South Passage Bar

[Bowser]

It has been a couple of months since I took a look at South Passage Amity Channel and yesterday was thinking of going across to try my luck on the close in reefs. But the intervening period seems to have substantially changed its position. It appears to me that the close in channel that was there through most of last year has been moved and is now a lot further of the point and doesn't seem to flow down along the beach as much as it did. Can anyone give me some up to date info on both this and the northern channel?

Yesterday I decided to give the crossing a miss, mainly due to my concerns on exactly where the passage was now and the return trip across the bar in on the height of the incoming tide what appeared, from inside the bar, to be a predominantly North Easterly swell. The outgoing passage though new to me on the run in wouldn’t have been a great problem but the effects of a major run out and a bar open to the direct influence of the swell and a different channel meant I chased Macks in the bay. Better safe then sorry and we did get enough for a couple of feeds and Mack tuna to keep up the interest and where out the unused arm mussels.

[al-straddie]

last time thru the bar (just before xmass) i had found that a large pan or flat area around 4 m deep had develloped across the end of the channel . this is much wider than it used to be, maybe 200m from deep chanel to open water, shaped much the same as a cul d sac.

I followed the channel along to morten then ran out along the rough water on #the north side of the channel. The south side of the channel has shallowed signifficently and as such is very unpredictible. In its current state it very much a case of pick your days and proceed carefully.

hope this helps.

[seatime]

The sand spit at Amity has changed significantly in recent months and as posted earlier the channel has panned out after you have passed between the Rufus King wreck and Rough Point. It looks best with water on it, though the locals can skip thru to Pt lookout on most tides. The Northern channel past Reeders Pt is deeper and used by the trawlers, and probably the best option if uncertain. This channel hasn't changed alot recently, but as a suggestion, when you turn to the NE near the sand spit on Moreton save a plot straight out the middle of the channel and for a few hundred metre past the banks and breakers. This will give you a course line to run on to when coming home. (don't mean to be patronising, only advise for those who want it, I've been lambasted before for badly worded posts). regards

[al-straddie]

Just to clarify, my post was in relation to the "trawler Channel" , not the "Amity channel". I prefer the trawler channel because its more predictable on most tides, though costs a little more fuel to go to the Point. maybe I'm just gutless.

[Duncs]

I went through the South Passage on Tuesday in a mates boat. We went out immediately south of the Rufus King, its a fairly shallow channel but was a good trip in and out. Just aim for the Rufus, once you reach it turn a bit to the SE and you're out. The amity channel just seems to peter out once you get around the point at the moment. There was another channel just to the north of the of the Rufus King that looks pretty deep but it also comes to a dead end about 3/4 the way out.
Im no expert on the south passage but one of the guys on board has been doing it pretty regularly lately and this was his prefered route.

Duncan

[MulletMan]

Nobody thought to congratulate Bowser for making an an intelligent decision and NOT cross the Bar because he was unhappy with his knowledge and/or the prevailing conditions. If more Boaties thought like that we would have far fewer mishaps on the Bar(s)

[al-straddie]

Here here