Woy Woy resident Gregory Jones has heaped praise on rescue services and suggested depth mapping for Brisbane Water could be in order after his boat ran aground earlier this month.
“On November 21, our boat ran aground in what was mapped as a navigable channel near Daleys Point near high tide 50m from our wharf destination,” he said.
“Two separate charts advised safe depth but this was not the case.
“Luckily the bottom was soft mud and caused no damage.
“The following morning we called Marine Rescue at Point Clare and they agreed to help on the next high tide.
“Brisbane Water Maritime visited a couple of hours later and advised only a police boat could tow us out.
“At around 3pm a 34ft police launch arrived from Pittwater and offered assistance.
“One small pull astern had us off the mud bank and on our way.
“With friendly waves and thumbs up we showed appreciation to the water police.”
But Jones said it was time for mapping of depths in the extensive waterway.
“Maybe some business or agency could look at re-mapping Brisbane Water depths and selling the information on to the many maritime chart companies locally around the world,” he said.
“Possibly a water-resistant paper version could be supported with local advertising.”
Marine Rescue NSW Central Coast Unit Commander Ian Morrow said he could confirm it was common knowledge that the mapping of Brisbane Water is very outdated.
“The CHART (an officially recognised navigation aid) for Brisbane Water is no longer being updated by the Hydrographic Office as are many charts around Australia,” he said.
“We are extremely lucky to have had an official chart at all because many other coastal waterways (such as) Lake Macquarie, were never ‘charted’; there are maps available, of course, but these are not able to be used for navigation purposes.
“The other main factor in all of this is that the shoaling around Brisbane Water is always changing, more in some areas than others.
“The closer to Broken Bay and the narrower the inflow and outflow channels, the greater the speed of change and movement of the shoals.
“New channels open and other channels close; hence the requirement for significant dredging efforts from time to time.
“Local knowledge is always the best source of intelligence for the local boaties for their navigation.”
Terry Collins