Oz East Coast
Feb 18th 2008
Steamed Sydney 33.54'22 S - 151.17'58 E to Hobart 42.51'37 S - 147.18'23 E.
We left for Tasmania a little later than planned due to the modification of our tiller collar attached to the rudder post. This modification was made due to an inadequate design fault in my view with the steering assembly that nearly sent us into the cliffs at North Head coming into Sydney Harbour when the collar bolts became loose and steering contact was lost.
At the same time we made serious changes to the emergency steering tiller as well due to the above problem highlighting the problem we would have if we lost our steering completely from the wheel or autopilot function.
We set up the completely modified emergency tiller with an attached handy billy or block and tackle system which means we could steer by adjusting the lines, and locking them in place with jamming cleats, not have to endure a Windjammer around Cape Horn in a storm type of effort with six rain soaked men together fighting the wheel to keep her from rounding up.
Four of us (men - thankfully Margaret wasn't with us to be revealed below) were on board and the plan was to rhumb line it in almost 4 days straight to Hobart. However one of our crew became seriously seasick just out of Sydney Heads, and we had to duck into Eden a 100 nm south on the south eastern corner of the mainland where his wife was going to drive 5 hours from Melbourne to pick him up.
It was his lucky moment as he missed out on a disastrous time at sea crossing Bass Strait and down the east coast of Tasmania.
The weather forecast had a settled ridge over Tasmania which was what we wanted, but we were to learn at a physical and mental cost that a strong and sustained 30 kt wind apposed to a south setting current and the shape of waves coming from the Antarctic at 500 m deep hitting the 50 metre continental shelf, was not a pretty picture.
Bass Strait on its own is regarded as one of the most treacherous bits of water in the world by all mariners. In fact this was the scene of the disastrous 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race where nine boats sank, and six lives were lost.
After bouncing along for 48 hours with one crew member seriously injuring his back and completely incapacitated, and another hurting his back as well, but less so, and me being thrown out of bed (with the mattress) up against a bulkhead wall, we turned finally around Tasman Light for a trip up Storm Bay to Hobart in tranquil conditions.
The fatigue coupled with sheer joy of salvation, led me to drop my vigilance and go down to the engine room and change fuel tank draw to get SKIE on her lines, and proceeded to shut down a near full tank, and open up an empty forward smaller one.
This was a lesson that is now indelibly etched in my mind with the notion of what would have happened the night before, rolling out there without stabilizers due to a dead main engine.
I immediately removed the valve handles on the two smaller forward tanks never to use them again until I have to cross the biggest ocean.
These are reserve tanks that are there to supplement the main tanks via a transfer when capacity become available.
I also vowed to have a spare pair of reading glasses in situ in the engine room.
We were made very comfortable with a nice berth at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and I decided that this club was so friendly and nice that I would become a member, and will always fly the burgee from my jack staff from now on.
Recherche Bay, Tasmania. Image source: Google Earth
Margaret joined me with our dog Elliott, and her friend Veronika and we cruised down the D'Entrecasteau channel down to Recherche Bay on the SE corner of the island for a week in the lee of Bribie island.
The weather and fishing was great and a relaxing time was had by us all. Tasmania is my very favourite cruising destination so far in my limited experience and can't wait to get back next year for the Van Diemens Land Circumnavigation run by the RYCT, and to get to know the locals and their beautiful State. Plus the best seafood ever.