See full version: The Do; s and Don; ts of Crossing a Bar
If crossing a designated bar in an open boat less than 4.8mt, everybody on board must be wearing a life jacket. Fines apply for non-compliance, but it is recommended that PFDs be worn in open boats of any size when crossing a bar.
..The speed of the boat should match the energy of each incoming wave by maintaining a speed that is sufficient to lift the bow over the wave
..Look for lulls and select a line of least wave activity
..Where possible, cross on an incoming tide when the wave is running with the tide
..Keep your boat generally bow-on as the waves approach and do not allow the boat to turn sideways to a breaking wave
..Head up into the waves and bear away quickly on their backs, creating a zig-zag course
..Accelerate where possible but avoid getting airborne
..Head for saddles which occur between peaking waves about to break
..Navigate quickly clear of the bar once through the danger point
..Take note of leads and marks to locate the entrance for your return trip
Watch the sets of swells before choosing the best time to go. Once committed, hold your nerve and keep going. Attempting to turn around in front of an incoming wave can be dangerous. Do not hit the waves at high speed and take them as close to head on as possible. Some bars have breaking waves across the whole entrance and finding a way through may be difficult. Be prepared to take a wave head on and take water over the bow.
Tip 3 – Check your fuel before you head out
Episode 11 of The Sailing Podcast is an interview with Alan Hall from Coast Guard Noosa about crossing bars. The Noosa River has a very difficult bar crossing and the coast guard here are experts when it comes to training people about safe bar crossing and providing a volunteer search and rescue service.
Tip 9 – Time your run through the waves so that you are not entering a wave as it is curling and about to break. You are looking to cross the waves prior to it breaking or to drive through the white water after the wave has broken here
In very settled light southerly weather there is an option to anchor overnight just inside Double Island Point. I suggest you don’t plan on this because conditions can change between the time you leave Mooloolaba (or Moreton Bay) and when you get to Double Island Point. In the right weather it can be magic, but usually you will roll, and roll…. here
The crossing – Be prepared for the depth to jump up as you approach the outer waypoint. This can be disconcerting, but is normal. Naturally it is much deeper clear of the bar. Once committed to the outer leads, use common sense about sticking rigidly to the leads. You will see breaking waves on either side, but they shouldn’t be on your track. If they are, it may pay to skirt the area – without veering much off the leads. [links]
Chart showing dogleg channel over bar, deep water inside [links]
If you’ve just come up the NSW coast, you’ll be an old hand at bar crossings, but for new cruisers heading north from Brisbane, and others unfamiliar with bars, the crossing at the southern end of Fraser Island is a major hurdle. Forget all those bar-crossing-disaster stories. They happen when people do silly things – if you obey all the rules, and use your head, your crossing will be uneventful. Here’s a few ideas to get you up and over the bar:
The channel has a dogleg, so you will be looking for the point at which you change course on to the Inskip leads. On this leg it will definitely be very joggly on your port hand, and quite likely in the channel as well. Don’t worry about this lop because, as you will see from the chart and sounder, it is very deep at this point. [links]
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