Sailing The Rip into Port Philip Victoria

[El Pinguino]

I have standard 'three legged' lazy jacks with the frd - working- lazy jack turned up on a small cleat maybe 2 feet back from the gooseneck. Hoisting sail I put the wind very fine on the port bow and then haul the other two port side lazy jack 'legs' frd to this cleat. This gives me a single lazyjack on that side that stops the entire sail falling off the boom. When ready I put wind fine on the stbd bow, release the last two sail ties and hoist.

Works for me.

[Rustic Charm]

Hey guys,

Thought you might be interested following from my broken auto pilot GP4000 that occurred whilst I was leaving the RIP. I was surprised today to receive a new GP4000 ram from Raymarine freighted to me. Comes with an extra six months of warrantee.

[Rustic Charm]

Oops, wring thread I think.

[Simonsays]

they did not check the old one for bullet holes? ,)

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

they did not check the old one for bullet holes? ,)

Funny you mentioned that. Last week met someone at the club where I keep my boat. Didn't know him. But he came up while I was beside my boat and says, 'she looks OK for something that's been hit with 50 callibure'

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Slack water at the start of the flood is the best time to enter.
Tide runs 3 hours out of synch with high and low water.
Best way in is 'four fingers west'... brings you inside Lonsdale Rock.... if you have a commanding breeze you can use this track at all states of the tide.... keeps you out of the way of commercial traffic... stand on well up towards Shortland Bluff before turning right.
Do not try entering on the eastern side close by Corsair Rock.
Keep a prudent distance off the land until on the leads... once outside the ebbing tide heads off eastwards and you can experience a lethal sea east of the leads... esp if there is a strong SWly.

Outwards same same inwards... Push on out on the last of the flood tide so that you are abeam Lonsdale when the ebb gets away.

'Lonsdale' can help with info... they work on ch 12 .

I sailed my yacht from Sydney to Melbourne a couple weeks ago and had this thread in mind when approaching the heads. However one of my crew was very experienced with this area as he has crossed it many time when delivering "Skandia/Wild Thing" and sails Couta's in the area.

It was a calm night with lots of fog until we got close to the heads. Our AIS showed us the shipping which was fairly quiet with one arriving at the heads at the same time as us and one on the way to the heads but still near Hovell. We were hugging the coast and out of the way of the incoming ship. It was about 4am a few hours after the slack water but the tide was still coming in.

We called up Lonsdale and they told us to follow the ship in and warned us about the ship near Hovell. So we went through the rip on the east side, in a channel close to Nepean bank. Absolutely no drama what so ever and we were doing 13knots at one point on the GPS.

So if you are lucky enough to get calm conditions it can be a stress free crossing

[JPA Cate]

Congrats, man, you got her home!

Ann