VMR BRIBIE ISLAND

Monday 19th June 2023 - We had a visit today from a group from the National Maritime Safety Authority from Papua New Guinea. The visit was organized by John Rice of Search and Rescue (SAR) Training Australia who is also our Deputy Radio Officer and Crewmember at VMR Bribie. The group was given a briefing on how VMR Bribie Operates by Commodore Ces Luscombe, followed by videos of recent rescues and a tour of the base and its facilities including the Radio Room and inspection tour of Bribie One followed by a short trip on Bribie One showing its capabilities. Morning tea was provided, and all of the visitors were presented with a VMR Bribie Cap.

STATE OF ORIGIN 20th June

30 members and partners attended the VMR Function to watch Game 2 of the NRL State of Origin Series which was held at Suncorp Stadium Brisbane. The Social Committee Team of Kelly Langworthy, Sharyn Giles, Leona Patrick, Sheryl Traill and Brenda Allardyce provided the usual “Footy Fare” of pies, hot dogs, toasties, and hot chips. The Woolies pies were a hit with plain, chicken curry, chicken and camembert, and chunk beef with mushroom to choose from. Icecreams in a waffle cone were also available at half time. Barman Tim Amourous ensured drinks were available at our usual great prices. Full Time score 32-6 which gave The Maroons the 2023 series win, with one game to go in Sydney.

HOTEL - Sandstone Point Hotel won Best Entertainment Venue for the 3rd year in a row and BIG4 Sandstone Point Holiday Resort won Best Mid-Range Accommodation once more at the Queensland Hotels Association Awards in 2023!

A big congratulations from all at VMR Bribie Island to our generous sponsor The Sandstone Point Hotel.

Fri 23rd June 2023

60 Active Members and partners attended the “Italian” Sunset Drinks. A wonderful buffet spread was provided by the Social Committee comprising Lasagna, Bolognaise (traditional), Boscaiola (white base, cream, bacon, and mushroom), Chili chicken, bacon and olive red sauce pasta and of course garlic bread. Starting early with shopping Kelly Langworthy and Cheryl Robinson were in for a long day! Leona Patrick, John & Sheryl Traill joining them at 1pm for the food preparation, and Gail and

Young coming in to set up the room, with Betty Snell and Carol Pobar checking people in at the door, selling meal vouchers and raffle tickets. Mike Lucas and Doug Lythgo were kept busy manning the bar with our usual great prices.

Commodore Ces and Vice Commodore Wayne conducted the raffle draw with the winners choosing their prizes. The buffet was followed by icecream in waffle cones, or sundae with a choice of toppings.

MIKE LUCAS

Sunday 25th June 2023 - White Sunday crew Mike Lucas received his Competent Crew Epaulettes from White Sunday Coxswains Wayne Sclater and Mike Looney. Mike joined VMR Bribie on 29th March 2019, he commenced crew training on 30th January 2020, was promoted Crew on White Sunday Crew on 1st August 2020, and promoted Competent Crew on 1st June 2022. Congratulations Mike! Mike has recently taken up duties as barman as well for some our many functions.

First day of the new month and VMR Bribie’s Coxswain Gary Voss was running a Local Knowledge seminar of the Pumicestone Passage Moreton Bay for some of our local boating community and VMR Team Members. Gary said “These seminars are all part of VMR Bribie commitment of educating our local boaties and promoting safe boating.

MON 19/06 1411PM – Request from Water Police to investigate a reported flare sighting off Redcliffe. Request cancelled prior to Bribie 1 leaving pontoon.

SAT 24/06 1602PM – 5.98m

Centre Console member with engine issues North of the Bridge required a tow to Toorbul Boat Ramp.

SUN 24/06 0832AM – 7m Cruiser non-member lost power required a tow from Bulwer to Spinnaker Sound Marina.

With the weather improving check that your boat is in good order, check that you have all your safety gear and everyone on board knows its location, ensure it is easy to get at in an emergency, ensure your flares are in date, that your torch works,

SUN 25/06 1309PM – 7m Pontoon

Boat non- member out of fuel 3k of Passage Entrance. Required a tow to Bellara Boat Ramp.

FRI 30/06 0903AM – Request from Wildlife Rescue Qld to rescue kangaroo standing in canal at Island Parade Bridge. Crew activated but advised Kangaroo had died, no further action.

SAT 01/01 1323PM – 4.8m Side check your battery and your fuel. Ensure you let someone know of your plans, who is with you, where you are leaving from, where you are going, what time you are returning, and make sure you have either a mobile phone, VHF or 27Mhz marine radio on board.”

Console member with possible seized motor required a tow to Spinnaker Sound Marina.

