Fishing boats on the Greymouth bar

[Guest]

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/boats-s ... id=4002225

[Murky 1]

Just unbelievable. To my eye, there was not a hell of a lot of difference between the two that got through and the older footage of the one that got rolled.

[wheels 543]

The one that rolled had an engine failure and ended up at the mercy of the bar and sea state.

The Skipper made a comment about the only other option was going to Westport, but I don't think that would have been any better. The Buller is in big flood also.

[Guest Rocket]

Gotta love big rudders

[wheels 543]

The rudder doesn't help no matter what the size. A boat broches because the Bow is in slow moving water releative the bow's spoeed, So the bow "steers" and the stern is in water that is moving the same speed as the rudder, so it now has no ability to steer at all. Because the Hull is in a down facing attitude, when it meets the area of wave toward the bottom of the wave, it digs in and decides to slew off in a direction. But the skipper has no reel steering ability due to the rudder having little to know affect.

I hope that came out right. It's Early, the cat kept me awake and I haven't had coffee yet.

[Dagwood 57]

I'm not a commercial operator and avoid bars (the wet and sandy type) but it looked like a case of "mustgethomeitis". Symptoms include risking everything to get get a load of fish home that were caught while the weather that was forecast actually happened. On top of this as part of the denial side effects of this affliction - despite the "heightened risk", no PFDs...

 

Maybe it's the way they do things on the Coast but I'd be a bit surprised if the MSA don't make a phone call or 2

[wheels 543]

There is no law, so MSA probably won't. This kind of crossing happens regularly. It just happend a camera was there this time. It wasn't that ruff as the camera was able to film. When it is really ruff, the sea break right over the breakwall and the cameraman would not have seen easily, nor would those people be able to stand on the North Breakwater.

The biggest issue was not the size of the breakers but that the river is running out at 8kts.

[Guest]

I'm not a commercial operator and avoid bars (the wet and sandy type) but it looked like a case of "mustgethomeitis". Symptoms include risking everything to get get a load of fish home that were caught while the weather that was forecast actually happened. On top of this as part of the denial side effects of this affliction - despite the "heightened risk", no PFDs...

 

Maybe it's the way they do things on the Coast but I'd be a bit surprised if the MSA don't make a phone call or 2

I fished commercially over these bars for years and was often guilty of pushing the envelope. You are absolutely right, it is a case of "mustgethomeitis". Interestingly, one of my nautical school tutors recommended not wearing a PFD when crossing bars. Everybody should be inside and a lifejacket would inhibit getting out in a hurry. Bit different now with good quality blow up models I suppose. In all the years of my involvement on the coast I only know of one fisherman who lived through a bar rollover. He was rescued by a surfy. Autopsy reports usually point to getting knocked out followed by drowning.

[Guest Rocket]

Ya wouldn't be able to keep a launch straight with the usual little rudders they come with (or at least our Pelin did). I love the way the fishing boats squat down in the arse and roll through it. Really cool boats.

[Elenya 33]

My money is on a word or two, if not an investigation. The crew member on the vessel was not wearing a lifejacket. Maritime Rule 91 is fairly straight on this. Time will tell. Looked like a place I won't be taking my boat.

There is a good bar crossing guide issued by Maritime New Zealand, and one by the Fishing Industry I seem to remember. The fishing Industry probaly know more about bars that any other mariners.