bar crossings

[tunaticer]

Generally I make two complete runs up and down the outside of a bar before i make a selection of where is my best choice to cross. Once you are committed there is no turning back so make that choice twice. It never amazes me how much a bar's conditions can change for a particular crossing location on 5 minutes.
Several times i have made a mental note of where to cross on the first passing outside only to see it turn to crap on the next passing.

Your window of opportunity for the best passage has always passed when you have seen the perfect entry wave. After that you make do with what your selection delivers you and do your best to do it safely.

Jack.

[michaelddd]

as a regular crosser of south passage bae i know not to take it lightly. Even in a forty foot cat i have at least 30 hairy crossings a year. When you have an east or north east swell it can be very dangerous. We have lost the whole roof on the outer bank when a 3 meter barrel cleaned us up. I have seen 19 foot halfcabins get swamped and capsize 100 meters in front of me.The bar is very silted in the northern gutter. The sand spit seems to be getting longer.Avoid the bar when you have 1.5meter east or north east swell it even scares me.

[Getout]

I reckon that each boat has its own idiosyncracies when crossing bars. My old centre console accellerated quickly and lifted over waves. I could spin it around quickly and bail out when that was the best option. The 6m glass boat I have now punches through waves without slowing and feels like it could take on a monster but I'm too chicken to find out!

[seatime]

There has been some great advise posted so far, sorry if any more is seen as hijacking the thread

The return inbound crossing of a bar will look very different to the outbound crossing, obviously. Now you'll be looking at the back of the bar and any waves that are breaking. Using rear marks or a GPS history trail are only to be relied upon if the outbound trip was thru the deepest channel and the one which remains the best entry channel. If you took the wrong marks on the way out, they'll be useless to come back in on. Your best asset will be your own eyes and the resulting assessment you make. Marks, whether GPS or terrestrial are a guide. The only way to make your own assessments or judgements on how to safely cross coastal bars will come with experience and the local knowledge learnt from repeated crossings in varied conditions.
This time of year is a good time to gain some experience, generally conditions are more favourable than the summer months.
I'd like to see a bar familiarisation course done where there's tag along trips with experienced operators such as VMR or charter skippers and boaties can cross in the boats they'll use themselves. Prior to the boat run there can be some formal theory on weather and tide effects, boat handling, that sort of thing. VMR Southport for example conduct a terrific powerpoint presentation of bar crossings and you can do runs out thru the seaway with them.
cheers
Steve

[Getout]

Going out, its fairly easy to see the channel and stay in the deeper water but waves are the enemy.
Coming in, its hard to see the channel and shallow water is the enemy.
Tide level is just as important as swell size.
Outgoing tide makes the waves stand up and pushes you into them before you are ready. Incoming tide with plenty of water means you just have to wait for a lull or run in behind a set.

[Getout]

Other than the time I fully stacked it, the next most scary time was a big day on the Noosa bar. The swell was huge. It took 20 min to get out, waiting for a decent break in the relentless sets. Once outside we kept losing sight of land and we were only a km offshore.
At come in time we broke the rules again. The tide was running out and there was no water on the outer bank. We did get in safely but the inside area of the bar was so shallow that we kept hitting bottom and getting spun around by the tide and swept back out to the lineup.
Motor filled with sand and undies filled with brown stuff.
Caught a heap of mackeral tho!

[Getout]

I have learnt by my mistakes!

[purple patch2]

