Return to the North Island (Bass Strait at its best)

Monday, 18 March to Friday, 22 March 2019

After our Channel cruising, we had a night at Constitution Dock and then a night at the Prince of Wales Bay Marina for washing and restocking for the trip home. Our original plan to take our time going up the east coast of Tasmania was amended when we looked at the weather for the next week. There was a good window to cross Bass Strait if we left as soon as possible, if we delayed at all, then there was no opportunity for the coming 10 days. 

Farewell to Hobart on a beautiful afternoon

We therefore left Hobart after lunch and refuelling at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, sailed down the Derwent past the Iron Pot and anchored at Lagoon Beach in Frederick Henry Bay.

We left the anchorage at 0745 on Wednesday and motored to Denison Canal. Luckily the tides were in our favour and we went through the canal about 0930. 

Looks narrow as we approach

Canal was dug by convicts so is not wide

After exiting the Marion Narrows we raised the main and motorsailed towards Maria Island. Lots of dolphins came to say goodbye but they weren’t impressed by our slow speed in the light easterly wind. At 1730, we were abeam of Schouten Passage and by nightfall we had dropped the main. In comparison to our trip south it was a calm first night as we continued to motor in slight seas. We needed to be in Eden by early Saturday morning to avoid the predicted northerly, so at 0730 we raised sails. We had between a knot and a knot and a half of current against us so set the spinnaker at 0800.

Champagne sailing in the slight seas

We carried it all day and while our log speeds were good, an adverse current meant we had not covered as much ground as we would have liked. We dropped the spinnaker at 1730, changed to the jib and put a double reef in the main – about an hour’s hard work.

We had good 15-20 knot ESE winds all Thursday night and we were going well but with the frustration of a 2 knot current against us. We had the Iridium Go satellite phone to get weather updates and send and receive text messages and emails. Our friend Eva (SV Zofia) was keeping me company with current updates and news of friends still in Tassie. Her hope that we might get favourable currents soon did not eventuate until we neared the mainland on Friday afternoon.

We were abeam Gabo light at 1740 and Green Cape at 2030. By 2200 however, with the wind directly behind us, we decided to start an engine and motor the last few miles to Twofold Bay. We dropped anchor in Snug Cove, Eden at 2355 on Friday night with a light NE breeze just starting to blow.

We had 447nm on the log and had covered 384nm over the ground in the 64 hours since we left Lagoon Beach. Our time from Schouten Passage to Twofold Bay was 54 hours (38.5hrs sailing and 15.5hrs motoring) compared to 47 hours coming down.

We awoke Saturday morning to a moderate to strong northerly and we were glad we had taken the decision to leave Tasmania when we did. It meant, however, that we sailed past Wineglass Bay for the fifth time. Ah well, maybe next time.

Sunset over Wineglass Bay

Channel Cruising

Tuesday, 5 March to Sunday, 17 March 2019

We spent Tuesday morning making some investments at the array of outdoor shops in Hobart and picking up some last minute fresh supplies before leaving Constitution Dock. Our plans for the next couple of weeks included joining some friends for a Bellerive Yacht Club (BYC) cruise over the long weekend and then cruising further south in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. 

The Channel was named after Bruni D’Entrecasteaux who entered it by mistake in 1792 and realised that Bruny Island was separated from the rest of Tasmania. We spent a few days here last trip, but you could spend months exploring the many sheltered anchorages, enjoying the flat water sailing and the numerous walks.

Classic wooden boat in The Duckpond

We had to motor all the way to The Duckpond anchorage on Bruny Island, a secure anchorage for the range of winds expected over the next few days. Boat jobs and cold, rainy weather kept us busy for 2 days but on Thursday we were joined by Folie a Deux, Ezibeat and Aurielle. On Friday, we sailed south to Rabbit Island in Port Esperance in a fresh NW to W wind. 

Folie a Deux looking good with full sails

Folie’s head pulled out of their main in one of the 30 knot gusts so they were handicapped with no mainsail for the rest of our cruise. We then motored over to Dover for sundowners with the BYC crews, where we all enjoyed the hospitality and the fire at the Port Esperance Sailing Club.

Port Esperance Sailing Club

On Saturday, the BYC fleet of 12 boats (including a Phase Three) headed to Mickeys Bay for a BBQ lunch. 

On Sunday, with their guidance we finally found our way to Cloudy Bay Lagoon and then scrambled over the rocks to Cloudy Bay. 

Cloudy Bay Lagoon

Cloudy Bay

Most of the BYC fleet left Sunday afternoon for anchorages to the north but we enjoyed sundowners on Aurielle. On Monday morning, Aurielle headed north while Folie and Phase2 sailed south to Recherche Bay in a light NNW wind.

Recherche Bay is massive

D'Entrecasteaux had anchored here in 1792 and again in 1793 with 2 ships that were floating laboratories. Physicists, botanists, zoologists, navigators, surveyors and philosophers explored inland gathering specimens and having friendly meetings with the local Aboriginal people. The French names of many places are a reminder that they were here 10 years before the British. I wonder if I would now be writing this in French if they had chosen to settle the area rather than study it.

