Final Leg of Van Diemens Land Circumnavigation

Port Davey to Recherche Bay
Friday, 13 March 2015 - 70nm
We left Schooner Cove at 0700 and had the engines off at 0820 once we had exited Port Davey. We reached south towards SW Cape in a 15-20 knot westerly. SW Cape was the last corner to round of our circumnavigation and we headed east from here with full main and the self tacking jib goosewinged.

SW Cape

We were in close company with other yachts all day which made for interesting sailing. Seas were about 3m and gentle rollers so we had some good runs down the face. It is amazing how you become used to the bigger seas!

Another RQ yacht Joule 

Next point to pass was SE Cape, the most southerly point of mainland Tasmania and our furtherest south at 43 degrees 40' S.

It's all northwards from here!

The wind died not long after rounding so we had to motor the final 2 hours to Coalbins Bay in Recherche Bay where we dropped anchor at 1700 under blue skies - the first we had seen for many days. The next morning we went ashore to explore the bay.

Whaling was very important to the region as was timber milling. The small graveyard nearby told the stories of drownings and disease that was part of life in this remote area.

Recherche Bay to Hobart
Saturday 14 March to Thursday 19 March, 2015
After lunch we motored up the D'Entrecastreux Channel to Port Esperance where we anchored at Rabbit Island. A BBQ for the fleet had been organised at the Port Esperance Sailing Club at Dover who also organised a taxi service for boats that were at Rabbit Island. Great service from a very small club.

On Sunday we motored across the channel to Quarries Bay on Bruny Island for lunch. Warren got a few small flathead but no keepers and a large wobbygong that we let go.

After lunch we sailed across the channel to Port Cygnet where we anchored at Robleys Point, home of the Port Cygnet Sailing Club.

Impressive club for such a small community

On Monday morning we looked around the very pretty town of Cygnet including an interesting living history museum where locals are documenting their memories of the area.

We then motored in light breezes to Kettering where we were met by friends, Karen and Maurice. After refuelling, we tied up at the marina and they then drove us home for dinner after showing us the sights including the shed where they had spent 6 years building Folie a Deux.

Kettering

Tuesday we were back across the channel to Quarantine Bay on Bruny Island. We had an interesting walk around the old quarantine station which began operation in 1886 and where 19,000 returning soldiers were quarantined at the end of World War I due to an outbreak of Spanish Flu in Europe. The site was still is use for plant quarantine up until 1986.

Then

And now

We stayed in Quarantine Bay on Wednesday before moving around to the aptly named Duckpond when a southerly front moved through.

On Thursday, we motored the 26nm to Prince of Wales Bay marina to complete our circumnavigation. We had covered 1014 nm in 36 days. Thursday night was the final dinner at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and a chance to celebrate our achievement.

For some it was back to work, while the Melbourne fleet will continue their circumnavigation and others like us will begin the long journey home.

Port Davey

Macquarie Harbour to Port Davey

Sunday, 8 March 2015 - 96nm 

We decided to stick with our original plan of going to Port Davey in daylight hours even though many of the fleet left late afternoon or various times during the night. We thought with good breeze we should be able cover the 90+nm and arrive at Port Davey before dark.

Happy to be through Hells Gate

We upped anchor at 0700 and motored through Hells Gate at 0720 in a moderate northerly and not too much swell. We raised sails and encountered 3 metre seas that were very confused near Cape Sorrel. Once clear of the cape, the swell became more settled and we raised the spinnaker in a 15 knot NW breeze. We carried the spinnaker until 1120 when the wind increased to the 20 knot mark. We then goose-winged the jib and started averaging 7.5 knots as the wind built to 25 knots. We were ahead of our schedule and looking forward to arriving at Port Davey about 1930.

At 1530 we put in the second reef and as we gybed we had the head of the sail pull out. 4 kevlar webbing straps had broken and the main came down. This put an end to our good progress as we had to motor with jib only the last 30nm of the trip. We went between the Breaksea Islands and Boil Rock at 2000 and anchored in Schooner Bay at 2035 with the last of the twilight.

