Anyone who has spent some time afloat knows the whims of the weather have a big impact on the water. Richie Kenzie looks at how the average boater can keep tabs on the weather and stay safe afloat.

At the time of writing, we have just seen several weeks of the wildest weather to hit Sydney and the Central Coast of NSW in many years. Of particular significance we have witnessed the saga of the Pasha Bulker, a 225 metre, 76,741 ton bulk carrier that ran aground at Nobbys Beach off Newcastle. On the morning of June 8, 2007 the crew of the Pasha Bulker failed to heed a warning given by the Newcastle Port Corporation to move out to sea to escape the storm. Consequently the vessel came to rest 30 metres off the coast and the crew of 22 required a helicopter rescue to take them to safety. Not only did the crew ignore the weather warning but the boat had not even called for tugboat assistance and still had the anchors fully raised.
While this account of an enormous bulk carrier being washed ashore may not seem particularly relevant to the recreational boater, several of the lessons from the experience are worth consideration. In particular, being able to accurately predict and utilise weather forecasting technology can be the difference between a good day out and at worst, a waterborne disaster.

Before You Depart: In years past boaties were often going to sea with nothing more than a visual idea of conditions on the water. Pleasingly though, there is no shortage of technology to assist the boater these days when it comes to the weather and how to stay safe on the water. This is good news for all those people who don’t employ a VHF radio on their boats as the reality is that plenty of smaller boats or open boats aren’t adequately equipped for the provision of a radio.
As a general rule, the first thing anyone heading out on the water should do is to check the forecast for the period they expect to be out. This very standard procedure will influence decisions such how long you stay out for and how far, if at all, you travel offshore. These days the best place to start for a weather update is online, or if you have a pay TV subscription such as Foxtel, then the Weather Channel is another good option.
The Weather Channel will provide all the information on wind, rainfall, tides and ocean swell required by the boater. Again though, not everyone will have access to this resource.
The online facilities however are readily accessible to just about everyone. Excellent websites include the Australian government bureau of meteorology site, which has marine related weather features that inform the boater about all current marine warnings, forecasts, national weather charts and tide and swell conditions for inshore and offshore waters. Visit the site at www.bom.gov.au/marine
Also within the Bureau of Meteorology website is the Sydney weekend boating forecast. This part of the website explains how to use and interpret the information regarding the weather. It includes a very practical list of safety hints that are mostly commonsense but are often overlooked.
Before heading out a boater should be aware of the local factors influencing weather and know how to reach safety quickly. A boater should know how to read a weather map and be aware the newspaper maps are drawn the day before. Care should be taken to check the latest warnings before going to sea and being aware of conditions that exceed your boats safety limit. Always be wary of rapidly darkening and lowering clouds, which can indicate squalls approaching. Flexibility is also paramount for a boater; if conditions change a boater should always be prepared to act accordingly.

More Links: Dedicated marine websites such as www.marinews.com also have links to weather information such as the bureau of meteorology mentioned above.
The Waterways of NSW website, or indeed the similar authority in each state, is an excellent resource for the safety conscious boater. As well as a section that provides weather updates, tide charts and wave height information there is extensive safety information and practical advice for the boater. The Waterways website in NSW is www.waterways.nsw.gov.au and similar information can be found at the corresponding maritime website for your specific state.

Keeping Informed: Keeping up to date while on the water is equally important, especially for boats under ten metres in length that are operating some distance offshore. As well as all the essential safety equipment that is required to be carried, a boat’s skipper should always be updated regarding the weather. And to this end the news is positive for those not operating a VHF radio or wanting to be kept up to date.
Weather warnings and forecasts are available via sms and can be sent instantly to a mobile phone. There are a number of dedicated websites that can send alerts of weather warnings to the skipper’s mobile phone within minutes of them being issued by the Bureau of Meteorology. These websites also have an enormous amount of practical weather detail and are an excellent resource for boaties who want to be kept up to date.
Similarly, telephone weather updates are available through Telstra’s 1196 service. This service provides current temperatures, severe weather warnings and a one to two day forecast for a single major population centre. Calling 1196 from anywhere in Australia will give weather information for the nearest local centre. The weather and warnings are regularly updated and this is an excellent resource for the boater carrying a mobile phone.

Summary: The average boater today is well catered for by all the above resources and staying safe on the water has never been easier. Despite this, every year sees people lost at sea, often through not heeding warnings or being unprepared for when the weather turns ugly. In the case of the Pasha Bulker, fortunately no one was injured but many others haven’t been so lucky.
For this reason the resources available through the Bureau of Meteorology, online websites, radio and mobile phone updates should always be utilised where possible.
A good helping of commonsense never goes astray either. If the weather looks threatening or likely to change quickly then play it safe. There will always be another day to get on the water.