A NEW moon on Saturday night will bring with it big tides which make for a dangerous bar that might be a bit tricky for Golden Lure competitors to negotiate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A 2.02m high at 9.22am will be followed by a 0.09m low at 4pm, and combined with a forecast strong north-east wind, it could make it tough coming back into the river.
Competitors will have a safety briefing on Friday afternoon, and Marine Rescue spokesman Geoff Shelton said he would warn them of the possible danger.
“It will be flat as a tack when they go out,” he said.
It won’t be as easy coming back. “It [the wind and the tide] makes the pressure waves really stand up," Shelton said.
Shelton recommended coming back early on Saturday. “I’d be coming back at 11am at the latest,” he said.
“Don’t leave it too long. But, most importantly, always check the weather and the tides.”
Most seasoned competitors and sailors would be fine, Shelton said. The newcomers and the tourists could find themselves in trouble.
Shelton said sailors should check-in with the Marine Rescue radio base prior to leaving. They should report where they’re going, when they’re coming back and how many people on board.
“All they have to do is pick up the radio,” he said.
“Then if we don’t hear from them, we know something may be wrong. We can go looking for them.
“It’s free. The base is monitored 24 hours a day by volunteers.” The lure fleet has been relatively trouble free in recent years, but Shelton said one year, things didn’t go so smoothly.
“They were hit by a big southerly on the first day,” he said. Forty-knot winds and lots of spray made visibility difficult.
“They couldn’t see 50 metres in front of them,” Shelton said.
See Friday’s Port News for more on the Golden Lure
competition.