Lakes Entrance to Jervis Bay

Saturday 11 April to Wednesday 22 April, 2015
We left Lakes Entrance at first light for the 135nm to Eden. After all the rain in the last week, water was rushing out the entrance at 3 knots into a small swell. This meant we had a small easily handled break, much better than others had experienced the day before. We motored until 1020 then set the spinnaker.

Motor on again at 1500 until 1800 when we stopped it for some peace and quiet during dinner. With a double reef and self tacking jib it was slow going, but we weren't in a hurry so persisted. At 0350 we were abeam of Gabo Island in 20-25 knots, seas were slight and we were making good progress. At 1000 on Sunday we had the anchor down in East Boyd Bay.

San Souci joined us on Monday

We kayaked to Boydtown on Monday as the weather was sunny with light breezes and we dug out the shorts again! Construction of Boydtown, by the industrious Benjamin Boyd began in 1843 with the hotel. Boyd disappeared in the Solomon Islands in 1851, by which time the town was a virtual ghost town and most of the residents had moved to Eden. The hotel was restored in 1957. It certainly looked like a peaceful spot to stay.

Seahorse Inn

We had 2 nights in East Boyd Bay, before a northerly arrived that had all the boats doing the "Eden Shuffle" across to Snug Cove for 2 nights.

Snug Cove

A SW change came through early Thursday morning and so we headed north in company with 4 other yachts. A couple were doing the short leg to Bermagui but San Souci and Phase2 were aiming for Jervis Bay 135nm away.

Pre-dawn start

We had good breeze all day, carrying the spinnaker for about 5 hours and then goosewinging our sails as the wind built. We put in the double reef at dusk and settled in for another night at sea.This turned out to be one of our more uncomfortable sails of the trip. We had a slight to moderate swell but it was confused and we both did not feel well as dark fell. We were happy to pick up a mooring at Hole in the Wall in the southern end of Jervis Bay at 0350 on Friday.

San Souci 

When the northerly came in late Friday, we headed to Hare Bay in the north of Jervis Bay. We had 2 nights here and a good walk around the town of Callala. When the southerly came in on Sunday as predicted we headed back south to the Hole in the Wall. An east coast low had formed and it was clear we were not going anywhere for quite a while. It is now Wednesday, and we haven't left the boat for 4 days! Constant rain and the wind has been 25-30 knots most of the time with gusts up to 40+, but we are lucky we are not further north. We are anchored in 10m of water (as required) as all the moorings are taken. We set the anchor alarm every night but we are well dug in by now I suspect.

No cabin fever......yet

The weather is meant to improve from today but it looks like it will be Saturday before the seas abate and we can continue our journey home.

Gippsland Lakes

Tuesday 31 March to Friday 10 April, 2015
We spent 3 nights on the jetty at Lakes Entrance. We had planned to leave after 48 hours as required, however with 30-40 knot westerlies and quite a few spare berths we stayed until the wind dropped.

Lakes Entrance Jetty

Our first day we washed, shopped and caught up on our sleep. On Wednesday we were invited to dinner with Julie and Hugh from San Souci by Julie's sister and brother in law. We enjoyed a beautiful roast lamb dinner at their home in Lakes Entrance.

Next night we enjoyed another great meal at the Boathouse resturant to celebrate my birthday. During the days we enjoyed many walks along the lake and across the bridge to the surfside.

Steamer Landing

Armed with the Gippsland Ports Boating Guide, on Friday we motored 14nm up to Paynesville in a light SW wind to pick up our son Ben who had come up from Melbourne to spend Easter with us. Friday night we anchored behind Wallaby Island near Steamer Landing.

Ninety Mile Beach

A trip ashore in the dinghy and we were quickly across to Ninety Mile Beach. Lots of boats without dinghies, many on the free public jetties and pontoons that are found everywhere, and some nosed into the steep shore and using a ladder to get ashore!

On Saturday, after a leisurely start to the day we sailed to Boxes Creek where we anchored off the entrance after going in and deciding it was a bit tight for comfort.

On Sunday we motored 8nm back to Lakes Entrance where Ben had organised a lift home while we spent the night on one of the floating pontoons. With strong SW winds expected, on Tuesday we motored and sailed 16nm back up the lakes to Duck Arm, one of the most protected spots in the Gippsland Lakes.