This is literally the end of the road

We anchored off Cockle Creek but our plans for walks were thwarted by rain on Tuesday so we had a lazy day.

On Wednesday, we walked to South Cape Bay, the first (or last) stage of the South Coast Track to Port Davey. The track was diverse with forest and boardwalk components.

We were lucky to enjoy lunch at South Cape with little wind but overcast skies.

South Cape Bay

We had some rain on the way back, the track became quite muddy and we were glad to have our walking boots and gaiters. We slept well on Wednesday night after our 16 km trek. On Thursday, Maurice and Karen joined us for an 8km walk with a mixture of forest, beach and rock scrambling to Fisher Point.

Whaling was an important industry here

After 4 nights at Cockle Creek, we left early on Friday for Taylors Reef in Great Taylor Bay. We stopped at Southport on the way for lunch and a walk to the Southport Lagoon.

Southport lagoon

With our time in the Channel coming to an end, we had one more walk we wanted to do to Cape Bruny Lighthouse. It was a perfect day for the 8km return walk from Jetty Beach, with great visibility in all directions.

Saturday night was spent at Adams Bay in perfect conditions. On Sunday morning we had morning tea at the Bruny Cheese Factory to say farewell to our friends Karen and Maurice on Folie a Deux before sailing back to Hobart to get ready for the trip home.

I thought I would finish this entry with some of the great wildlife we encountered in the channel.

One wallaby peeping

Two seals a waving

Three dolphins leaping

Four cockatoos a chewing

Tasmania’s South Coast

Tuesday, 19 February to Tuesday, 5 March 2019

On Wednesday, 20 February we left the Prince of Wales Bay Marina after 2 weeks enjoying first the Wooden Boat Festival and then our road trip to Cradle Mountain. We only made it as far as Constitution Dock in the centre of Hobart. Tasmanian Maritime has a number of berths available for free for 5 hours, although you may stay overnight if you send a text. It is very convenient for shopping and a meal in the city.  

On Thursday, after a visit to the new fuel dock at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, we sailed down the Derwent River in a strong south-westerly to The Duckpond on Bruny Island. 

Still chilly!

We spent 2 nights here – it is a very protected anchorage but there is nowhere to go ashore. On Saturday, we sailed to the Huon River where we anchored off the Port Cygnet Sailing Club. 

We stretched our legs with a walk to Cygnet

On Sunday, we headed further up the river to Castle Forbes Bay, to visit new friends Rob and Anne. Relatives of a golfing friend of mine, we had first met them at the Wooden Boat Festival and, typical of the hospitality of Tasmanians, they invited us to come and visit them. They have a gorgeous house on the Huon River with a pontoon. 

The Huon Valley has been threatened by bushfires for weeks, with firefighters managing to control most of the blazes. Fires have been raging across Tasmania with the most severe in the SW of the state. Rob and Anne were forced to leave their home as the bushfires approached and made their escape in their motor cruiser Geni, a 36 foot King Billy Pine fishing launch. 

Luckily the fires did not reach their home but like many people in Tasmania they were at the mercy of the fires and the weather. We had seen evidence of the fires, many not far from houses, as we motored up the river. 

We were shown the sights of the Huon Valley, enjoyed a dinner party with their friends and departed with fresh eggs and fruit and vegetables from their garden.

Warren and Rob in Geeveston

On Tuesday, we motored the 4nm to Franklin, a small town on the Huon with a long history of boat building. It is home to The Wooden Boat Centre, a school that is now operated by the town.  We both thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the facility - Warren loved it so much he is trying to work out where to store a wooden dinghy he could build on one of their 6-8 week courses!

As we only had a depth of 1.5m getting to Franklin, we decided to head down the river at high tide and spent the night at Copper Alley Bay in Port Cygnet. On Wednesday, we sailed back to South Bruny Island and anchored in Mickeys Bay. Warren caught a few flathead and we searched for a track through to Cloudy Bay, but after a long walk we failed to find any public access to the bay.

Closest we got to Cloudy Lagoon

On Thursday, we tacked 20nm up the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Quarantine Bay. We went ashore at the new pontoon and walked to the old Quarantine Station. It originally was used to quarantine ships coming to Australia to prevent the spread of diseases such as typhoid. After the end of WWI, returning soldiers were quarantined for 7 days before being allowed to return home. This was to prevent the spread of the Spanish Flu that was killing millions around the world. Over 9000 soldiers spent time here in 1919. A local group is restoring the station to preserve the history of the site and we would recommend a visit. 

The "Cleansing Station" and Medical Officers House

On Friday, it was back to Constitution Dock as I was flying back to Brisbane on Saturday for some family functions, while Warren was taking the boat back to the marina until my return on Monday.

Dinner overlooking Phase2