Heavy weather and bar crossing

A low pressure system and strong NW winds over Sunday night created reasonably large swells that were rolling in over the bar at Mana on Monday. We took Pelorus out to practice crossing the bar while waves were breaking over it. Things to practice and focus on were:

• appropriate speed and throttle control to provide enough momentum to pierce and ride over the waves without launching off the other side, having the bow bounce off the top of the wave, being pushed backwards by the wave, etc
• testing the ability to turn 180deg and "bail out" in between waves if a large wave were to present itself and the skipper not feel confident of the vessel handling it - OK in Pelorus with plenty of foresight and power, but would not be possible with TPR
• coming back in over the bar while sitting on the back of the waves without "falling over the edge" or getting pushed from behind
• making way at a steady speed out to sea without jumping/crashing over the large swells