Some Tips For Overnight Stays On Your Boat

[Ariat Fishing]

Hi Guys

I am planning to do a few overnight trips in my boat soon, just wanted some knowledge from people on here on the following:-

1. Do many people stay out overnight at places like Deep Tempest if the wx and swell are good ? or do most coming back around Comby and stay near Bulwer, Tanagalooma  ?

2. When camping overnight on your boat in the bay near Bulwer etc do you need to be extra cautious in a westerly wind, in case you finish up on the beach ?

3. Any other little comfort tips people might have would be appreciated.

Terry

[ellicat]

Your GPS will have a 'drag anchor' alarm for use while you are anchored up.

A coffee/hot drink is always nice to consume in winter or anytime if you are not an early mornings kinda person.

@aussie123 might be able to offer some of his vast experience.

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Ellicat - think I worked out the anchor alarm yesterday whilst playing around with my chartplotter/gps.

I have a small travel oven built into the cabin of the boat which has been fantastic for nice hot pies, sausage rolls, cooked sausages warmed up in alfoil, curry etc.... I always take a thermous of hot tea when I go out, but would be nice to find a way to boil some water in the morning to make a fresh cuppa

[ellicat]

You could get one of those stainless steel stoves with a gas canister and boil it up on your bait board (assuming it's not plastic). That's why I used to do when out offshore and even in the bay and river (as I'm not an early morning person). The thermos just doesn't cut it in comparison to a freshly boiled billy..

[Ariat Fishing]

Good idea mate, I'll call by the camping store on the way home and a look

 

[ggg]

I have a few tips:

1. Prepare for the worst- I was night fishing in 3 knots and it blew up to 15 knots all night

2. Use 2 anchors- Put an anchor on either side of the boat. That way, if one loses hold, you will have a backup

3. Find an island, bay, reef or something to shelter you. In the case it blows up, you don't want to be trying to re-locate the vessel. Be prepared and you will be able to come back home in one piece.

Good luck and happy fishing- the monsters come out at night.

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Jaz - tight lines mate.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Ariat Fishing

While I haven't ever stayed out fishing overnight, I do have some general tips on the camping part of it.

If you are staying on an island, be prepared for bugs to be in plague proportion. Aeroguard and even a mosquito net will help you get a better sleep if you are under the stars. 

If you are staying in your boats cabin, I would certainly use the oven for hot pies, sausage rolls, etc. They make a good snack after a days of camping/fishing/outdoors when it is cold. 

Also, make sure you take extra food and drink, because you may need it. I can recall a few times where I have been pretty hungry out camping away from any food source. Hope you can get out soon, 

Cheers Hamish  

[Ed.]

I used to stay overnight at either Bulwar or near Yellow Patch on Morton, depending on which way the wind was blowing and the waves/swell. The Yellow Patch area has a couple of gotchas though, there is a section near the shore which has some hard flat rock with a light sand covering over it, so your anchor may not dig in too well and you will just drag if the wind picks up, so if you look around you should find a suitable section of good sand,  and if you anchor  too far away from the shore there is an area which is prone to largish waves ( it is listed on the maps), so just be aware of them.  I have never anchored off shore though as the ocean conditions can change too rapidly for my liking in this part of the ocean, and I like so sleep comfortably without the boat rocking side to side and up and down, but that is just me.

The Bulwar area is quite good provided the wind doesn't change in the middle of the night and make the water too sloppy, I use large anchors and a reasonable amount of 3/8th chain so have never dragged there and not too worried about doing so. The bottom is pretty good there and I just use Danforth style anchors.

[aussie123]

The main thing out there is your anchor and chain as that is what is going to stop you from drifting, especially after a tide change when your boat changes direction.

I prefer an anchor that is one size bigger than recommended for the boat length plus a boat length of 10mm short link anchor chain.

It may be heavy to pull back up but it is far better than having to reset the anchor in the middle of the night, especially if the wind comes away and it gets rough out there.

