Oz East Coast
Thursday 19th Feb 2009
The VDL-C kicked off about 01100 hrs on Wed 11th Feb.
First destination was Port Authur where we dropped our pick just off the old Penal settlement .
Other boats went around Tasman Is to Fortesque Bay to spend their first night.
Our next destination was to anchor at Coles Bay just north of the Shouten Passage, and close by to Wineglass Bay which was on the ocean side.
We decided that we would hike up to the lookout the next day and see Wineglass Bay from a distance and elevation, and the long uphill hike was truly worth the effort. Wineglass Bay got it's name from the early days when whalers used to cut up their catch on the beach, turning the bay into a see of red (sorry!)
The same day we steamed around the corner to Bryans Bay in Shouten Passage where most boats met for an on the beach BBQ around 1800 hrs, and everyone disappeared like clockwork when the mossies arrived just on dark.
Next day was a long overnighter up to the north of Clarke Is, which is the southernmost island of the Furneaux group, and this group of islands were actually the link to mainland Australia 1000's of years ago before the seas rose cutting it off.
We went with the two other Nordhavns, but pulled out entering through Sea Lion Passage due to the strong current, wind, and it still being dark, and went around the Islands south against a strong current taking us down to 3.8 kts on cruising revs going around South Head and up through Armstrong Channel passing Preservation Island to our Port and taking an anchorage in Kangaroo Bay.
Preservation Island was the site of the ship Sydney Cove sinking in 1797, with a cargo of rum bound for India. A long boat then set off from here to reach the mainland in a long boat which also was wrecked just off Gabo Island, and only 3 of the 17 that set out in the long boat surviving, who then took 62 days to walk to Sydney by foot.
Three trips were made to rescue the survivors back on Preservation Island, and on one of these trips Matthew Flinders was sent to survey the area, and the subsequent circumnavigation of Tasmania for the first time.
The soundings going into Kangaroo Bay had only about 2 feet under our keel for a while as we were coming in at low tide from the west.
We left here on Monday around 0730 hrs to get to Beauty Point at the mouth of the Tamar River where stage 1 of the rally was completed, and a few days of reprovisioning, rest, cleaning & maintenance, a rally BBQ, and crew change.
Margaret and our 3 American friends head for home, and Iain & John come on board for the rest of the trip heading westwards across the top of Tassie and down the west coast where some of the worlds wonders await us at Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River, and then down to Port Davey which is a World Heritage site.
We have 5 days in both locations and we still won't be able to take in all the sights which are spectacular.
Today I have become licensed to carry Rock Lobster pots and plan to buy two of them tomorrow. Lets hope they will be bountiful pots.
We have West Wind rafted up against us for the night at the wharf, and tonight we are going to have a feed of Tassie scallops which Tony the owner of West Wind dived for.
