Crossing bar tricky, ‘demanding’

LOCAL knowledge is more crucial than having bigger, more powerful boats when it comes to avoiding accidents while crossing the Taieri Mouth bar.

Taieri Mouth resident Trevor Griffin used a jet ski to help rescue three of four men from a 6.5mlong boat that overturned on the bar on Tuesday.

The other person was rescued by another man using an inflatable boat.

Mr Griffin, who has lived in the area for 23 years, yesterday emphasised the importance of having uptodate local knowledge before trying the cross that bar.

Over the past two decades there had been marked changes in the recreational fishing boats crossing the bar.

Twenty years ago, about 80% or more of recreational boats were about 5m long and opentopped.

By contrast about 80% of current boats were longer than 5m — many ranging from about 6.5m to 8.5m — and fitted with cabins and some quite sophisticated equipment.

However, a long line of boat accidents on the bar has continued this year and four men were rescued from an earlier capsize on March 14.

Bigger boats could use their greater power to avoid drifting into dangerous areas, Mr Griffin said.

However, bigger boats also had marked disadvantages on bars, including riding deeper in the water and being harder to manoeuvre quickly to face oncoming seas.

Checking the channel position from Waihola Hill, overlooking the river mouth, the day before a fishing trip was a good idea, as was taking advice from commercial fishermen about the best times to cross the bar.

The bar shifted often. It was a dangerous spot and complex tidal and weather factors were operating, he said.

Coastguard Dunedin president John Campbell said bars were ‘‘very demanding places’’.

Lifejackets had to be worn, and local knowledge was crucial.

Mr Campbell advised skippers to watch the pattern of waves breaking on the bar for at least 10 minutes before attempting to cross.

Otago harbourmaster Steve Rushbrook said the tide was too low to allow a safe crossing of the bar when the latest boat struck trouble on Tuesday afternoon.

Learning where the bar was before trying to cross was ‘‘key for any type of boat’’, he said.