Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) > Reports & Expeditions
Shoalwater Adventuring
Ewan Macleod:
It is fairly wild country though and you do have to be careful. In all reality if you do this trip in a small boat you have to be prepared for the possibility that you may be floating around with a lifejacket and your epirb for a day or two until help can arrive. As much as everyone hopes this doesn't happen I think you have to consider it as a possibility and, while doing everything absolutely possible to avoid it, be at some sort of ease with the notion.
Ha! Thats a great zen like attitude to have. Guess you'd want to make sure one is fit enough to float around for a few days too
Graham Scott:
Another thought for a trip into Shoalwater. It's not only the difficult area, it's also the total lack of other boats on the water. Bet you didn't see many other boats!
You can rent a Sat phone for a trip like this for about $150. I think it would be well worth it as you could ring someone to say you're stuck on a rock at High Peak. I doubt anyone would have answered a call on the VHF radio.
We take one if we're heading north of Island Head Creek.
Thats a fantastic trip and as a few others have mentioned, you tend to remember the hardships and the near misses more than just catching a fish. I recall coming back down the coast from Island Head Creek about 20 years ago into a 25knot SE in a similar boat. After chugging along for a few hours the plugs started to oil up,(good ol 2 stroke) so I had to turn around and travel with the sea for a mile or 2 at near full revs to clear the plugs before turning back into it and continuing the bash home. I remember that! but couldn't tell you what we caught
Travis Heaps:
--- Quote from: graham scott on January 06, 2009, 11:31:12 AM ---
Another thought for a trip into Shoalwater. It's not only the difficult area, it's also the total lack of other boats on the water. Bet you didn't see many other boats!
You can rent a Sat phone for a trip like this for about $150. I think it would be well worth it as you could ring someone to say you're stuck on a rock at High Peak. I doubt anyone would have answered a call on the VHF radio.
We take one if we're heading north of Island Head Creek.
Thats a fantastic trip and as a few others have mentioned, you tend to remember the hardships and the near misses more than just catching a fish. I recall coming back down the coast from Island Head Creek about 20 years ago into a 25knot SE in a similar boat. After chugging along for a few hours the plugs started to oil up,(good ol 2 stroke) so I had to turn around and travel with the sea for a mile or 2 at near full revs to clear the plugs before turning back into it and continuing the bash home. I remember that! but couldn't tell you what we caught
--- End quote ---
Good tip about the sat phone Graham, didn't realise you could rent them. You're right about other boats - from memory we saw (once past Manifold) 4 other boats in the first three days. I think we could have rustled someone up on VHF, the coast guard was still clear enough at High Peak - it would have been a long wait though.
Peter Lowe:
Hey Travis,
Man, you are the Man.... What an adventure ah - RESPECT......
That is such a great read, very well done. I could relate very well to all the experiences you had - way to go.
It would have been a bit scary when you hit the coral bommies and had to get out to push -never know whats going to introduce itself.
Thanks heaps mate, just awesome.
Travis Heaps:
--- Quote from: Peter Lowe on January 06, 2009, 03:08:22 PM ---
...It would have been a bit scary when you hit the coral bommies and had to get out to push -never know whats going to introduce itself.
Thanks heaps mate, just awesome.
--- End quote ---
Thanks Peter, would love to hear a bit more about your breaksea adventure when you get a chance. Sounds great, and somewhere on my trip wishlist for this year.
It was a bit hairy when we hit coral! Just really suprising how quickly it came up from nowhere, if you ever do a trip up there don't trust any of the bays (the area between the two bounding headlands) on the islands or the mainlands at low tides - they really are just littered with obstacles. The idea of sharks didn't worry me too much, anything too big would have been seen coming from a while off and I think the size of the boat would have scared off the reefies.
Note that this is coming from me who was at the stern and eventually in the boat once it was deeper than a metre...my mate who was leading the way at the bow and was out of the boat until he couldn't touch had a distinctly different feeling about it though ;) :D ;D
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