose your MIX of variables carefully, and bottom line is 'The skipper makes the decision for all and suffer the consequences."
What do others think?
flatstrap
I had a 4,5m poly 20 km east of Cape Moreton on various occasions. I wouldn't call it silly.
Check the weather and have a backup plan - for me it was carry enough fuel to get home via the cape if the bar was risky.
Safety gear - wear a jacket - use the motor deadman switch.
The boat wasn't going to sink, and all safety gear was first class.
Honda motor - as reliable as anything else.
Some of my favorite moments came from hoisting pearlies and snapper at the raby ramp when asked how I went.....
The look on some guys faces was worth it.
Just beacuse a boat is big or small is no measure of it's seaworthiness, and as someone who goes outside in big and small boats, I'd say the once overs and pre-trip checks are always done more thoroughly on a small boat.
C.J.
Creeks4me ........ You're NUTs! ........ But I have to admit going out in a 5.35CC similar distances off Sydney (I really think in hindsight I was Nuts too) ...... Went out off Sydney on Saturday 40NM in my mates 6M Hardtop Cat .... we got hit by a 30-40knt southerly around 11am ..... very nasty & too long even in the Cat going 25knts ....... We would have been F*@#e% if we were in a 4.5 or even the 5.35NAGG
Front page in Townsville paper today - a 4.5m tinny with father and son head out 10 miles in calm water with good forecasts to fish shoals south of Townsville in the company of another boat. Thunderstorm hits and both boats try to head back to shore. One boat makes it but father and son's boat is swamped and overturned. They spend the next 6 hours clinging to their overturned hull waiting for help which fortunately comes after the other boat raises the alarm. This happened despite all reasonable safety precautions - they were with another boat and had all safety gear - unfortunately they were seperated in the storm, and all lifejackets and the epirb were lost when the boat overturned and they didn't have time to get to them.
Both were extremely lucky to survive
Except that they didn't put them on when the storm hit?Originally Posted by Monza
Easy to be an armchair critic, but that's not exactly all reasonable precautions.
cheers,
Owen
Some say I'm nuts..... some know....
I'd say you need to calculate your risks in all endevours. You're out a hell of a long way but if you have all the safety gear and people know exactly where you are and you are comfortable with the weather at hand then you know how far away you are from rescue if it goes pearshaped and you have prepared for what you can. The distance out is relative to the area and the conditions that you deal with IMO.
I fish solo offshore. If I bash my head and fall in it doesn't matter if I'm 4km's out or 40, I'm toast, have a cold one for me and know I had a good time before I went.
BB
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