About 10 odd years ago 3 of us went fishing out of south passage. We planned to fish the shallow reefs of moreton (30-40 m) We had a good days fishing and decided to fish the dusk-evening period. It turned out to be a hot bite and we ended up pulling the pick about 8ish and heading back to the bar, we were keen to get in as more ice was needed for the fish.Conditions at the time where 10-15kt N/E with a 2.5 meter e/n/e swell the tide had already started to run out (we thought we could make the top of the tide). So we approch the entrance of the northern gutter about 9pm old mate skip is on gps track from the morning crossing when we could just make out in the darkness 2m greenies with 1m of breaking water on top of them it looked like a washing machine. We where in a 18ft profish platey with a90hp merc, We had crossed this bar many times in all types of condition day & night so we where mad enough to have confidense to cross this bar with hair all over it. We jockied around the outside of this washing machine looking for any track that looked half decent . Skip had 2 attempts at it and with the dark conditions the waves would come out of nowhere. The gps track was right threw the middle of the channel and it was just the swell size and run out tide that was makeing these waves stand up. We decided to wait a little longer for the moon to rise for mybe better vis but when it did rise about 10min later it went straight behind a large bank of clouds.great we all said. This is when skip says here you take it in.hmm I had a bit more experiance than me skip so I took the helm.While we where jocking around i noticed a bit better water just to the inside of the washing machine so I keeped my eyes on this track.A good set rolled threw and when things settled a bit I started the run.WE where at 3000rpm+ a bit of speed on when the washing machine appeared I turned slightly to strarboard of the gps track another round of steep froth top waves where on our port side I turned again slightly to starboard. At this stage in the story I'll go threw a few thing about the area we where in.If you know the northern gutter there is a sand spit on the nothern side of the start of the gutter with a shallow bank to the east of it the washing machine i have been talking about was just to the n/e of the shallow bank in the channel. Any way back to the story I was of the gps track but still getting threw the bar when the water starts to glow under us (shallow ) old#2 who is sitting on the esky looking backwards says something fairly loud as I turn my head i catch sight of 2m of white water nearly right on the port stern corner I hammered the thortle and we shoot away from that one. Both skip and myself where looking over the windscreen things where looking good calm water in front with just afew ripples on it.I started to back the speed of when we noticed that the ripple we were looking at was actualy the beach.I knocked the thortle of and started tilting the motor as we came to rest on the beach. We had landed on the front of the sand point you know where the nice looking whithing gutter is. We all jumped out of the boat and started to turn her around the waves where surging up the beach and this made it easier to turn the boat as a wave came up we could turn her a little each time a wave came. She was afloat agian so we slowly motored down the gutter and came to a short very shallow bank. This is the narrow bank the drops of into the inside of the northern gutterI tilted the motor up and rode over the bank with abit of slop breaking on it .0.5meter tops and we were inside the bar. phew. The adrenalin was certainly pumping. We all lit a smoke and hit the thortle back to the ramp. We were all very humble on the trip back but still having a joke about not getting on the news. This was the worst crossing of the south passage that i have had. There has been others but this one was very hairy. I havn't lost a boat on any bars, and crossings like this one makes one fully aware of what could happen. Cheers Roy.

[Mr__Bean]

Has anyone got first hand details about a recent incident on a bar crossing course on the South Passage Bar where someone had their leg badly broken?
Apparently the incident is under investigation, not sure how long such an investigation takes before the results are released.

If it is the one where the guys were on a bar crossing course, then yes, it involved a guy at my work.

I haven't seen him yet as he has been off with a broken arm.

Another guy in the boat (reportedly) broke both ankles.

I am waiting to see him to get the facts.

- Darren

[dnej]

Any idea,of which "course" it was?
David

[Heath]

There's always an element of relief when you either get out over a bar or back in over it, isn't there.

I remember the oldman recounting the story SpaniardKing put up. Yes, he was shitting himself.

I've had a few incidents.
Crossing Currumbin bar in a friends boat, he gets me to take the wheel, as he's not confident. He then decides to kneel on his seat which is about 1 inch below the gunwale. I tell him its a bad idea, but he wants to kneel. So I tell him to hang on. As we hit the first bit of white water, the boat jinks to the left, then grips. Plop, over the side he goes. Thing was, it was just on day break and there were boats behind us. Namely my oldman, who's blind at the best of times. Got a funny look as I whizzed past them back into the bar, & had to pull the guy over the side, before the next set come through or he got run over by another boat.

One after noon on a falling tide and biggish swell we again went out of Currumbin. Got out, after doing a bit of dredging. Conditions started to deteriorate badly so we pulled up stumps and headed in. By this time it was half tide, and running through the gutter a biggish set comes through. It lips and pushes us , straight up the beach. Lucky a few people were around and they help push the boat back in & we then were able to get round into the creek.

