Thread: Anyone done the pataua bar crossing recently?

My mate is an experienced boatie and he said he would show me how to cross it once I have putt putt'd around the inner hauraki gulf.

I thought i'd ask if anyone has done the bar recently?

cheers

No, because there are easier and safer places to launch to the south and the north. I did it on my jetski once. Admittedly, it does give you direct access to some nice, relatively unexploited coastline. Stick to the right side of the channel going out. Go in/out within 2 hours of high tide. If there is any significant swell (I would say >0.5 metre, but I'm risk adverse), give it a miss. Swell hits the entrance directly. Quite a few people have got in to trouble on that little bar. I know someone who flipped his boat there. Be careful.

Until half tide its fine, but yes you do need to stick well to the right heading out. Also stay in the channel for the last 150m as you head towards the rock eddy where the entrance flow can turn left on incoming tide. When heading out, you will be on the right hand side of that headland and won't be able to see any boats coming in around the corner. If there is not much swell and high tide, its a breeze. Suggest you watch a few from the beach though first, as it is tempting to head left, away from the right hand rocks too early, and there are a few rocks and a sand bar there. It is very rare for conditions to be dangerous there, the risk is more other traffic, or getting stuck. Unless there is a swell coming straight in.

Originally Posted by MB

No, because there are easier and safer places to launch to the south and the north. I did it on my jetski once. Admittedly, it does give you direct access to some nice, relatively unexploited coastline. Stick to the right side of the channel going out. Go in/out within 2 hours of high tide. If there is any significant swell (I would say >0.5 metre, but I'm risk adverse), give it a miss. Swell hits the entrance directly. Quite a few people have got in to trouble on that little bar. I know someone who flipped his boat there. Be careful.

Cheers! I'll have a look at other places. is there a certain amount of knots you need to be able to do?

Originally Posted by Northkiwi

Until half tide its fine, but yes you do need to stick well to the right heading out. Also stay in the channel for the last 150m as you head towards the rock eddy where the entrance flow can turn left on incoming tide. When heading out, you will be on the right hand side of that headland and won't be able to see any boats coming in around the corner. If there is not much swell and high tide, its a breeze. Suggest you watch a few from the beach though first, as it is tempting to head left, away from the right hand rocks too early, and there are a few rocks and a sand bar there. It is very rare for conditions to be dangerous there, the risk is more other traffic, or getting stuck. Unless there is a swell coming straight in.

very informative! I will definitely make sure to watch others having a go first. cheers

Speed is more about coming in than going out. You need to be able to go as fast as the incoming waves so you stay on the back of it and don't broach ( if that's what it's called). If the wave picks you up you will surf it and lose steering and can then be rolled, bowled and arseholed.

Originally Posted by rugerman

Speed is more about coming in than going out. You need to be able to go as fast as the incoming waves so you stay on the back of it and don't broach ( if that's what it's called). If the wave picks you up you will surf it and lose steering and can then be rolled, bowled and arseholed.

This is good stuff! I have been watching the haulover inlet videos and it is full of what not to do!

My current boat was my first boat so I was a bit worried about going out and in over the Foxton bar so I got a couple of the coastguard guys to drive my boat while I was on it to show me how to go out and in. That was in about a 2m swell so plenty of white water and after I was shown a couple of times I drove in and out about 6 or so times to get the hang of it. It sure tightens the pukker when you are on the back of a 2 + meter wave and it breaks in front. Looking back in all you could see was crashing waves and big white water so you really need to know where the channel is or you are gonna come up high and dry. I grew up boogie boarding at Piha so know how to read waves and swell but without the option of ducking under the waves you better know ya shit

Yeah, stay on the back of a wave on the way in. It's a bit more interesting than it sounds at times, especially if you have a tail wind of any strength. You want to be able to sit in the deep water behind the wave or swell crest, but not with your bow so high on it that you are struggling to see forwards. You need to be good on the throttle and able to throttle off early enough that the hill of the back of the wave slows you down and helps you to not overrun the wave. If you do end up overrunning the wave, that is BAD and you want to get the f outta there onto the back of the next wave ASAP. In a low-throttle situation in this position you are not in a good place, the front of the wave will want to turn you sideways and fill you up with water then tip you onto your side when the water in the boat will stop it from righting itself. Very quick, very bad. Pontoon boats with water in the pontoon tubes suffer from a similar thing, but can be sunk from the arse from this reason. The other issue is getting to far from the crest of the wave and the next one overrunning you, same problem. Either way get the power on and gtfo of there.

The other issue is sky balling yourself or the moonshot where you have too much power on and treat the wave like a jump ramp, this is what usually happens if people flip going out (or the wave is just to sharp and step and the boat gets stood on it's bum, see previous comment about pontoons with water in the tubes). This is the same danger in beach launching as well though.

Treated properly it's safe enough unless something happens like a badly timed engine failure, or striking something like a floating log. Lifejackets and trip reporting...