Bar crossing 4

Leaving the harbour 

Watch the following video and consider these points.

Video - leaving the harbour

The vessel was travelling at the slowest possible speed for four reasons:

• To be able to ride through a breaking wave gently and not punch out the wheelhouse windows
• To not launch out the back of the wave and plunge the bows underwater, especially considering the next wave may be about to break
• To be able to apply the throttle and turn the vessel quickly
• To give more time for decisions

Think about the stabiliser arms - leaving them out lowers the centre of gravity but they may slew the vessel around if only one is submerged and may be torn off to foul the steering.

The video is an extract from "Crossing the Bar", available from the New Zealand Seafood Industry Training Organisation and produced by Tom Williamson.

Jeff Watts, October 2015