First Time On The Water!
Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 5:31 pm
Well the time is here, Just after new year we decided to go for a sail for a couple of days, so we rang our local V.M.R and looked up the weather on the net, they both predicted about 10 knot winds, so all systems go. We decided to put in at Hervey Bay at the Urangang Boat Harbour witch is about an hour and half drive. When we got there, there was about 7-10 knot wind just right so up goes the mast. While we were loading our stuff onto the boat including the cat , a 
owner came over to have a chat, he gave us a few tips. We had a bit of trouble at the ramp, by now the wind had picked up bit coming from the north, side on to our 
when she backed off the trailer the wind took her for a ride pushing her further away from the pontoon, with one of us at the helm (with the motor running) the only way to get back to the pontoon to get the ballast in, was to reverse back into the wind. With the car and trailer parked, off we go, there were a few other motor boats going out in front of us, when we got to the entrance to the marina we were meet with 15-20 knot winds and 2-3' white caps, the other boats in front of us only got to the first marker, turn around and headed back. We went out only a few boat lengths and about turned, for our first time out we weren't going risk it. We booked a berth at the marina for the night, thinking the next day might be better. That afternoon around 4 the winds picked up while we were talking to the marina's manager on the gang way where a rocking boat nearly hit him, no joke there was 2-3' swells inside the marina. From then on he was busy going around checking boats that were working themselves loose. We did not have a good night, so in the morning out of the water we go, and while we were de rigging another Mac owner come over and introduced himself, so we had another chat. I must say it was an experience, but we will do it again and lets hope the weather is better, but how do you get a reliable weather report?! It's hard when we are not close to the coast, we are about an hour to the closest port.
Cheers All
owner came over to have a chat, he gave us a few tips. We had a bit of trouble at the ramp, by now the wind had picked up bit coming from the north, side on to our when she backed off the trailer the wind took her for a ride pushing her further away from the pontoon, with one of us at the helm (with the motor running) the only way to get back to the pontoon to get the ballast in, was to reverse back into the wind. With the car and trailer parked, off we go, there were a few other motor boats going out in front of us, when we got to the entrance to the marina we were meet with 15-20 knot winds and 2-3' white caps, the other boats in front of us only got to the first marker, turn around and headed back. We went out only a few boat lengths and about turned, for our first time out we weren't going risk it. We booked a berth at the marina for the night, thinking the next day might be better. That afternoon around 4 the winds picked up while we were talking to the marina's manager on the gang way where a rocking boat nearly hit him, no joke there was 2-3' swells inside the marina. From then on he was busy going around checking boats that were working themselves loose. We did not have a good night, so in the morning out of the water we go, and while we were de rigging another Mac owner come over and introduced himself, so we had another chat. I must say it was an experience, but we will do it again and lets hope the weather is better, but how do you get a reliable weather report?! It's hard when we are not close to the coast, we are about an hour to the closest port.Cheers All
