Project Brupegvideo
Getting through The Narrows - Project Brupeg Ep. 402
12 May 2025 · 21 min · 26K views · Gladstone
What this video covers
The 50-foot former fishing trawler Brupeg transits the Narrows, a shallow, four-mile-long passage between Curtis Island and the Queensland mainland, to avoid navigating the open ocean around the island.3:25 To clear the passage, which dries by 1.5 meters at low tide, the crew times their transit for a five-meter high tide, providing approximately 1.4 to 1.6 meters of clearance under the vessel’s 2.1-meter draft.7:22 During the transit, the crew maintains a speed of 8.5 to 9 knots to counter shifting tidal currents while navigating narrow channels flanked by mangroves.15:28 Depth soundings drop to as little as 0.2 meters under the keel at the shallowest point, where cattle were historically driven across the estuary.14:58 The vessel utilizes a 112-kilogram anchor and 16-millimeter short-link chain for its anchoring system, which the crew tests upon reaching a sheltered anchorage at the northern end of the passage.18:39 Successful navigation of shallow, tide-dependent passages requires precise timing with the high tide and constant monitoring of depth soundings.
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