Bar crossings

[philip_thomson]

glad to hear you enjoyed the bar crossing course. i did it the week before on sunday the 24th october and really enjoyed it. like you said i was neverous before hand as well but then buy the end i was much more confident. i reccomend the bar crossing course to anyone who is not confident to cross a bar.

cheers phil

[damons33]

tru rob, i don't like taking on breaking waves going out, for me the confidence come from being able to know where the waves arent going to break not beating the "break" of an incoming wave. reading surf 'n' sea takes hundreds of "sea" hours not a "day" course(i surfed for 18years and spearfished too). bill wont be there to grab the wheel when your the skipper so take heed of the tide, swell size, channel depth, channel width and swell direction.
i cross there a lot and i got a 4stroke! dont put all your eggs in the one basket! confidence is about knowing when the bar is "uncrossable". diesel trawlers dont "punch out" of the hole to quickly. my advise to people just starting seaward boating would be stick to the northern end of morton first till you get some real experience in some tricky water near combo' point, tailor bite, north point, yellow patch and the various banks up there. to me thats a good training area as you can break off to deeper water easy and learn the capabilities of your vessel before you claim to have the "excaliber" to battle the sea, a 4stroke holds its revs in sea better so really i think you got that idea totally wrong. plenty of people losing far superior vessels in seas that i wouldn't have an issue with in my tub!
tru bill knows the bar and its a good start for "noobs" not just to boating but more to the point "surf" and "swell"
safe boating to all,
damon

[redspeckle]

O well look's like i have up set the 4 stroke owners >i was making my own opinion about it from what i had experince being out in boats with 4 strokes & 2 strokes.
Hey i cop crap about having a plate boat instead of own fibreglass boat, if we all had the same veiws it would be a pretty boring world so i leave it at that

[damons33]

then just read the bits that are important to you! i only said what i said for your benifit! make sure you do some cape work first dude in ure stinking tub. its' one thing doing the shit in billy's big n' flash tax deductible rig! your confidence by yourself in rough waters is what matters. i think bill's course is great thing for the inexperienced with no friends that are good seafarers to learn from! another way might be to join a club ?
i would hate to think that you could be lying on the floor of the bay with shovelnose lobsters gnawing on ya'
i've been tossed in a surf boat and i've once come so frikken close to losing my rig at sth passage bar, so i have balance to my experience- i have compassion for those that try and fail but not for those that talk shit! wow,this is kinda like what happens to me with kerry when i speel garbage to him.

there is some wisdom to my sermons-even if they contain a "kick in the guts" to make you remember them!

Now i can see the difference between the 2 stroke and 4 stroke the 2 stroke was more responsive had to be get out over the waves .

so how many fourstrokes have you been in?
haha!
a different view is one thing! you copped crap because you made incorrect comment about something you know f all about- plenty of yungens parroting sales pitches these days. don't bs yourself or us just admit you couldn't afford the extra $4000 for the fourstroker!
damo'-ps i got a platey 5.2 jbs cuddy with 100ae4stroke yammy, it aint flash it stinks of fish and is littered with scales and empty beer bottles. hell i love these little talks we have here. and speckle i love you just the same so don't freek out and go all quiet on me! its better to say stupid shit then do stupid shit, i know that 1st hand thats for sure!

[Lucky_Phill]

JUst read most of the reports and replies

The Bar Crossing Video that is out by the whatever they are, College < is OK to say the best. it leaves much to be desired. No footage from inside the boat ( drivers point of view ).

Anyway, Bill's course is highly recommended. BUT !

Let's not forget that you are given instructions in a powerful, very seaworthy boat. If you own a 5.5 plate boat with a 90HP on the backend, you will be in different territory than sitting high in a $70,000 offshore specific machine.

The example is doing driving lessons in a Corolla and geting your licence, then buying a XR8 Falcon, only the water sport is in reverse.

KNow your boat and know it capabilities, Know yourself and know YOUR capabilities.

