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Tweed Bar Accident

ONTHECHEW

By ONTHECHEW
in Boating

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dhess Newbie

dhess

Posted
Posted
Good to see no one was hurt, this is an amazing bar and can turn on you at any time.


/>http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/trawler-smashed-against-rocks-crossing-tweed-bar/story-e6freoof-1226257677253

Andrew

Hey Andrew,

What is it about the Tweed that makes it such a handful? You seem to do a few trips out of the Tweed and would love to gain some knowledge for future trips.

I have only been through once. Quite a sizeable swell on the day and pretty sure it was direct Easterly. Not gonna be good on most bars around here. Near the top of the run in was a breeze getting out. Before we came back in swell had picked up and we came back in on the outgoing tide. 2m+ high walls of white water the whole way across. Stayed on the back of a wave and all was fine. Bloody hairy though.

Dom

I am assuming the bar will usually be fine on an incoming tide and only get nasty with a large easterly swell?

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Luc53 Explorer

Luc53

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Shallow entrance to the river and a decent drop into deep water at the front means waves can stand and steepen quite suddenly. Especially bad on the outgoing tide.

IMO, the southern wall needs to be extended a lot further.

Have a look at the river entrance on google maps, it give a pretty good picture.

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ONTHECHEW Newbie

ONTHECHEW

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Anyone know the name of the boat?
no I don't but it's soon to known as the tweed bar reef!

Bit average chief, wouldn't be joking about it, wouldn't be hard for someone to lose their life in such an accident.

Dhess,

Can be a very easy bar to cross especially on the top of the tide. It can change very quickly as the amount of water flow that can pass through it, with it's very narrow entrance (not many narrower apart from brunswick) and sand bar that builds out the front of it, it can turn to shit very quickly. When you are heading out you have to head out NE as the rest of the bar is alot shallower with a sandbar that makes the waves stand up. This causes the problem as when you are heading NE a lot of time you are heading side on to the swell this is when things can go wrong, if the swell is too close together you can't physically go this way and you have to take the swell straight on. Would be the place I have come closest to rolling the boat but I went out on a day I probably shouldn't. Like most bars 99% of the time it is a very doable bar but, bottom of a very big out going tide with an easterly swell is suicide, I have been down there and seen a lot of boats bigger than mine turn around on such occassions, but timing and watching for a while can make all of the difference.

Hope this has been of some help.

Andrew

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PlasticFantastic Newbie

PlasticFantastic

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Posted
Anyone know the name of the boat?
no I don't but it's soon to known as the tweed bar reef!

Bit average chief, wouldn't be joking about it, wouldn't be hard for someone to lose their life in such an accident.

Dhess,

Can be a very easy bar to cross especially on the top of the tide. It can change very quickly as the amount of water flow that can pass through it, with it's very narrow entrance (not many narrower apart from brunswick) and sand bar that builds out the front of it, it can turn to shit very quickly. When you are heading out you have to head out NE as the rest of the bar is alot shallower with a sandbar that makes the waves stand up. This causes the problem as when you are heading NE a lot of time you are heading side on to the swell this is when things can go wrong, if the swell is too close together you can't physically go this way and you have to take the swell straight on. Would be the place I have come closest to rolling the boat but I went out on a day I probably shouldn't. Like most bars 99% of the time it is a very doable bar but, bottom of a very big out going tide with an easterly swell is suicide, I have been down there and seen a lot of boats bigger than mine turn around on such occassions, but timing and watching for a while can make all of the difference.

Hope this has been of some help.

Andrew

Yep I remember the day you shouldn't have gone out and I think my pants are still stained brown.

Cheers

Mark

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Aquaholic Newbie

Aquaholic

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Posted

I would hate to take a trawler through there, the only thing they have going for them is their size and possibly a lot of stability, depending on hull design. Everything else works against them. Not enough power to stay in sync with waves, or ride on the should of one, not enough acceleration to do anything to avoid a wave...and they HAVE TO go out on days we would stay home because they need to make money vs my need to catch a big fish. Sky news said they attempted to "cross a sand bar when they got into difficulties" Does this imply they touched bottom and lost power? Maybe not, that's my interpretation anyway. Not enough water under you and that's the beginning of the end.

Aquaholic

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JarrydA Newbie

JarrydA

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I was talking to my old man tonight (prawn fisherman of 20 years, worked tweed for over 5) and he was watching some of the video or something and is pretty sure it was a loss of power. He was also saying the bar is very doable in the trawler "you just have to know how to surf" lol. Technical difficulties aside of course.

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dhess Newbie

dhess

Posted
Posted
Anyone know the name of the boat?
no I don't but it's soon to known as the tweed bar reef!

Bit average chief, wouldn't be joking about it, wouldn't be hard for someone to lose their life in such an accident.

Dhess,

Can be a very easy bar to cross especially on the top of the tide. It can change very quickly as the amount of water flow that can pass through it, with it's very narrow entrance (not many narrower apart from brunswick) and sand bar that builds out the front of it, it can turn to shit very quickly. When you are heading out you have to head out NE as the rest of the bar is alot shallower with a sandbar that makes the waves stand up. This causes the problem as when you are heading NE a lot of time you are heading side on to the swell this is when things can go wrong, if the swell is too close together you can't physically go this way and you have to take the swell straight on. Would be the place I have come closest to rolling the boat but I went out on a day I probably shouldn't. Like most bars 99% of the time it is a very doable bar but, bottom of a very big out going tide with an easterly swell is suicide, I have been down there and seen a lot of boats bigger than mine turn around on such occassions, but timing and watching for a while can make all of the difference.

Hope this has been of some help.

Andrew

Thanks Mate. Exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

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