If you are anchoring offshore, make sure your all round white light is nice and high and bright so other vessels as well as ships can easily see you.

Also let out plenty of rope to reduce the chance of popping the anchor through the night.

Set your drift alarm on the GPS, cook up a feed, have a few drinks and enjoy the night.

 

[rayke1938]

If you have the battery power there are 12 volt electric jugs on ebay they are a bit slow at around 20 min to boil 

 

1000ml 12V Portable Car Water Kettle Heater Warmer Travel Camping Tea Coffee Jug

Brand new

AU $25.89

Click & Collect

Buy It Now

+AU $5.09 postage

Free returns

159 sold

[Ed.]

I used to carry a small 3kg gas cylinder and a 3 burner camp stove, nothing like a hot meal and coffee after a day out on the water and a hot coffee in the morning to give you a kick start to the day ahead.

[benno573]

Hiking stoves are a great option for a quick hot drink if you have one.

 

re-iterate the comments around anchoring and a really bright light. I used to head in closer to Moreton if I was outside - even just inside north point or in under the cape in a westerly. What kind of boat you heading out there in mate?

[Ariat Fishing]

12 hours ago, benno573 said:

Hiking stoves are a great option for a quick hot drink if you have one.

 

re-iterate the comments around anchoring and a really bright light. I used to head in closer to Moreton if I was outside - even just inside north point or in under the cape in a westerly. What kind of boat you heading out there in mate?

 

15 hours ago, Ed. said:

I used to stay overnight at either Bulwar or near Yellow Patch on Morton, depending on which way the wind was blowing and the waves/swell. The Yellow Patch area has a couple of gotchas though, there is a section near the shore which has some hard flat rock with a light sand covering over it, so your anchor may not dig in too well and you will just drag if the wind picks up, so if you look around you should find a suitable section of good sand,  and if you anchor  too far away from the shore there is an area which is prone to largish waves ( it is listed on the maps), so just be aware of them.  I have never anchored off shore though as the ocean conditions can change too rapidly for my liking in this part of the ocean, and I like so sleep comfortably without the boat rocking side to side and up and down, but that is just me.

The Bulwar area is quite good provided the wind doesn't change in the middle of the night and make the water too sloppy, I use large anchors and a reasonable amount of 3/8th chain so have never dragged there and not too worried about doing so. The bottom is pretty good there and I just use Danforth style anchors.

 

15 hours ago, Ed. said:

I used to stay overnight at either Bulwar or near Yellow Patch on Morton, depending on which way the wind was blowing and the waves/swell. The Yellow Patch area has a couple of gotchas though, there is a section near the shore which has some hard flat rock with a light sand covering over it, so your anchor may not dig in too well and you will just drag if the wind picks up, so if you look around you should find a suitable section of good sand,  and if you anchor  too far away from the shore there is an area which is prone to largish waves ( it is listed on the maps), so just be aware of them.  I have never anchored off shore though as the ocean conditions can change too rapidly for my liking in this part of the ocean, and I like so sleep comfortably without the boat rocking side to side and up and down, but that is just me.

The Bulwar area is quite good provided the wind doesn't change in the middle of the night and make the water too sloppy, I use large anchors and a reasonable amount of 3/8th chain so have never dragged there and not too worried about doing so. The bottom is pretty good there and I just use Danforth style anchors.

Hi Ed - thanks mate, I have an electric winch on the front of my boat, 160 mtrs of rope, a lot of chain and a sarca anchor - hope this will do the job. - Would be interested to hear what swell wind conditions you think are ok for an overnight at Yellow Patch.

 

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Aussie123 - appreciate all your help mate.

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Rayke1938 - that could be a definite I think, I have a fridge that plugs into a lighter socket on the boat - so that will definitely work.

[Ariat Fishing]

Hi Ed - I have one these Coleman Hyper Flames - I should maybe take that out as well with a kettle and fry pan, just put it up on the bait board  when in use.