“BUT importantly – Always remember if you are heading out on the water LOG ON with your local VMR or Coast Guard, its a free service for everyone, so why wouldn't you! - It just may save your life!"

To Thursday 6th July 2023

8,342 Calls, 2,487 vessels logged on, 130 Vessel Assists, 839 Sitreps, 580 Requests, 43 overdue vessels, 7 Vessel Tracking, 901 Radio Checks, 3 Weather Broadcasts, 3 Securite Broadcasts, 1 Pan Pan 0 Mayday.

VHF 61.3%, 27MHz 7.2%, Phone 14.0%. GWN 1.2%

We’ve had classic winter fishing conditions lately, with very little interruption to weeks of pleasant, sunny days, with just light afternoon breezes.

Whiting has been caught all over the Passage in this weather, but the largest hauls have come anywhere south of Toorbul. Turner’s Camp sandbank is a good place to target both sand and winter whiting. It’s a good idea to know the difference, so I’ll include a couple of pictures. I tell our customers that if the whiting has blotchy marks across its back, they’re winter whiting and don’t need to be measured. They have a bag limit of 50, but summer whiting has a bag limit of 30 and a size limit of 23cm.

Bloodworms are always favoured baits for whiting, but prawns and squid have been working just as well. Kai and Tian brought in ten big whiting from The Ningi Creek yellow marker, caught on prawns and squid, although Kai said prawns were the way to go.

Jacky’s little bag of winter whiting was all caught on squid, up at White Patch. Rob and Jo had about 40 winter whiting between them after a trip to the Beachmere cockle banks. Worms were the bait, some fresh, some frozen, “it didn’t matter”, Rob said, “they were hitting the lines at the front of the boat, at the back and on both sides – all over”

It was one of those glassy afternoons, on the last of the falling tide, when it wouldn’t matter if you caught nothing –just happy to be out there.

Riley, Levi and Tyler had one of those days, too. They went out with their mum and dad, sat just north of the bridge close to the mainland for about 3 hours and caught 71 fish between them! Dad said he didn’t wet a line – too busy sorting out the kids. There were a few legal bream and whiting, grunters and a pike, but they all went back into the water anyway. Great fun fishing and seeing dolphins, too – how good does it get?! There have been a few

BY: Robyn Bribie Island Boat Charters

reasonable flathead catches around the Passage – Cindy got a 60cm one at the Avon wreck, Dennis had a 45cm dusky at Banksia Beach, but the big ones are yet to come. Late winter is a good time for the larger flathead; when the cooler weather brings the breeders into the creeks around the Passage, usually shadowed by a few smaller males. Any of the creeks up the Passage will be holding nice flathead as winter progresses - we just need more of the REALLY cold mornings and maybe a bit more wind to stir things up. All this clear water makes it too easy for the flathead to see what’s going on at the other end of the line. July is often the month that the big flathead fishing takes off.

Flatheads are aggressive and usually attempt to eat anything that passes by. Casting and retrieving soft plastics and hard-bodied lures will all be successful in catching them. Dennis used a Zman Streakz soft plastic in bubblegum pink.

Make sure you use the tidal flow if you’re using bait – allow the boat to drift along the sandbanks.

If you’re fishing from the shore, cast out lures over the shallow flats, where the incoming tidal flow washes in bits of food to the fish. Look for signs of a weed bed. Adding some strong leader to your line is always a good idea – they’re pretty good at biting through a regular line.

There’s plenty of tailor about, especially south of the bridge and along Red Beach. The second green beacon on the way and going around towards Sandstone Point is one good spot to fish for them. The week before last, one bubbling, broiling school would have been at least 30 metres across! Lures and bait have both been working on them but with tailor, it’s all about technique. Out on a boat, look for the birds, find the dark patch of tailor and motor slightly upwind and within range of a good cast.

If you’re thinking tailor-fishing

from the beach, pilchards are usually favoured, on ganghooks, and with a good strong leader! In the last week of the month, there will be some nice late afternoon high tides, which should be good for tailor from Red Beach and round to the surf-side. It’s been great camping weather over the last school holidays, so a mate and his boy popped up to Mission Point for 4 nights. Every day, they kept two mud crabs from their pots, to cook for dinner, letting the rest go. All of the muddies were “very full - two were at least 22cm across, the biggest and heaviest I’ve ever seen, both bucks but we let them go, too”.

Sand crabs are less likely to be found in pots and more often swimming past your boat, at this time of year. I was interested to watch some people visiting from the UK, who used a pilchard in a little bag, attached to a handline, to catch their sand crabs. The little bags are, apparently, commonly saved from boxes of dishwasher tablets. My old Grant’s Guide to Fishes mentions this method – but we all go and spend our money on messy, bulky crab-pots…