How far is too far??

[hydroforce3]

hi guys im new to this site and relatively new to sibbing, been doing it for 12 months now. i have a 3m/10ft sib with a cracking 10hp honda 4stroke, i was wondering how far is too far in a small sib? There is a wreck 3mile out to sea from where i launch my boat from my local beach and im really wanting to give it a shot with some lures, the only problem is ive only been about 1mile max off shore in 10-15m of water. Is it sensible to try the 3 mile wreck when its 45m deep and alot further than ive been before. any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated, please post and tell me the furthest you guys have been either coastal or out to sea.

cheers in advance

Dan

[Poly]

It depends!

It depends on:
- conditions on the day
- forecast
- recent weather / swell
- liklihood of other people being around
- current / tides
- what comms you have if something goes wrong
- your experience (could be 365 full days or two hours)
- etc

[hydroforce3]

well i wouldnt say im experienced but i am aware that if it starts to swell up engine on and away lol tbh i havnt got much balls when it comes to the sea, it claims too many lives so maybe its my confidence thats abit low, i have a handheld vhf, manual inflate crewsaver live vests, chart plotter and back up oars, anchor and chain. would you recommend anything else i would need to have a 3 mile safe trip aslong as the conditions alowed?

cheers

[smallribber]

In my view 3 miles is far too far to go out in such a small boat. If you did it with outher perhaps larger boats that would be different but in a boat that small you need backup


Dennis

[willk]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

In my view 3 miles is far too far to go out in such a small boat. If you did it with outher perhaps larger boats that would be different but in a boat that small you need backup

Will you break the bad news to The Gurnard or will I?

I think the OP will know when he's ready to go "offshore" - he'll certainly need 100-150m of fine 4 or 6mm line for anchoring. A sib with an engine issue that far offshore is a hard thing to find when it takes off drifting....

[Poly]

Originally Posted by hydroforce3

well i wouldnt say im experienced but i am aware that if it starts to swell up engine on and away lol tbh i havnt got much balls when it comes to the sea, it claims too many lives so maybe its my confidence thats abit low, i have a handheld vhf, manual inflate crewsaver live vests, chart plotter and back up oars, anchor and chain. would you recommend anything else i would need to have a 3 mile safe trip aslong as the conditions alowed?

cheers

Well there's a whole thread on what kit to carry in a sib. You won't be rowing far... certainly not three miles.

Handheld vhf SHOULD give you that sort of range to coastguard if the waves are not so big you are hiding in troughs. It might not if you've gone for a swim though.

Plotters are great, but when things go wrong electronics sometimes die. There's a lot to be said for paper and compass. Practice navigating back without being able to see the shore. As willk says you'll know when you are ready, don't be afraid to start and turn back.

Someone will be along to suggest a PLB. That's not a bad idea, but if you only do that trip because you have one then it's bringing false security.

I think it's worth thinking about what you wear too.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by hydroforce3

There is a wreck 3mile out to sea

What would you do when you get there?
Dive on the wreck or fish?

[beamishken]

To be honest if your 1 mile out and your engine chucks it your in almost as much trouble as you are if 3 miles off. Your still going to need to call for assistance as Your unlikely to row a mile.The water depth makes little difference as long as you carry enough anchor rope.
Assuming the engine is reliable and you have a means of contact (vhf) and an anchor to keep you stationary if the engine does die . you've got the usual personal safety kit so I'd say you'll be fine
Pick a nice day and if you feel comfortable go for it!
There's nothing like pushing your own boundaries to give you a sense of achievement

[jeffstevens763@g]

3 miles out 3 miles up the coast same thing, kayaks are doing greater distances it's all about conditions as said. you need to build your confidence in yourself and your boat, you must go out in the rough stuff to hone your skills, planning is everything and knowing your limitations never go out if you dont feel right about it or unsure. take your boat a bit further each time and steam back to where you feel ok it doesn't take long to cover 3 miles on the plane.
above all have all the safety gear PLB, DSC radio a must & the usual stuff plus enough anchor rope to suit water depth.

dropping on one of the sib outings would be very beneficial with guys that have varying experience see how others do it kit boat set ups you will learn a lot.
read gurnards threads a mine of info and he does it in a smaller boat/engine than yours.

[Pikey Dave]

Let common sense prevail. What you need to do is imagine the news headlines if you have an incident, will they be "Irresponsible idiot causes mass search" or "lost fisherman found safe & well after engine problem"

Look at (and understand) the forecast.
Plan for the best, prepare for the worst.
Clothing
Lifejacket/PFD
Comms, make sure someone knows where you are going, how long for, when you are due back. Make sure they know what to do if you are unaccountably late.
Don't rely on mobile phones, beg steal or borrow a handheld VHF, know how to use it.
Carry a good sharp knife.
Assuming the wreck is unbouyed how will you find it? Shore transits, sounder/plotter, or follow the herd?

There's absolutely no reason not to go for it. When you are there, the shore will still look incredibly close, 3nm is bugger all at sea. Just make sure you have prepared your boat/self/shore party.

Have fun

[hydroforce3]

Awesome guys i think il pick a flat calm day with little wind and tide and just ease myself in a little further each time

Thanks for all of your advice and comments guys greatly appreciated

[Phil M]

I'd only add that you should be aware of the tides also. A strong tide can add a long time to a journey. Up our way the tidal range is up to 9m, so it can add length to your anchor chain and long deco to a dive. Leave a plan with somebody (friend, coastguard etc.), including a destination and an expected return time, just in case.

Phil

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Comms, make sure someone knows where you are going, how long for, when you are due back. Make sure they know what to do if you are unaccountably late.

