11:06 AM Thu 24 Sep 2009 GMT
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'Rip Aerial - ORCV Rip Tour'
John Curnow
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No matter whether you're an avid yachty, casual fisherman, dedicated beach walker, interested surfer, summertime boaty, keen historian or local resident, the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's Rip Tour has been a highlight for years because it is informative and truly educational. October 25, 2009 is all you need to think about, so put it in your phone or diary now!
The Rip is the passage of water between The Heads of Melbourne's Port Phillip, or the Bay as it is more commonly known, which is a large stretch of water - some 1930km2 and 25km3, in fact. Although mostly fairly shallow, all the water contained therein makes an urgent dash out 'The Rip', which is the narrow 1.5nm gap between Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale that together have the name, 'The Heads', which are the two pincers on the satellite image. The usable part of this gap for Mariners is more like 0.6nm, which makes it pretty tight indeed. Of course only a few hours later, a new batch of water is just dying to come screaming back in! Depending on weather, the tide each way can often be up to six knots. Think of it like a really big funnel, where you can poor in as much as you want into the top, it still has to come out the bottom, which will take time. The interval in between these changes of ebb and flow lasts around two hours, hence 'Slack Water', which is the zenith of the changeover.
Going way, way back in time, The Heads was actually where the Yarra River emptied into Bass Strait via a rocky delta, which had meandered all the way down from Port Melbourne across a flood plain that would later fill to become Port Phillip. In the early 70's this delta was blasted a lot flatter (what a diving job that must have been) and the result was a much calmer section of water. The whirlpools are nowhere near as big now as back then, but if you stand on Point Lonsdale's back beach when wind and tide are working against each other, you can see the water stack up over one metre and sometimes over three.
In addition, Melbourne is Australia's largest and most active container port, so there are plenty of ships going in and out at all times of the day. Like Port Jackson's Ferries, they have right of way and will often charge in at up to 20knots to ensure they maintain steerage. Sometimes, you can even see them line up in a queue, so you do not want to get in their way at all.
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On a good day. Lovely! - ORCV Rip Tour - John Curnow
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Historically (all the way back to 1840), the old sailing ships used to have quite a hard time both coming in and going out (no cast iron main sheets back then of course) and many lives were lost in and around Corsair Rock and Challenge Reef. Today, you must get clearance from Point Lonsdale Light (Ch16 VHF), who run the Port Phillip Sea Pilots and have your Diesel in gear and throttled up!
In acknowledging the importance of education for Mariners, the ORCV conducts the annual 'Rip Tour' to ensure you make many safe crossing of this notorious stretch of water. You can partake for the general tourism facts or come armed with a dictaphone to take notes on the locations of rocks or how the 'four fingers' at Queenscliff work. These will help you choose the correct West, East or two Centre Channels that Point Lonsdale will have directed you to. They also now light them up - awesome.
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Come and learn exactly where these four fingers are on the satellite pic and why they’re as crucial as the ones on your own hand. - ORCV Rip Tour - John Curnow
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Please remember that the course is weather dependent, so ensure you fill one form out for each passenger and give us your contact information in case of postponement. The only other thing you need to work out is if you are boarding at Queenscliff (no doubt most likely before a stellar lunch) or Sorrento (in which case you're better off driving up to the vineyards for a smashing round of tastings before dinner).
In addition to a great day out, what you get included in the whole deal are:
. A copy of the ORCV's Rip Guide
. Identification of major beacons and marks
. Queenscliff lead lights and shipping channels
. Information on tides and tide signals
. The ability to identify favourable conditions and dangers
. Performing correct passages out of and back into Port Phillip.
To book and reserve your spot on this great tour as seats are limited by boat size, (
orcv.org.au/index.php?option=com_docman&;task=doc_download&gid=2091
) for the form and then get it to the ORCV office pronto...
Please remember to use a separate from for each person attending the course.
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Not just out in the drink as sunbeds for seals and perches for birds, they have a mission. Learn what that is on the October 25, 2009 ORCV Rip Tour or you may end up steaming along like the lads in Weekend at Bernie’s - ORCV Rip Tour - John Curnow
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On a bad day. Pilots also did not run on this day, which was when the Melbourne to Apollo Bay was cancelled. - ORCV Rip Tour - John Curnow
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by John Curnow
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
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