Damon is absoutely on the money, Better to ask the stupid Questions than do the stupid thing !

Phill ( offshore bar crosser, estuary and bay wanderer, who with &^%$loads of crossings and experience, still gets a butterfly or two , fluttering around prior to hitting the swells )

[redspeckle]

Well Lucky Phill its a 5.8 metre plate boat not 5.5 metre and its made in Western Australian made for offshore conditions for Cray Fisherman & and gets pretty tough over their too, maybe its not worth $70,000 but its good sea boat and i known my limitations out their weather wise.
So thanks for the advice Lucky Phill.

[Sportfish_5]

Experience in the suds in your own boat is the key thing. I am sure your boat is well built as are most plateys are but mother nature will always rule the roost and anyone who thinks that bar crossings are a piece of cake is dreamin ( well maybe on a glassed out day with no swell ). Complacency is a killer too.

Always follow safety protocols for you and crew (lifejackets on, advise VMR for both ways), spend at least 5 mins watching what is going on before you proceed if it looks interesting but when you decide to go hold your metal and dont turn around halfway through. When comin back in you may be better to wait outside on your first couple of trips and follow someone back in to make sure you get the right entry point (except rob if he is tube surfing in the OC 8) ). GPS tracks are good but you also need to keep some visual marks as your GPS may not always be workin.

2st v 4 sk - 4 stks will hold their rpm better than 2stk but I take it the point you mean is in relation to getting out of the hole quickly. This would depend on the boat/motor combi and how the boat is propped. The only 4 stk engine I ve read about on US websites where they say there is no difference in holeshot are the new Verados but I doubt that you would actually see any difference in real life bar crossing situations. Id rather have the 4 stk for climbing on the back of a greenie on the way in and staying there.

5.5/8 m plateys are just as safe as a surveyed 625 bruisecraft in the right hands

Damo - Post a pic of your boat for me - beer bottles, scales and all

Cheers

Greg

[AaronF]

All of what is said here is good advice, the worst thing anyone can do is get complacent about crossing a bar. I've been surfing since I was 12 and crossed my first bar with the old man at about 8. Had my own rig for 4-5 years and crossed numerous different bars including S.P, Currumbin, Tallebudgera, Tweed, Southport, Jumpinpin, Hastings creek (in a 11 foot tinnie) & Mooloolaba if you call that a bar I guess. S.P. is a real test of ones knowledge but is safe if you abide by the basic rules. I never crossed any except the unbroken wave variety (Mool & The seaway) at night as I just didn't feel comfortable with it. As everyone says watching it and waiting even if you have to let a fe macho types gun it in front of you is essential. Some wave sets can be 3-5 minutes apart and timing is everything. Brief everyone on your boat each time you go out on where the emergency equipment is located and what to do if soemthing does go wrong. Insist people wear life jackets until your outside. I know I can swim if we sink the tub but I don't need my 3 mates that can't to require I help them in as well. The channel can change each and every day so what you did yesterday may not be what works today, observe where the waves break and I always picked 2 possible routes just in case. Have still been shaken up a few times on outgoing tides in a decent sort of swell so it's never plain sailing. I guess the number one piece of advice is if you commit you gotta go, turning side on is just plain suicide, you will be amazed at what your boat will go through if it's set up properly. Never ever back of the revs as you hit a wave and always be looking at what's behind the one you just went over. The Amity channel was always my pick but I understand it's a little shallower now than a few years ago. I always marked my exit point on the GPS after I got outside and was safe, slowed down and had a good look at what ladmarks I needed to navigate my way back in upon return. The bar can look so different with 20 knots of N.E. on it and a 2M swell than it did with no wind and a high tide swell in the morning. Just be careful each and every time, be prepared to get all the way there and have to say you know what, it's just not going to happen today and turn around. Much easier to swallow the fuel bill than the fact you lost some of your friends and the boat. Take care and have fun.