Keeping the grandkids entertained in Duck Arm during the holidays

We picked up one of the 9 public moorings here and settled down for a couple of days. Once again, Ben took the good weather with him and we had almost constant rain for 2 days.

Duck Arm

On Thursday, we motored 4nm back to Paynesville and a berth on the Raymond Island Jetty near the ferry that takes cars ($11) and people (free) between Paynesville and Raymond Island.

Raymond Island has a large koala population that can be seen from the roads and walking tracks on the island. The koalas were relocated here in 1953 when their habitat was under pressure in other areas. They thrived until eventually they started stripping all their food trees. Now there is a contraception and removal program in place to keep numbers at about 600.

On Friday we headed back to Lakes Entrance as there was a window to go to Eden on the weekend. The Gippsland Lakes were great, good depth in the places we went and with lots to see and do. The government has done a great job building and maintaining infrastructure that encourages a wide range of boats to enjoy the area. It was especially great to see the large number of trailer sailers here, making the most of the Easter break.

Return to the North Island

Hobart, Friday 20 March to Monday 23 March, 2015
We hired a car and visited the Maritime Museum, Mawsons Hut and the Female Factory. All were excellent. It was good to visit the Maritime Museum after completing our circumnavigation as we had been to many of the places featured.

Mawsons Hut is a replica of what they found when they went back to Mawsons Hut in the late 70s. It was just as it had been left in 1914 and this recreation shows the cramped conditions that 18 men endured during the winter of 1912.

Next was a tour of the Female Factory which highlighted the tough life of the women convicts sent to Van Diemens Land.  Most tragic was the 75% mortality rate for babies born at the prison.

Hobart to Lakes Entrance
23 March to 31 March 2015
On Monday we sailed back down the River Derwent in a light northerly that had gone to the SW and increased to 20 knots by the time we rounded the Iron Pot.

Half an hour later we were surfing down swells as the wind peaked at an unforecast 35 knots. We were happy to drop the anchor in a calm Lime Bay on the northern side of the Tasman Peninsular.

Hugh and I inspecting the workmanship (Photo courtesy of San Souci)

On Tuesday we motored around to the Coalmines, another penal settlement that was well worth the stop. Highlight for me of the hour and a half walk around the settlement was the underground cells.

Impressive stonework

From the Coalmines, we headed back through the Denison Canal in company with San Souci and across to Chinamans Bay on Maria Island.

On Wednesday we sailed to Bryans Beach on the Freycinet Peninsular. Another beautiful anchorage that was protected in the E breeze we had. On Thursday we decided to motor around to Wineglass Bay however we turned around when we encountered 2m NE swells that we thought would make the anchorage uncomfortable.

Bryans Beach

We headed back to Bryans Beach and walked across to Cooks Beach before moving across the passage to Crocketts Bay when the forecast S moved in.

Cooks Beach

Friday was moving day for most of the fleet with a SW that built to over 25 knots before easing back to 10-15 knots. We covered 69nm to anchor in Skeleton Bay for the night. On Saturday we had another early start in a forecast SW-W wind that had gone more to the NW by the time we got to Banks Strait. With an flood tide against the wind we had an uncomfortable crossing in steep 2-3 m waves.

We were happy to drop anchor in Lucy Bay on Badger Island at 1720 after 59 hard nm. We were now all watching the weather forecasts and trying to work out the best time to cross Bass Strait for the North Island (as Tasmanians like to call it!) Our original plan was to go to Deal Island but the forecast indicated that Monday and Tuesday were the days to go. On Sunday we therefore headed to Roydon Island on the NW side of Flinders ready to head into the strait on Monday morning.

Roydon Island

This was one of our most uncomfortable anchorages of the trip in the strong NW winds that were expected to abate overnight. We left with a double reefed main at 0740 in a 20kn Westerly that was forecast to die and move to the SW during the day.

Goodbye Tassie

Photo courtesy of David, Crispian

Photo courtesy of David, Crispian

In company with San Souci, Skellum and Crispian we had a great 2 sail reach until 1600 when we put the spinnaker up until dark. The seas were flat and conditions could not have been better.

Crispian enjoying the sail

The forecast was spot on and by dark the wind was only 6-8 knots from astern and we started a motor.

How good is this for Bass Strait!

We motored slowly throughout the night, timing our arrival at Lakes Entrance for dawn. We crossed at 0715 and motored around to tie up at the public jetty in the middle of town at Lakes Entrance after 132 nm.

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