i will assume that the peep posing the question knows very little about boating and i bleave that he needs a more in depth answer than the one he received from the only peep to post in his thread, although it is not to far off the mark.
here is the answer given



i think a lot of thought should be put in to a question like this and a very considered reply posted, as it will leave him with more questions that he can't answer, like how do u work out wind speed???

the reason for posting in this forum is so it stays with the members only what do u think.

From back in the sailing days...

White Caps generally start to form at 15kts.

This will be affect though by current; ie, if the current is running against the wind the chop will be worse in lighter winds..

Unpleasent is also a bad word in ways... Unpleasant may mean you get wet... But it can stil be safe to be in the water if your experianced.. If not experianced however, your concerns and lack of ability to control a boat could make it dangerous...

hmm,

i think its not so much as to what wind speed, i think its more of a matter of personal opinion and commen sence,

when im off shore , if things me like for example there is a change in the swell size or you can see dark clouds comming over, pretty much to somethings up, anything that doesnt feel right or look right, or if there is talk over the radio of a sutherly comming up the coast, then im pulling in my lines and heading back to the heads , i think that when it comes to being off shore you can never really be to cautious, well actually when it comes to boating at all you can never be to cautious.

I have been 20nm Offshore in 30 - 50ft racing yachts, caught is Wind Squalls and storms that have had th boat laying flat on its sie for lenght periods, waves/swell coming completly over the boat, everything wet...

Althogh its a scary thought, its an everyday part of racing, and there are people in harness's climbing all over the boat trying to drop/change sails as quickly as possable so not to loose much time or let any one catch up..

Generally in yachting, its a known fact that the return trip from a race is more dangerous than the race, simply because everyone is off gaurd and relaxed where in the race you are alert full time..

Ive also sailed in skiffs and dingys, sydney habour, botany bay, JB Bate bay (18 ft skiffs down to Flying 11's) and been caught in some massive storms 50kts etc, and not been concerned, I actually used to love thm days!! Will find some pics of my old boats!

Its a bit off topic, but relates to the same thing... If you not comfortable or not sure, you probably shouldnt be there! Not so much becasue of the boat but because of your skill and experiance..

hey rum, thats totally what i was trying to get across, when things dont feel right and your not comfy , then go back

;) too right!

If my missus is not comfortable or not sure she won't even go out.

and what a very wise lady she is FED, there is a very old saying that go's something like this,
i would rather be in here wishing i was out there, rather than out there wishing i was in here.
How ever this dose not help the peep with his question, RUM has made a good start with his answer on the way to evaluate wind speed.
at this point i will add another factor in to the thinking, and that is the speed of the current and how it will affect the drift of the boat in a given wind lets say a south easter at 15nts i should say the current is flowing from the north at 4nots and the chop is still small but short with a white cap about a THIRD of a meter there is a dark line on your southern horizon and the fishing hot.

go or stay ????

Personally, I would set another line, Crack a can of rum, have my rain coat ready..

If we are close to land and there is a headland we could get to and poke in behind to keep out of the wind then i would be prepared to head for that. It would also depend on who i had with me, were they going to poop themselves.. Do we have to cross a bar to get home or it it an open headland.

If you could please expand on our location more please poly? Ie: Offshore? How Far? Where?

In a 5m boat i would feel pretty comfortable in most sea's, it might be slow, but id feel safe..

Simply, if your not an experienced boating person, then you should not even be contemplating going out the heads. STAY INSIDE THE HEADS

I for one have never been fishing outside the heads in all types of weather and will never go on my own unless i have someone with offshore experience with me.

Weather can change so dramtaically, its not funny. Just look at the weather pattern in Sydney the last few weeks.

I'm never happy near rocks, I'd rather be 5 miles out.
I was out with a mate in a 32' Riviera, the fool ran out of fuel right between the heads and by the time I managed to get anchored we were almost on the rocks.
He didn't know where the ground tackle was and when we found it the 'D' bolt was rusted on, we lost another minute or two getting the sand anchor fitted up.
Came very close to getting the boat washed onto the rocks, so close I was getting ready for a swim.
None of this would have been a problem 5 miles off shore.

kinda heading :offtopic:



hey fed didnt he have a fuel guage is 32' Riviera,

By memory he had a sight glass in the side of the tank Hustler and it wasn't easily accessible either.

He did go out again, without Fed. He had Ken the GPS for company, and Ken said, "turn left. No!! left. The other left you fool" Ooops!!!

not bad kk, now what do u really think about this thread, i went back to the site were i got it from today and the reply's don't come close to what we have here.

rum 5ntm off shore were i will leave up to u, as u know your own bask yard better than i.



here again i must leave it up to u, speak from what u know not from what u think i need to know.

we have all learned the hard way and this is the knowledge we must pass on to those starting out.

Well if there is a bar to cross and sotrmy windy conditions are coming then its definatly sensible to head home especially if the wind and current will be running against each other!!

If you are at Say, NSW Coast many of the cliff can cause waves to bounce wash back out and make conditions worse also. JB for instance though does not have a bar and although it can be VERY Choppy, I have travelled across it in horendous conditions in a 3.9m stacer and althogh soaking wet i never felt unsafe.. I would not feel as safe in my dads current boat as the 4st does not have the instant power to puch you over or through a wave when nessacary, however I would still be comfortable making the trip if nessacary, would pull out slightly earlier..

Not only is it the boat that we have to consider, while I might be happy being out there, others may not and this is the problem. They panic, do the wrong thing and get themselves into trouble!!

Asked and Answered but remember there's a big difference between unpleasant & dangerous.

Exactly what i said Fed!