How far off shore would you go?

[Ally Jack]

Maxrock,

You are going to need a bit more than 80ltr of fuel for a week of fishing and returning to shore. I regularly fish 50Nm out from Gladstone and fuel usage dependant on weather/location changes/drift fishing can vary 50ltr/trip. I probably go a bit overboard on the fuel I carry but I've never returned home with less than 60ltrs of fuel in the boat.

AJ

[fishfeeder]

its a long way back if the conditions change and they DO..I think you would need more like 5-6 jerries.
A week on the water sounds great but you need a lot of gear to make it comfortable. Ice, Fuel, Bait, Food, sleeping gear etc...

Not knowing if you have fished much ofshore but its a lot different then fishing the bay, maybe join in on a few weekend trip off Moreton and build from there.

How about joining in on a few of the M&G's they are allways fun and safety in numbers can never be overlooked...

Cheers
Brett

[Lightly Toasted]

Seeing as how you would rather charter a boat for yourself, why not look at a fishing charter instead? There's a couple in 1770 and a couple in Gladstone, never used them but have heard good reports from most of them.

If you still want to take your own boat, you could look at camping at Musgrave Is. Curtis Ferry Services can deliver fuel and water to Musgrave or North West Islands (for a fee of course).



Rob.

[Maxrock]

Hi Garry,

how do you go through the amount of fuel mentioned? Do you troll all day? Also do you travel from A-B flat out, or just planning? What is the fuel consumption of your Honda 225HP?
I certainly would not be able to carry that amount of fuel plus camping gear....!
Do you know what 1770 spirit is charging for fuel transport?

Thanks Garry

[uripper]

I could not advise you without knowing much more detail about your boat and your experience and preparations you have made. I am wondering why you haven't ventured offshore beyond Moreton Island assuming that is the area you are in mostly. On a good 5 - 10 Knot day particularly weekend there are many boats on the water off shore and a good time to test your communications and handling your boat in open sea conditions. Go with another boat and experienced skipper. Ask them to check over your boat and safety gear, batteries, radios, epirb, etc.
Heading off shore isn't necessarily hazardous if you educate yourself but can turn nasty if you are unprepared so to start with try and tee up with people who do it regularly and are sensible and learn what you can from them.
There are a lot of precautions that you can take and things you need to think about. I am near Bribie and happy to talk to you anytime about it.

Max rock - this is good advise with generous offer of more.
Suggest you gain more experience offshore locally before attempting anything larger. Know your boat !!!! Old rule of thumb ... plan for 1/4 to be left in the tank(s) when you get home in case of unexpected bad weather, mishaps, etc.
Its all about risk reduction & management. There were some VERY experienced guys from this local community who sadly are not with us today because of ... well, lets just say never underestimate the ability of mother ocean to f#ck you over if you get lazy /slack.
Mal

[fishfeeder]

"I have a 130L tank I use 25-30 L/hr, by the time I get there I will have used 50L. The 80 L left over....."

Going by your figures.. you will only have 30L to move around and fish for the time your there, you said you use 25-30l/hr so really you only have 1hrs fishing worth of fuel..

Is your fuel usage based on a HEAVY load, say a mate with all his fishing gear aswell as your fishing gear, 20kgs Ice, food, Bait, esky for fish, cooking, drinks extra safety gear like an extra anchor and chain with rope.. etc

And I am sure there are a few on here who have gorn off to Fitzroy with a forcast of 5-10knot and found it closer to 20+ at the reef, remember your 65km offshore. Then had the fun 2.5 - 3hr trip back into a very confused sea...

But there are times you could ski to the reef and fish for a few days and ski back, but they don't happen very often...

Cheers
Brett

[Spaniard_King]

Hi Garry,

how do you go through the amount of fuel mentioned? Do you troll all day? Also do you travel from A-B flat out, or just planning? What is the fuel consumption of your Honda 225HP?
I certainly would not be able to carry that amount of fuel plus camping gear....!
Do you know what 1770 spirit is charging for fuel transport?

Thanks Garry

On these trips we are heavily loaded, i.e 3 blokes aditional 170l fuel (normal tank 230) ice for 3 days 100KG bait, food, cooking gear,aditional lead (you can go through it quickly), sleeping gear etc. loaded like this I get 1 - 1.3klm per litre in good conditions. I did a trip back from Musgrave this year in 30 knots and couldnt go any faster than 14 kinots.... fuel usgae near doubled we do 300+ klms a trip

[Ally Jack]

....And I am sure there are a few on here who have gorn off to Fitzroy with a forcast of 5-10knot and found it closer to 20+ at the reef, remember your 65km offshore. Then had the fun 2.5 - 3hr trip back into a very confused sea...

[/B]
Cheers
Brett

This happens a lot, the forecast in close is good and out there is nothing like it. I remember a time heading out for an overnighter with 10/15 forecast dropping to 5/10 the next day, going out past Heron Island and the current observations were 17kn gusting 22kn, that night it blew up deluxe with a good 30-35 and me and the mate anchored up behind wilson island, spent the night sitting on the floor having a few quiet rums. Skulked home the next morning with a hefty fuel bill and few fish to show for it.
It happens the other way as well at times, we've come back from a millpond to find it rougher closer to the Gladstone harbour

AJ

[Jeremy]

Hi,
I purchased 1 1/2 years ago a 17.5" Swiftcraft half cabin. Nice boat with an 150 HP BlackMax on the back off it.
I have soo far only shipped around Moreton Bay, and made my experiences with the Moreton chopp.
I am now thinking of planning a trip with the Boat from 1770 to the Islands and reef 30nm out off sea.

Question is, has any of you done something like it? With a similar vessel and engine?
I am aware that wind could be my biggest enemy, but if forecast is predicting nothing above 15kt I should be fine,right?
Well I would appreciate some experiences from others.
Thanks
Maxrock

Based on the information you have provided above, IMHO you do not have the experience required to be safe. It is a huge jump up from day tripping on Moreton Bay to crossing the bar at 1770 and spending a week offshore. Often the forecast is not correct 1 day in advance, so to rely on the forecast not getting above 15 knots for a week would be foolhardy. The BOM does say the 'wind gusts can be up to 40% stronger' so you can expect up to 25 knots if the forecast is for 10-15 knots.

My advice to you would be to spend some time fishing offshore from Moreton Bay and camping in your boat for a day or two. Bulwer and Tangalooma are good spots for going offshore from Cape Moreton.

[FisHard]

On these trips we are heavily loaded, i.e 3 blokes aditional 170l fuel (normal tank 230) ice for 3 days 100KG bait, food, cooking gear,aditional lead (you can go through it quickly), sleeping gear etc. loaded like this I get 1 - 1.3klm per litre in good conditions. I did a trip back from Musgrave this year in 30 knots and couldnt go any faster than 14 kinots.... fuel usgae near doubled we do 300+ klms a trip

100kg of bait?! Omg!
I agree with everyone here, you'll need more fuel than you think, particularly with a 2 stroke. If you go to the Spirit of 1770 website you'll find more info on their prices to deliver stuff to Lady Musgrave.