And make sure they really will activate the plan as soon as you are late. Too often you've factored in a "fudge factor" and then your shore contact add in their own and then the coastguard start their "don't panic yet" phase and by the time the Lifeboat is on the water a couple of hours have been lost. If you plan to go out all day it might be worth trying to make arrangements to give an "all OK" update part way through as well - as if you fall overboard at 11am it will be a long wait for the CG to come hunting when you are not back at 6pm.

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

3 miles out 3 miles up the coast same thing,

depending which way the wind is blowing it is not - 3 miles is quite a bit of fetch - potentially doubling the wave height! Not to mention visibility could mean one way you have sight of land the whole time and another you don't! I happily to 30-60 mile round trips in my wee boat - but I wouldn't go 30 miles off shore!

it doesn't take long to cover 3 miles on the plane.

but it feels a heck of a long way if you have to drop off the plane to fight big waves!

plus enough anchor rope to suit water depth.

I'll be controversial and suggest that may not be absolutely essential! A sea anchor to make your drift bearable and good comms might be OK. I don't always have enough line for the depth I am in - but with the usual expectation that the prevailing conditions mean I should be heading towards a shoreline/shallower water (albeit not necessarily the best one!).

[Fenlander]

Dan,

As others have said 3Nm out is not that far when it's all going well particularly as you've done 1Nm which will already have taken you beyond a comfortable row back if the engine conked etc.

But not meaning to be flippant if you have to ask then that means it's probably too far for how you feel at the moment... easing yourself in gradually to build confidence is a good idea.

Phil's comments re tides is a good point. Depending on where you operate you might either be against the tide heading for shore or it could set you further along the cost than expected during the return.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by beamishken

To be honest if your 1 mile out and your engine chucks it your in almost as much trouble as you are if 3 miles off. Your still going to need to call for assistance as Your unlikely to row a mile.The water depth makes little difference as long as you carry enough anchor rope.
Assuming the engine is reliable and you have a means of contact (vhf) and an anchor to keep you stationary if the engine does die . you've got the usual personal safety kit so I'd say you'll be fine
Pick a nice day and if you feel comfortable go for it!
There's nothing like pushing your own boundaries to give you a sense of achievement

Takeing some of the good advice already offered...
That's how I'd see it...build up your confidence/experience in yourself AND you're Kit first and then enjoy!
Let us know how it goes
If you stay with the Boat....(always the No.1 rule)..A SIB is one Big (Dry..Ishhh!) Lifejacket after all

[jonp]

If you were hundreds of miles off a coast somewhere and your boat sank and you had a sib tender you would stand a much higher chance of surviving by simply activating an epirb and staying in the sib even in very rough conditions.

There are people who do all kinds of crazy voyages in different craft from sailboards, kayaks, jet skis etc. Infact a couple of nut jobs just did a return Bass strait trip of 750km on jet skis, an ocean crossing known for 20m swells.

I'm not saying simply go for it but you could try and find someone with a bigger boat to escort you with the option to simply hop on their boat and tow yours back if the going was tough.

Pulling an anchor up in a sib when you may have 150m of rope out in strong current would be dam hard going, personaly if you plan to fish it how about just drifting over it around the slack tide ( mid moon phase where tides are at their least will give a longer slack period ). I fish offshore deep marks that are to hard to anchor, so I hold the boat over the structure by putting the engine in and out of gear.

I haven't had much experiance in sibs but where I live these are the go to boats for surf rescue and pulling people from the water after their boats capsize. I do however run my 550 rib 100k offshore occasionally.

[GuyC]

I think the fact that you've identified the risks and you've thought about the various factors involved puts you ahead of quite a significant number of people that take to the water on a regular basis.

I'd support the majority of comments made already with one possible addition. If you get the wind against the tide the sea state can increase significantly. If the tide is heading east and the wind is a westerly, the chances are the sea state will be smooth. If the tide turns and the wind is still from the west, the chop can build quite quickly.

You can't mitigate all risks but if you are prepared and you took all reasonable precautions you won't attract the headlines PD mentioned.

Apologies to anyone who has already made this point.

[Duggy]

Originally Posted by jonp

...Pulling an anchor up in a sib when you may have 150m of rope out in strong current would be dam hard going...

I can vouch for this ^

We recently had only 50m out in a decent tide on the Solent and we had to motor into the current to slacked the line enough to pull the anchor up, and that was with 2 of us.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Duggy

I can vouch for this ^

We recently had only 50m out in a decent tide on the Solent and we had to motor into the current to slacked the line enough to pull the anchor up, and that was with 2 of us.

Surely motoring up to the anchor so your directly above the anchor to break it out Is standard practice?
Even on our 12m hard cruiser with an electric windlass we motor forward so the anchor is as near under the bow as possible so you lift the shank to break out the anchor.
It's Hard going and a bit pointless pulling the boat to the anchor when you can motor to it you should only need to lift the equivalent of the water depth from the seabed the rest should be just pulling in the slack
A bit harder to do if your single handed but you can still motor forward to take in the slack then if you drift back then tie off and repeat until the line is straight up and down then lift the anchor

[Duggy]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Surely motoring up to the anchor so your directly above the anchor to break it out Is standard practice?
Even on our 12m hard cruiser with an electric windlass we motor forward so the anchor is as near under the bow as possible so you lift the shank to break out the anchor.
It's Hard going and a bit pointless pulling the boat to the anchor when you can motor to it you should only need to lift the equivalent of the water depth from the seabed the rest should be just pulling in the slack
A bit harder to do if your single handed but you can still motor forward to take in the slack then if you drift back then tie off and repeat until the line is straight up and down then lift the anchor

Yes agreed, I was just giving an example.