Port Davey - 9 to 12 March 2015

Schooner Cove

We spent Monday in Schooner Cove repairing the mainsail. We had some leftover jackstay webbing that we knew was rated to 2000kg breaking strain so we used this to reattach the halyard ring. It took hours as the sail at the head is very thick and we had to drill each hole to push the needle through. We were happy with the end result though and so far it seems up to the task.

On Tuesday we motored 9nm up the Bathurst Channel to Claytons Corner. It was overcast with frequent showers and we could not see the top of the imposing Mount Rugby as we passed. The channel has dark brown water due to the tannin in the freshwater layer that sits over the saltwater layer. This saltwater later contains over 500 species of marine invertebrates, many of which are usually only found in much deeper water. They survive here because of the lack of light due to the tannin and the very low nutrient levels.

Bathurst Channel

We anchored with about 10 other VDLC yachts and went ashore to climb Mount Beattie. This took over an hour as the track was very muddy but the rain held off and we got some great views at the top of Melaleuka Inlet, Bathhurst Harbour and Bathurst Channel.

Yachts anchored in Claytons Corner

On Wednesday we took the dinghy up to Melaleuka where there is an airstrip to bring in tourists to this wilderness area.

Follow the beer cans

The only other ways in are to walk or by boat. Deny King was a tin miner who built the airstrip over 3 summers using a small bulldozer. When completed in 1958 it allowed visitors to come to this remote area.

Morning tea in a walkers hut

The dinghy ride back to Claytons Corner was in driving rain and 30 knot gusts. Holding here was good and we had gusts over 40 knots at times.

Rain didn't stop us enjoying a BBQ ashore

On Thursday, we headed back to Schooner Cove as the weather was looking good for a departure further south on Friday.

Mt Rugby

Macquarie Harbour

1 – 7 March 2015

Hawks Nest Cove in Birchs Inlet proved to be a perfect spot for us to catch up on our sleep. The anchorage had good holding in mud and was very protected. Macquarie Harbour is 20nm long and 3 to 4 nm wide which makes it six times the size of Sydney Harbour.

As we were now at the southern end we decided on Sunday morning to motor up the Gordon River.  We followed another yacht, Marni, who had a local chart for the river. Our Navionics chart stops about 3nm up the river so we had the slightly disconcerting sight of the boat going another 15 nm over land.

There were showers throughout the morning but we still saw the spectacular scenery of rainforest reaching down to the river. 

We went up the river as far as Sir John Falls jetty where we rafted up next to Marni.

From here it was a short stroll to the falls and a slightly longer walk through the rainforest to the Lower Gordon Camp.               

The water in the river and all of Macquarie Harbour has a lot of tannin so is dark brown which results in beautiful reflections.    

We had a peaceful but cold (6 degrees) night. As Marni wanted to get away early Monday morning we cast off at 0700 in fog and mist for the trip back down the river.              

Early start

A few hours later

After exiting the river we headed for Kelly Basin, which is the site of Pillinger, a mining boom town of the late 19^th century. Another very protected anchorage, we went ashore Monday afternoon to explore East Pillinger where the Tas National Parks have boardwalks around the ruins.              

We walked about half of the 15km walk that follows the old rail line up the Bird River valley.

Tuesday morning we headed across the Harbour to Sarah Island, site of a penal settlement from 1822-1833. We joined a guided tour that explained how treatment of the prisoners changed with different commandants. This island was also the largest shipyard in the southern hemisphere at the time making ships up to 300 ton.

Tuesday afternoon we went back to Kelly Basin and ashore at West Pillinger. Not as much left here but an interesting shack with some old photos. It was windy and rainy all day Wednesday so we found things to do on the boat including Warren taking out the accumulator tank in the fresh water system which had sprung a leak. 

