Breaking Bar???

[new boat]

I know it was recently posted here to never cross a breaking bar But I want to know if any one has crossed a breaking bar and if so how big was it? I am concerned about knowing what can be done if I ever face the need to cross a breaking bar.

Thanks everyone

[Boatdog]

[royalfish]

Don't cross, sit and wait till the flood starts or for slack tide. You can call the CG and ask them the conditions. Do not take a chance. Live to fish another day.

[Triple C]

If I saw the bar was breaking,I'd be on the radio to the
Coast Guard to make sure the bar was actually open. You
can be in trouble 2 ways for crossing a closed bar. 1 the
danger yourself and crew 2 The CG can fine you big time
for crossing a restricted bar. In some cases the CG will
tell you to hold until they can escort you in. Or they will tell you to stay out until the bar lies down enough to cross safely. Always better safe than sorry

[USCGBoating]

I have been across them too many times, day, night, up to 25 to 30 foot and my best advice is don't. You are better off waiting outside until conditions change or if you havn't left the harbor go and drink coffee and watch from the cafe. If you are ever in the situation where the bar conditions have changed for the worse call the Coast Guard and they will come out and stand by with you. If you have people on board who the risk of being on the boat far outweighs the dangers of taking them off they will discuss bringing them on the Lifeboat to get them across or find if another ports conditions are more favorable.

This is a situation where you don't want to take risks because if it all goes south on you there is no way to change the outcome.

Better to be an infromed boater and totally avoid the need to be out when these conditions develop.

[SlipKnot]

This is a little embarrasing but here it goes:


Just a few short years ago when I was a stupid, uninformed, newbie ocean skipper with a fancy new boat, I crossed a breaking bar and lived to tell about it.

I had purchased a new boat at the beginning of May a few years ago and decided that my dad and I needed to take a father's day fishing trip in the ocean for Salmon. We decided to go camping at Nehalem Bay campground and that we might as well put the boat in Nehalem Bay and head out into the ocean. So, the next morning we put the boat in and headed out for my first trip over the bar (yes, start laughing now because I chose Nehalem bar for my first trip). I had actually talked to a few people that had told me that Nehalem was a good bar.

The bar that morning had some considerable swells but they were spread out and there was no wind chop. All in all an easy first trip over the bar.

We proceeded to catch our limit of Coho in a couple of hours and I pretty much thought I was big time. The wind had started to pipe up pretty good so we though we better head back as it was starting to get a bit lumpy.

On the way back to the mouth of the Nehalem bar, the waves started getting considerably bigger and I started getting a bit nervous. My dad was white knuckling it big time. That took a lot of guts to go out in the ocean with me for the first time.

When we got right into the bar, we realized too late that the swells were breaking across the bar. I started to panic and turn around but realized we had a considerable wave coming to the stern. Soooo, I griped the wheel, slammed the throttle down and went for it. Man, all I can tell you is that a 20' Northwest Jet Boat with a big V-8 in it can, and will get completely air born when you come off the top of a breaking wave. That was one heck of a ride in. Probably the only thing that saved us was that the waves that day were breaking perpindicular (sp?) to the bar. Had they been coming NNW like usual it could have got really ugly.

Needless to say, I educated myself and have a lot more experience since then. I'm very careful to watch the forecasts, tides, etc. I don't ever plan to come back over any bar on an ebb unless it is an exceptionally nice day and / or small tide.