Whats the furthest anybody has braved offshore

[PetrusP]

Hey guys, I know trailer sailors aren't meant for offshore sailing, but the other night I was curious about how far people have dared to sail their Investigators from the shoreline.

Love to hear - also whats the max amount of people you'd take out on a trip?

[snoopebj]

Hi Petrus
Good to see new Investigators posting.
One of the stand out Investigator adventurers here would have to be Robert Burrel with
his classic trip to Lady Musgrave Island. Brilliant video too.

http://investigator563.com/forum/viewto ... y+musgrave

My very limited trips are mainly out of Port Kembla Wollongong here and up and down the Illawarra coastline but also love sailing the Hawkesbury and Pittwater area. I think it's about respecting the ocean and I'm anal about checking forecasts / logging on to Marine Rescue with vhf /27mhz radios and checking my epirb regularly and use a garmin gps and Navionics on the ipad. Offshore or solo I always wear a lifejacket and clip on a harness.
I'm basically one of those cowards who are nevertheless irresistably drawn to the wide ocean and find pottering around rivers and lakes a tad tame and boring. However I like going offshore alone for safety reasons sometimes with my wife who is very brave!
You have a fine boat for the task there Petrus -do it while you can.

[Ozzie]

+1 on Robert's Musgrave Island trip.

I have said before here Petrus my minimum requirements for blue water boating are two bars and a theatre.

Having said that, I remember the first week I had Spritzig II on my old mooring an old bloke ( he would be young to me now) who had been moored near me for years rowed past and stopped to look at the new boat. He commented that he had one of the original 563s and it was one of the only TS's he would take out through the channel to open water.

That was reassuring but I have not tested his confidence.

Mind you Lake mac can get pretty hairy due to its shallow water in bad weather. As discussed on these pages the two main drawbacks for the 563 as an open water sailer are the hatches ( all of them including the pop top ) and the cockpit drains. I have replaced the hopper window catch on the front hatch which is about as useful as two garbage bag ties with a pressure down adjustable catch with screw through bolts as I figured 50 gallons of lake mac having a lie down on my v berth would ruin my day

The pop top has a large ss pad bolt on the front end and two hasp and staple catches on the back I can lock down in bad conditions. My storm board slides and boards have been replaced with more industrial materials as the standard setup is pretty sub standard given the excellent design of the rest of the boat. I have hopefully overcome the inadequate cockpit drains by having a very tall lower storm board that is higher than the cockpits coaming.

I am now close to being able to go blue water sailing. Once I work out how to get the two bars and the theatre in there I'm off for sure.

[Yara50]

If you search for "Offshore modifications " in our search menu on the top right, you will find lots of info and suggestions.
Here is one thread- viewtopic.php?f=4&t=301&start=0&hilit=o ... ifications

Yara has a bilge pump-never used. With no hull penetrations, the only time you would need it is if you take a wave over the stern and your washboards fail, or are not in. So lesson one is to have strong washboards, and tie them in. Yara has a couple of saddles for that job.

[PetrusP]

Thanks guys,

I've seen the lady musgrave trip and it got me excited

Appreciate all the input!

[PetrusP]

Thanks guys,

I've seen the lady musgrave trip and it got me excited

Appreciate all the input!

[atles]

best i done is out of Mooloolaba,QLD over the bar there and in to open water.

i hang around Morton bay a lot.