My worse experience was on the Tweed bar. Fullish moon, run in tide. About 1.5m of swell. It'll be fine with the run in..... so I thought. We were about 200m outside of the bar, when the horizon, dissapeared. It was a wall of water coming towards us. On the gas, and I hit the lip. Then nothing...... just free fall. Long enough for me to look at my oldman and say a few expletives. The boat finally lands with a dull thud, and my uncle is laid out flat on his back in pain. I look up and see another wall of water. On the gas again and I hit the top just as its lipping. Water gushes over the window and drenches us all. We again land after what seems an eternity. We then make it out into deeper water and recompose ourselves. My uncle is still in much pain, so as it gets light enough, we head back in and get an ambulance to meet us at the boat ramp.
I hate to think how high up in the air we went that morning.
On all but the flatest days now, I wait till I got enough light to see, especially with my precious cargo now on board most trips ( junior decky aged 6).
You can never ever take the water for granted, for when you do, it'll nip you, just to let you know who is boss.

[Getout]

I rescued a couple in the middle of the Noosa Bar once. Their 5m tinny had rolled in the 2m swell coming in. It was a difficult rescue.
1. There was a danger of fouling my prop on all the flotsam washing around in the break zone- anchor ropes, all sorts of floating stuff including a BAIT NET!
2. The lady passenger was too big for me to lift and too weak to climb aboard. I eventually towed her into calmer water and got her in after much huffing and puffing. My back still hurts today thinking about it
3. Had to keep bailing out and jumping waves to avoid being rolled myself.

[capt]

Hey Dale,
you started this thread, and I believe you would have a great story to tell about bar crossing
You may have shared it before on this site , but I never got the full picture..............cheers Jimmy

[Chas & Clarry]

Jeez how scary is this thread...Clarry just read it and went "see I told you".

We used to cross Noosa bar to fish off Sunshine beach when we were lucky enough to live up that way. Saw some very scary close calls for other boats, including a Cat that got absolutely vertical. It sort of stood on its tail then slowly fell forward (luckily), but it just got out through the bar and turned straight around and came back in...maybe an injury, definitely some laundry to be done!

After that Clarry refused point blank to cross the bar with me , so I used to call her a girl (well she is...so I got away with it) and used to drop her off at Hastings Street, then I'd launch the boat, cross the bar and motor round to Main Beach and she's swim out to join me!!! I swear the tourists though we were dropping drugs or doing something weird.

My advice though for people like me who don't do bars very often is to do a course...and preferably one on the actual bar you are crossing, and get some practice with someone with experience. I did the course with Noosa Coast Guard. It was great and practical. After the theory, and Noosa-bar-specific info we went across the bar in their boat, and then in our own if we wanted. It was a long time ago, don't know if they still do it, but the CG blokes were fantastic. Backed that up with a few goes with a mate who knew the bar well (thanks Jeff).

C&C

[Mr__Bean]

Originally Posted by gelsec
Has anyone got first hand details about a recent incident on a bar crossing course on the South Passage Bar where someone had their leg badly broken?
Apparently the incident is under investigation, not sure how long such an investigation takes before the results are released

If it is the one where the guys were on a bar crossing course, then yes, it involved a guy at my work.

I haven't seen him yet as he has been off with a broken arm.

Another guy in the boat (reportedly) broke both ankles.

I am waiting to see him to get the facts.

- Darren

Well it has been a while but I finally caught up with the guy from work that was onboard the boat this day.

He tells me......

There were 2 other customers with him in the boat, not sure if one was an acquantance of the instructor / operator.

He and another guy had done there run in and out of the bar and had been instructed on where to go, how to trim and how to throttle.

With one of the others at the wheel the guy from work and another heavy set guy (140kg) were standing behind the front seats as another was being instructed.

They head out into some decent waves and as one steep one approached the boat the instructor called for the driver to "throttle up". At this point the driver flattened the the throttle and they hit the wave and became extremely airborne.

The boat came down hard, the guy from work came down awkward breaking his wrist and hurting his chest area. The heavy set bloke broke both ankles.

Aparently they had one hell of a job getting the big guy out of the boat, thank god for morphene.....

He questions the sense in using the term "throttle up", as the driver thought he meant to increase throttle, whereas the instructor meant for him to pull the throttle up.

It didn't end there for the guy at work, later in the night he suffered intense chest pain that had him in hospital with suspected heart attack. After a couple of hours in intensive care they determined that he had severe chest organ bruising.

Not really what he was looking for in a course to better his confidence in bar crossing.

- Darren