[Ariat Fishing]

Hi Benno573

Thanks mate - I have a Cruise Craft 720 Explorer HT with a 300 yamaha - pic attached.

Would appreciate when you have time if you could mark on a map where you used to anchor around Cape Moreton at night and what wind conditions you looked for at each spot.

[ggg]

That is perfect. We use on of them to cook toasted sandwiches for dinner. Just make sure you won't melt any fibreglass resin or wood on your boat.

[ellicat]

You could also install an inverter that will give you 240 volt power. I have a small 150W one for camping that is useful, but can't boil kettles or run the wife's hairdryer. They are not cheap but a 1000 watt one should boil a kettle and power a few homestyle luxuries.

https://www.redarc.com.au/12v-inverter-1000w

 

[ellicat]

1000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter

 

The REDARC 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter produces a pure sine wave output, essential for powering 240 volt drawing power from a 12 volt battery while on the road.

 

 

SKU: R-12-1000RS

$993.45 (AUD)

• RS Series Pure Sine Wave Inverter User Manual

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Ell - will try the coleman first or plug in lighter kettle - the Inverter is a great idea, but as I already have an oven in boat I'm not sure I'd get the value out of it - but I like the idea- thanks for sharing

[Ed.]

1 hour ago, Ariat Fishing said:

 

 

Hi Ed - thanks mate, I have an electric winch on the front of my boat, 160 mtrs of rope, a lot of chain and a sarca anchor - hope this will do the job. - Would be interested to hear what swell wind conditions you think are ok for an overnight at Yellow Patch.

 

Generally around the top of Morton Island you can anchor just around the next corner from the point, that is usually where some trawlers anchor overnight, or further down closer to the west end of Yellow Patch, depending on the sea , I usually anchored around the middle just above the E153.26.6 which is shown on the image map.  As for the swell /waves you will know when you get there whether or not you want to stay overnight, it will either be nice and flat or not! If the wind is Northerly  or the swell is North something or rather, you may want to consider the Bulwar area. I used to anchor reasonably close to the shore (5-7mt depth) as there is an area slightly further out that can get quite sloppy large waves at times. As I said that area is marked on the marine charts.

By the way nice rig you have there, all the comforts of home. I used to have a 26ft Scarab but since I traded it on an 18.5ft boat I don't stay out overnight anymore as mine is  now an open runabout style boat so no sleeping facilities.

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Ed appreciate it mate

[aussie123]

We never bother to come back in and anchor up for the night.

If we are fishing the shelf in 300m we just shut the engines down and drift for the night unless there is too much current so then we will come in to 60-70m and drop anchor for the night.

Same goes for up North when fishing the reefs off 1770, we anchor up in 60m and chase reds for the night.

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Aussie - I was wondering how boats at the shelf stayed out at night in such deep water. I'm going to head out to the shelf soon and try for some Blues and maybe on good calm days venture a little wider than the Canyons and Neverfail and look for some Yellowfin.

[aussie123]

1 hour ago, Ariat Fishing said:

Thanks Aussie - I was wondering how boats at the shelf stayed out at night in such deep water. I'm going to head out to the shelf soon and try for some Blues and maybe on good calm days venture a little wider than the Canyons and Neverfail and look for some Yellowfin.

Water conditions were nice on Sunday with tons of bait everywhere so there should be some Yellowfin out there now.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

5 hours ago, aussie123 said:

Water conditions were nice on Sunday with tons of bait everywhere so there should be some Yellowfin out there now.

Hey aussie123

That reminds me, when you went out on Sunday, how did you go? Were the deepwater fish and the reefies targetable? (Or was it not on Sunday and am I mixed up )

Cheers Hamish  

[aussie123]

Yes we went out deep Hamish.

The fishing was tough but we found a few in the end.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hey aussie123

Alright, good to hear you still got a few. Hopefully the next time you go out you find them in more abundant numbers. 

Cheers Hamish

[benno573]

11 hours ago, Ariat Fishing said:

Hi Benno573

Thanks mate - I have a Cruise Craft 720 Explorer HT with a 300 yamaha - pic attached.

