Sailing The Rip into Port Philip Victoria

[Rustic Charm]

Hi,

Sometime around June or July I'm planning on crossing the strait and heading up into Melbourne. Can anyone give me some pointers on The Rip. Getting in and out? Best tide and wind to go in and out please.

[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 .

[Oceanride007]

Pings the man.
I did it 2 month ago and had trouble determining the 4 fingers west. But I held the course its just to the west of shipping channel.
There is a guide that is extremely helpful, just a single sheet. Seek it out, lots of bass straight sailors have it.
The tides Ping speaks of is also close enough to high water at Williamstown.

Can recommend avoiding the east side, but also you need more info than what can be got from this forum.

[El Pinguino]

Yes you can use the Williamstown tides... essentially because of the very narrow mouth to Port Phillip the tide ebbs from 3 hours before LW PPH ( ie low tide outside) to 3 hours after.

No probs sailing over the top of Lonsdale Rock ( 6.1 metres on the Chart)... but just stay west of the western limit of the main channel... the bits the big ships use.

Its 10 years since I was last doing this but I think it is the low light that has a white sector that brings you inside Lonsdale Rock... most yachtspeoples aren't game enough to go that far west... it shows white over the main entrance... red over Lonsdale Rock and a 2* sector inside ..ie west ..of the rock... the pilot boats use it in v heavy weather...

With a strong ebb you can actually see and hear the ebb when you are in relatively quiet water

One thing you do need is the paper chart of the entrance.. don't try it with electronic stuff... not enough info.



Also if coming up from the SE ... stay about 3 miles off depending on traffic before coming onto your leading line.. that way you are clear of the tide and aren't going to upset inbound ships.

Rough charts to show what I am talking about attached.

That crib sheet isn't from Cruising Helmsman about 1990 is it?

[Rustic Charm]

Thanks guys. I've obtained the one page information sheet last week and it's quite useful and I always travel with paper charts

My adult son was in hospital for a number of weeks and I suggested I'd take a couple of weeks off when he gets out and we will go visit his sister and shop in Melbourne. So now he's out, when he's well enough, if he's still keen we will head over. Last year I crossed over to Flinders, then up into Hastings. I wasn't game enough to try the rip.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Yes you can use the Williamstown tides... essentially because of the very narrow mouth to Port Phillip the tide ebbs from 3 hours before LW PPH ( ie low tide outside) to 3 hours after.

No probs sailing over the top of Lonsdale Rock ( 6.1 metres on the Chart)... but just stay west of the western limit of the main channel... the bits the big ships use.

Its 10 years since I was last doing this but I think it is the low light that has a white sector that brings you inside Lonsdale Rock... most yachtspeoples aren't game enough to go that far west... it shows white over the main entrance... red over Lonsdale Rock and a 2* sector inside ..ie west ..of the rock... the pilot boats use it in v heavy weather...

With a strong ebb you can actually see and hear the ebb when you are in relatively quiet water

One thing you do need is the paper chart of the entrance.. don't try it with electronic stuff... not enough info.



Also if coming up from the SE ... stay about 3 miles off depending on traffic before coming onto your leading line.. that way you are clear of the tide and aren't going to upset inbound ships.

Rough charts to show what I am talking about attached.

That crib sheet isn't from Cruising Helmsman about 1990 is it?

Ping, (do you mind if I call you that too?), did you put the blue course line in for me? Or is it in the charts for the area. I won't buy one till closer the time.

[El Pinguino]

You may or may not know the best way into Hastings/Wport in heavy weather ( and a lot of other weather besides).

The area near the Fairway buoy can be serious bad.... as can McHaffies ... when you have a hard SWly over the ebb..


I've used the track shown below in a 40k SW and an ebb tide .... takes you back into deep water above McHaffies... all care no responsibility etc..

RC... the blue lines are mine... a general guide to show what I am talking about.

Ping or Pingo is fine , formaly it is Señor Pingüino or - in supermercados etc - 'Caballero'.. which I rather like...

[El Pinguino]

Bye the bye... it doesn't show on that chart but just above the 'ir' of 'fairway' you can get a very heavy break... even in quiet conditions it can suddenly rear up and break out of nowhere.... nasty place.. and lethal.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

You may or may not know the best way into Hastings/Wport in heavy weather ( and a lot of other weather besides).

The area near the Fairway buoy can be serious bad.... as can McHaffies ... when you have a hard SWly over the ebb..


I've used the track shown below in a 40k SW and an ebb tide .... takes you back into deep water above McHaffies... all care no responsibility etc..

RC... the blue lines are mine... a general guide to show what I am talking about.

Ping or Pingo is fine , formaly it is Señor Pingüino or - in supermercados etc - 'Caballero'.. which I rather like...

Well Caballero, thanks muchly. That route into Hastings is pretty much the route I took after spending the night just off the Flinders pier on a mooring we found.

[scubascooter]

Stick to what Ping said and you'll be ok. Good idea to radio "Lonsdale" to get any shipping info and also so they know what you're doing. I like to avoid too much swell also.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Bye the bye... it doesn't show on that chart but just above the 'ir' of 'fairway' you can get a very heavy break... even in quiet conditions it can suddenly rear up and break out of nowhere.... nasty place.. and lethal.

I was lucky then. It was a nice calm morning when I went through.

[El Pinguino]

In the channel by the fairway buoy ok... off to the left not so ok....

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

In the channel by the fairway buoy ok... off to the left not so ok....

Now I know that I'll be much more cautious in less calm weather. I thought it was a gorgeous place that I'll definitely be going back to. And so is the Hastings marina. So close to all the shops and things. And that Submarine I passed was a real surprise.

[El Pinguino]

I was coming up inside Seal Rocks in a glassy calm once when a red flare went off up ahead.... smallish yacht had been picked up and laid down by a breaking sea that had come out of nowhere tipping one crew out of the cockpit. He was being carried by the flood into the shallow water... luckily a tinny was able to scoot in and pick him up... otherwise it would have been a case of just going around the back of the banks and hoping he would re-appear.

A couple of sailors died just a mile or two further in when they strayed out of the deep water channel to the east one dark night.... tricky place.

Oh... if coming up from the east inside Seal Rocks is better than outside.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I was coming up inside Seal Rocks in a glassy calm once when a red flare went off up ahead.... smallish yacht had been picked up and laid down by a breaking sea that had come out of nowhere tipping one crew out of the cockpit. He was being carried by the flood into the shallow water... luckily a tinny was able to scoot in and pick him up... otherwise it would have been a case of just going around the back of the banks and hoping he would re-appear.

A couple of sailors died just a mile or two further in when they strayed out of the deep water channel to the east one dark night.... tricky place.

Oh... if coming up from the east inside Seal Rocks is better than outside.

When we left I did so via inside seal rocks and then headed to San Remo. There were divers diving around seal rocks. Abalone by the look of it.

I had no idea the place was so treacherous.