Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) > Reports & Expeditions
Shoalwater Adventuring
Jason Sladden:
Huge trip Travis, thanks for sharing it. Pitty the GT's weren't on. Let me know when you plan another, two boats would be safer.
Slads
Robert Palcak:
--- Quote from: travis heaps on January 04, 2009, 10:17:38 PM ---Ohh, I just remebered - when we got off the boat and to bed Isaac had the normal sea legs and wavey feeling when he lay down - I didn't. My vision however was messed up! When I sat outside and looked at the grass it looked like rippling water! I've never had this before - anyone else experienced it?
--- End quote ---
Hell yes!... several times. I'm pretty sure it's a sign of doing a lot of kms and spending a lot of time on the water. ;)
That's a fantastic report Travis... very hard core!
Good to see that you made it back alive!
Ewan Macleod:
Nice read mate. Inspiring to see someone do a lap of shoalwater in a boat that size makes me think of the possibilities although it does seem like wild country with the reefs, rocks and tide.
George Pang:
Massive Trip ;) and great report.
RESPECT with a capital R. Small boat, big fish is the ultimate IMHO well done.
Too bad the fish weren't biting..
The logistics of a trip like this can be a nightmare. How much fuel did you end up using? What sort of speeds were you averaging?
George
Travis Heaps:
--- Quote from: Robert Palcak on January 05, 2009, 09:42:51 PM ---
--- Quote from: travis heaps on January 04, 2009, 10:17:38 PM ---Ohh, I just remebered - when we got off the boat and to bed Isaac had the normal sea legs and wavey feeling when he lay down - I didn't. My vision however was messed up! When I sat outside and looked at the grass it looked like rippling water! I've never had this before - anyone else experienced it?
--- End quote ---
Hell yes!... several times. I'm pretty sure it's a sign of doing a lot of kms and spending a lot of time on the water. ;)
That's a fantastic report Travis... very hard core!
Good to see that you made it back alive!
--- End quote ---
Good to hear it's not just me Robert! Was pretty trippy - lasted at least 24 hours as well...
--- Quote from: Ewan Macleod on January 05, 2009, 09:59:29 PM ---Nice read mate. Inspiring to see someone do a lap of shoalwater in a boat that size makes me think of the possibilities although it does seem like wild country with the reefs, rocks and tide.
--- End quote ---
Thanks Ewan, when you look at it as one trip it does seem big but there's plenty of islands up there so when you break it down into sections, with fishing stops all along the way it's not so bad. 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.
--- Quote from: George Pang on January 05, 2009, 11:24:47 PM ---Massive Trip ;) and great report.
RESPECT with a capital R. Small boat, big fish is the ultimate IMHO well done.
Too bad the fish weren't biting..
The logistics of a trip like this can be a nightmare. How much fuel did you end up using? What sort of speeds were you averaging?
George
--- End quote ---
Thanks George, your solo trip up to the Breaksea Spit helped out with the inspiration!
Fuel - I think it came to roughly 340 litres. My engine is not very economical (2 stroke, V4 Yamaha 115hp). I know the tank is about 100 litres and we used it plus 7 x 20 litre jerry cans to get to Stanage. On the run back from Stanage we used the tank plus 2 x 20 litre jerry cans and had some left in the tank (with 6 x 20 litre jerrys still full in the boat). I find that if I allow use of 1 litre per kilometre of travel then that is enough to conservatively cover travel, trolling, idleing around and repeating drifts of fishing spots etc and have some spare left over.
Average speeds - unsure. The swell was dominantly coming from the NE so depending on how we were hitting that was the main factor as to how fast we could travel. The trip from Yeppoon to Island Head Creek was perfect and took just over two hours, so that would be an average of around 45-50km/h with the boat full loaded, I don't think I had to touch the throttle once it was so flat. It doesn't get any better than that in my boat, we usually allow 3.5 hours. Heading into the swell was a different matter and required a lot of "driving" of the boat - I would say we averaged anywhere from 20-30km/h. With a tailing swell I was happy with how the boat handled, and besides occasionally getting bogged down on the back of large swells we would have been up in the 35km/h range.
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