Would appreciate when you have time if you could mark on a map where you used to anchor around Cape Moreton at night and what wind conditions you looked for at each spot.

Sweet rig mate!

as far as where I used to anchor up, I generally fished out from the cape around Roberts, Brennan’s and a bit further south from Henderson’s so none of these spots were a big run.

 

in a westerly:

 

In anything southerly:

 

i hated being out there in anything more than about 12kn northerly but pretty much your only option for a good sleep is the below - but coming around combi point in the dark can be problematic on an outgoing tide with any kind of swell.

 

Hope me this helps mate. give us a shout if you’re ever short on crew!

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Benno - appreciate the help mate, that is awesome.

Regards

Terry

[GregOug]

On 02/06/2020 at 7:25 PM, rayke1938 said:

If you have the battery power there are 12 volt electric jugs on ebay they are a bit slow at around 20 min to boil 

 

1000ml 12V Portable Car Water Kettle Heater Warmer Travel Camping Tea Coffee Jug

Brand new

AU $25.89

Click & Collect

Buy It Now

+AU $5.09 postage

Free returns

159 sold

 

I saw this kettle yesterday. Might be of interest. Heavily discounted as well.

https://www.marine-deals.com.au/rv-and-camping/portable-water-kettle-1-8l-12v-cigarette-lighter-plug?sc_src=email_4542385&sc_lid=321099324&sc_uid=o1ahA6xoEt&sc_llid=25310&sc_eh=c9dce363d37049561&utm_source=MailingList&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=08%2F06%2F20+Weekly+Deals

[fordgt]

Just be careful if you use electric kettles / ovens / inverters that you don't flatten the battery!

Anything with a heating element will be heavy on the amps.

[Ariat Fishing]

Thanks Fordgt - appreciate the advice

[Drop Bear]

On 03/06/2020 at 9:18 AM, Ariat Fishing said:

Hi Benno573

Thanks mate - I have a Cruise Craft 720 Explorer HT with a 300 yamaha - pic attached.

Would appreciate when you have time if you could mark on a map where you used to anchor around Cape Moreton at night and what wind conditions you looked for at each spot.

Nice rig mate. Perfect for camping out. 

[gungadin]

I have only camped overnight once, through necessity not choice, but if I did it  often and by choice i would carry a Jump starter such as  https://www.amazon.com/Imazing-Portable-Car-Jump-Starter/dp/B07L5HPVJZ/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=jumpstart+pack&qid=1595083774&sr=8-15  just in case.  

[GoingFishing]

Ariat Fishing,

Pleasure to chat with you.  You have any coordinates from Scarborough Marina to Bulwer? There should be some good fishing on the way into there.  Also did you have any luck on the water.? 

[Ariat Fishing]

15 minutes ago, GoingFishing said:

Ariat Fishing,

Pleasure to chat with you.  You have any coordinates from Scarborough Marina to Bulwer? There should be some good fishing on the way into there.  Also did you have any luck on the water.? 

Hi Mate - as for coordinates I'm sorry I really don't fish much in the Bay, I'm mainly always outwide from Flinders Reef to the shelf - Only spots that I have for the bay are already the really well known spots, I should go out one day and just scan for new spots in the bay just never seem to get around to it. I haven't been out for ages actually, I might try to get out next week when the wind and swell switch to South East and the time intervals pick up to north of 10 seconds again, probably some snapper spots from about 35 mtrs to 100 mtrs then depending on reports out wider to the shelf to try for Marlin/Wahoo or Tuna.

[GoingFishing]

Thanks for that info Ariat,  How far you reckon out of Scarborough before we reach that 35m mark?  Peral Perch I hear are at that 90m mark.  and I would be after that type thing as well as snapper and the Flame tail Snapper which everyone reckons is at that 200m section, but I think they would come to that 90 to 100m spots, what you think?

Are you out of Scarborough Marina, I am member there.