THE RIP
This turbulent, seething stretch of water separates the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas .
It has seen triumph and shipwreck tragedy over centuries,
welcomed hundreds of thousands to a new life and fixed itself as a key player in the maritime and military history of Victoria .
Through this narrow funnel, 1000 square kilometres of water gushes in and out at 7 knots, four times a day.
Today enjoy a short sea voyage on ferries to reveal much more about this fascinating Port Phillip icon.
The Rip depends on a set of lights to help traffic safely negotiate its narrow,
reef- fringed and unpredictable waves. Ships' pilots use Queenscliff's Black and White
lighthouses to align vessels with the centre of the 245-metre wide,
14.5 metre deep Great Ship Channel as they enter and leave Port Phillip.
Nearly 100 ships have foundered over the past 160 years in and around the Rip.
More than 85 of them have smashed onto Nepean and Lonsdale reefs and Corsair rock,
others have collided with each other. Many lives have been lost.
A pilot service has operated since 1838, just three years after John Batman landed in Port Phillip to help establish Melbourne .
The first of the lighthouses at Queenscliff came in 1843. The present lighthouse tower was built in 1902
and a signal station/shipping control centre established in the 1950s.
Men of 50 and 60 step as deftly as 18-year olds from deck to ship's ladder and back again.
Their agility masks the danger of the transfer. At these moments, in storms, and at night, lives have been lost, even in the past 10 years.
The Port Phillip Pilots have always been a private organisation - one of only 12 private pilots' companies in the world.
The pilot's job is to protect commercial interests and the environment.
Modern freight ships can be worth $50 million and their cargoes often come to the same value.
The former ships' captains who join the elite company never leave. There are third generation pilots.
The pilots guide 5000 ships a year - from 30 metres to 300 metres in length.
They work a roster 24 hours a day, every day of the year and much of their work is at night.
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