Nasty windy conditions = really hair raising ride!

[arpie]

Hi guys

A buddy was up from Wagga, so we hit the water mid morning to try for some bream & flatties ....... early on, I had a couple of hits on top water in the first lease I entered - but the hooks pulled!

I was keen to show Briana some new water to fish and headed out into the lake, fishing our way out into the middle ....... we were in one of the leases when there was a sudden wind shift - instead of it coming from the bridge, it swung round 90 degrees and was hitting us almost from the rear, at a great rate of knots!

It was 1pm. I reckon the gusts would have been close to 30 knots and probably over 30 Degrees Celsius - it was a really HOT wind!! I suggested that we tie up to something to weather the worst of it at this point & then hightail it out of there & back to shore!! We were in a 'dead end' lease - so had to head back to where we had entered the lease in order to get out. We thought that the wind was dropping - but it suddenly picked up again, worse than ever!

Trouble was, we were a LONG way from shore & there was a large expanse of hostile water to cross over before even reaching the Breck Channel ......... I don't think that Briana had been in really rough conditions like that before - I've had it about 2-3 times & it is never any fun - especially in a small yak like the Sport, that bounces from wave to wave!

All the hire boats were heading for shelter, not caring how fast they were going past us hapless yakkers - we had to contend with their wash as well as waves that were as high as the yak & swells that were broadsiding us, making us 'skew' in the wind & swell - surfing down the face of some of the waves. It really was quite frightening & as we got closer to the oyster sheds on the island, finally, the water surface started to settle down, tho the wind gusts were still occurring.

We were both 'looking after each other' on the way back so at least had 'backup' in case of emergency ....... with some wind gusts, you actually had to lean back INTO the wind or it could have tipped you over in the opposite direction - we both felt very tippy at times, but by using body weight & rudder control & sheer luck/skill, we were able to prevent any roll overs.

I fully equated it to the horrible conditions that I fished NZ late last year where I damaged my shoulder - only NZ was 3 times worse - AND with rain as well as gale force winds & giant offshore swell!

One boat was approaching from the rear at a rate of knots & I was waving them down, trying to get them to drop their speed & luckily they did - or we could have been in real trouble.

We warned a few people who were about going out into the middle of the lake, particularly those in hire boats, who probably knew no better!

Back on shore, we'd both taken some water into the rear of the yaks (I tend to keep my bungs in to keep my gear dry! ) and we were just REALLY pleased to have our feet on solid ground again!

It is over 6+hrs since we got back, yet I can still feel the motion of the water in my head & stomach as if I were still out there!

I had heard that it would be hot today, but hadn't heard about the winds!!

Looks like the wind will be nasty for the next day or two - if in doubt - DON'T GO OUT!!

http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/marinewind.shtml

http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/huntercoast.shtml

Cheerio & take care out there

Roberta

[nbdshroom]

Good to hear everything turned out alright. In metro Sydney, the wind has been near gale force particularly around lunch time. It is predicted to drop by tonight and hopefully everyone can get some respite.