Bar crossings

[redspeckle]

i don't know if this subject has been talked about before ? when i go fishing offshore i tow my boat up to mooloolaba go from there or bribie instead. I come from a surf life saving background and have taught people to drive inshore rescue boats but they are made to go off the beach through surf quickly. when are driving bigger boat thorough a bar, its different story or is it ?
i always think of safety installed 500 gph below floor above floor 2000 gph bilge pumps
i have a 5.8 metre plate boat with 90 on the back i would like to hear about any experiences about crossing the south passage bar, have got some information but would like to know more

[mackmauler]

If you are familiar with the channels and work the tides so your not crossing at the peak flow times, it fine in decent weather.
Its a big bar and if your not to sure where you are going, I can imagine it wouldnt be to hard to cross where there isnt a channel and get into some difficulty. have all sorts of stories, the best being the day coming home and surfing inside a tube just like the hawaiin surfing movies, to the southeast of amity is some very interesting water on its day!

[agnes_jack]

Rob
Your a madman !!!

Regards, Tony

[SeaSaw]

Rob, did ya have time to grab the camera and take a quick snap - LOL. Now that would be a photo

Mark

[mackmauler]

time to take a video camera and make a movie on how to cross bars volunteer camerapersons?

[Billo]

Mad man ....I am up for the challenge you're boat ?

- redspeckle , i am really only a beginner to bar crossing as a skipper , but i have done south passage a few times in a 4.35 open tinny with a 40 ....no probs at all .

My rulings ( untill i have more experience ) are no crossing in the 2nd or 3rd quarter of the run out tide , no crossing on swell over 1 metre from the east or north east ...or with winds over 15 knotts ....this is just my personal conditions for a safe cross to avoid any scary swell or currents ...

if you can get a small southerly swell , and top of the tide/ ebb tide you will not even have to worry about a thing ..

Other then that i too do the run up to Bribie across to the cape....puts you in good water a lot quicker anyway

[aido]

always treat it with respect...


from last weeks bayside bulletin

[ANYFISH]

gday
always make it a rule to put on a life jacket.
even if you can swim good it doesn't help you if your half unconsious from a boat hitting you on the head.
i can't swim real good so i always put one on when crossing the bars...

cheers anyfish

[Spot_X]

Redspeckle. Gday southpassage bar has alot of people scared for some reason. There are two main channels Amity and northern gutter. As mackmauler said Amity has shallowed up. I used it a half hour before the guys in the paper clipping above went over. I saw the raby bay vmr boat heading up the rainbow channel when achored just south of amity. As for the bar that day I used the northern gutter in the morning and the bank infront of the point was standing up a bit but still quite workable. And Amity athought breaking right across there the channel used to be it was just a matter of having a look and then picking a good size wave to follow in over the shallow bank and into the channel near the beach. I know this sounds a bit confusing but if you go with sombody with years of doing bar crossings under thier belt you should pick it up easily. In good wheather and low swell you can cross southpassage anywhere. Roy.

[craysea]

stay on the ball
don the life jacket
and smash yer way through

[nofrills]

hey redspeckle

you could also give bill corten a ring,he runs bar crossing courses at south passage.i havent got his number but it should be in bush and beach

cheers scott

[Render]

always treat it with respect...


from last weeks bayside bulletin

They 'treaded' water???

And that must have gone past an editor AND a sub-editor.

Jesus wept!

R

[damons33]

yo redfreckle-
8)
i did my first crossing of sth passage at night(new moon) low tide and 1.5m swell with no idea of where the channels where!
so i took it thru the middle with the same "MO" as craysea (is that you bob?). once airbourne and one more wave and i was "out there", all i did was maintain a slow plane and keep a easterly course- krayzie i know!(kids dont try that at home!)


there is a certain "inertia" to the nooby of crossing bars, especially up on the sth passage where there aint no break walls either side to give orientation. shes' a big wide and shallow bar she is!
???
at the end of the day when you've got the hang of your own boat and know its limitations fully, have a good surf understanding. visit the new bar area when its placid(under a meter swell) conditions and cross at the right times of the tide and it will be a stressless exercise.

two things to remember if the shit looks like hitting the fan
1. on the way out, take her bow on!(keep ure nose into the waves always-trim down or in)
2. on the way in use power/boat speed to maintain rudder and to stop her from kavin' when jumping slop, its better to go over the the falls then be engulfed from behind.(trim up or out!).

so chin up and butt dry is the way to go!

irb's have great power to weight ratio so you get more time to to change plans in shifty conditions and being flexible they have less tendency to "flip out".
the golden rule "if in doubt! wimp it out!"lol
damon-ps. if your still pissin' ure pants see bill! haharrrr!

[SeaJay]

The thing that might be most un-nerving is trying to spot the channel from the outside looking back over the breaking waves.

Make sure you get a good track on your GPS and take a few good marks just in case. Worse comes to worse sit around outside the bar and wait to follow someone back in.

Even the main channel can be hard to spot at the moment.

[Fishinmishin]

At $330 it's not cheap but either is your boat.