Once a bustling town

Not much left

On Thursday we sailed up the Harbour to Strahan where we anchored in Mill Bay. It has rained off and on since then and is cold and windy as well. We definitely did not see the town at its best. We had a good BBQ with the fleet yesterday, shopping and washing and we are now motoring towards the mouth of the harbour for the night. We plan to exit Hells Gate at first light and venture further south to Port Davey tomorrow.

Tamar River to Macquarie Harbour

21-28 February 2015

On Thursday we left Croppies Bay at 0620, set the spinnaker and headed for the Tamar River. We had a good sail in a moderate E to NE breeze and entered the river at 1215. We rafted up to Joule on the public pontoon in George Town to do the washing and shopping as this is the main town in the area. On Friday we moved 4nm upriver to the Tamar Yacht Club marina at Beauty Point where we spent 2 nights. 

On Saturday, VDLC cruise coordinator Nigel lent us his car to pick up our son Ben in Launceston.  As no one else needed the car, he recommended we take in some of the sights of the Tamar valley.

After picking Ben up at the airport, we headed for a walk up Cataract Gorge before admiring some of the beautiful examples of 19^th century architecture in Launceston.

We had lunch at Velo winery on the way back to Beauty Point. The VDLC dinner at the yacht club was the first time all 43 crews were together as the Geelong fleet had now joined us.

On Sunday we had the spinnaker up again for the 22 nm run to Port Sorell, where we anchored at beautiful Bakers Point. Ben had brought the sunshine and warmer weather so he even had a swim here.

On Monday we headed for the Mersey River and a berth at the Mersey Yacht Club. While an older facility, the locals could not be more helpful and somehow managed to fit in any boats from the fleet needing a berth.  As the river can run at 4 knots, this offer was taken up by many of the fleet.

Ben discovered that his flight home from Devonport was on Tuesday rather than Monday so we had an extra day to look around and enjoy Ben’s company. I had my first scallop pie here!

On Wednesday we headed for the NW corner of Tasmania to the Hunter Group. We carried our spinnaker for 7 hours in a 15-20kn easterly, dropping it when the wind freshened above 20kn. We averaged 8 knots for the 91 nm to Chimney Corner at Three Hummock Island. 

Some of the fleet at Chimney Corner

Thursday we headed 4nm across the Hope Passage to Shepherds Bay on Hunter Island to get out of the W swell that had developed. A lovely sandy bay where Warren had fun catching 8 large wrasse. We cooked two for dinner only to discover they are not good eating.

We had been keeping a keen eye on the weather as we looked for a suitable window for an overnight run to Macquarie Harbour. This would involve venturing out into the Southern Ocean for the first time where conditions can be rugged. We eventually decided to head off on Friday, even though the wind was not ideal, the swell was the smallest it would be for the coming days. Our original plan to leave Friday evening was brought forward as the wind was due to increase during Saturday so we headed off at 1030 Friday for an overnight trip expected to be 130 nm. About 10 other boats left Friday as well.

We motored for 3 hours down the Hope and Hunter Passages before raising sails once clear of the islands and tacking into the moderate SW breeze.  Seven hours later we had covered 44nm to advance about 24nm to windward.

Tacking duel with Tiara - they won!

With the breeze dying, we dropped sails and started a motor. The good news was that the seas were slight and we had an uneventful night.

By dawn the predicted northerly had arrived so we raised sails, killed the engine and even got the spinnaker up for 3 hours before the breeze freshened above 25kn. At 1030, we started the engines and in heavy rain approached Hells Gate, the infamous entrance to Macquarie Harbour.

Hells Gate was named by the convicts in the 19th century

The entrance is less than 100m wide, has rocks on both sides, an outgoing current that was running at 3.5 knots and poor visibility, so we entered with some trepidation! Luckily there was little swell and we had no problems through Hells Gate and into the shallow channel leading into the Harbour.

Entrance Island

We were tired, it was raining, so we decided to head to the southern end of the harbour rather than the town of Strahan. By the time we anchored in Birchs Inlet we had 173nm on the log in 28.5 hours.