Trawler aground at entrance

[re-tyred]

For information to those using the entrance. A trawler is aground on the beach to the west of the entrance.
It broached on a wave and grounded on the shallows to the west.
https://gippsports.maps.arcgis.com/apps ... 9&level=11
You can check the depth on the above link
You need to keep away from this area if crossing the entrance.
Those that have approached the entrance from the west ,by running in close to the beach in previous years, should avoid doing this. You will get caught out.
You need to keep up to date on the bar conditions and depth by using the Gippsland ports internet site.

[Kimtown]

You'd think a local trawler would know better than to cut the corner

[CannonsJS]

Must be more to it I reckon, especially considering it was pretty calm yesterday. The Tommy Norton has been dredging the entrance recently, and last time I came back in I had to take a different line to normal to give the Tommy Norton enough space to do his thing. It was still perfectly safe for me in a small fast boat but in a trawler it may be different. I am in no way saying that this is what happened, just that I reckon there must be more to the story.

It's a good reminder to always err on the side of safety out there. I must say I was shocked that yesterday or all days is when there was an incident.

[purple5ive]

You'd think a local trawler would know better than to cut the corner

Could have lost power or had some difficulty and drifted into the sandbar..

[re-tyred]

Can't speculate at the moment. I was on the bar in my tinny yesterday. Flood tide it was good except for the beach break on the west. Trawler came in just on dark. Ebb tide low water.
I am just saying beware the western side close to the western rock wall

[hornet]

Can't speculate at the moment. I was on the bar in my tinny yesterday. Flood tide it was good except for the beach break on the west. Trawler came in just on dark. Ebb tide low water.
I am just saying beware the western side close to the western rock wall

Is there any reason why the entrance can't be widened 2 - 3 or even 4 times what it is now ? Would It make it a safer entrance ?

[CannonsJS]

Re-tyred probably knows more than me, but I was at a talk the Gippsland Port guys gave and they said the way they dredge it now is 'self-clearing'. I imagine if it was dredged so it was wider you would loose that self clearing effect and the dredge would have to be running 24/7/365 to keep in a wider state.

[re-tyred]

Is there any reason why the entrance can't be widened 2 - 3 or even 4 times what it is now ? Would It make it a safer entrance ?
[/quote]

It was done at its current width (in1868) to restrict the water flow and cause it to scour a deep channel. The natural entrance up towards lake Bunga was sometimes many hundreds of meters wide. It was often very shallow and any deeper channel moved very quickly . The narrow channel between the rock walls works as it rarely silts up. Problem is the moving sands along the beach and the sand scoured out of the channel. It all settles just outside the rock walls. This is what is dredged. They dredge it in the wedge shape on the map to try to encourage the scouring. IE leave it shallow each side of the dredged channel.

[Tackleberry]

[saph]

Pardon my boat ignorance but wouldnt one of the trawlers gadgets and gizmo's tell them that its a bad idea to attempt to go in there? also i thought they where banning trawlers from alot of those places down there.