DAY 5 – Sunday 15th February 2009

The day after the barbecue on Passage Beach, most of the fleet left for points north. The forecast was for a fair wind from the south-east of about 15-20 knots – the perfect sailing breeze. In such easterly conditions, it is important to pass through Banks Strait on the flood tide when the wind and the current are blowing and flowing from the east. High tide this week is in the late afternoon.

The early leavers were planning to overnight somewhere on the way to the corner and the later ones would travel overnight – all with a view to traversing Banks Strait in the six hour window before high tide.

Rosinante was one of the later ones when there were only two or three boats left in the Passage Beach anchorage. It is 100 nautical miles (just under 200 kms) to Swan Island for which in Rosinante we allow 18 to 20 hours travelling. If this fair wind continues to blow steadily, we could expect it to take less than this. In which case, we could pause to wait for the tide to turn at around 10.30 the next morning in somewhere like Great Musselroe Bay – so long as we were through the passage south of Swan Island before 1615. An alternative plot could be to cross Banks Strait to Clarke Island, the southernmost member of the Furneaux Group and anchor in one of the bays on the northern or western side.

It was indeed a delightful sail. The 1835 sched was a busy one. Some of the fleet only went as far as Wineglass Bay, others paused for the night at Binalong Bay just north of St Helens. Many continued on through the night, as did Rosinante.

DAY 6 – Monday 16th February 2009

The wee small hours of Day 6 saw Rosinante at sea, on the passage from Freycinet Peninsula to Banks Strait and the north coast of Tasmania. Because of favourable winds, we were too early for the tide that runs through Banks Strait at up to 5 or 6 knots (Rosinante only does around 6 knots under power.) Once north of Eddystone Point, tide becomes an issue so we joined several other boats in Great Musselroe Bay (Sea Esta, Crispian, Junstine II, Holge Danske, Aurora) out of wind and tide (but not roll) until the tide had turned.

The morning sched showed the fleet strung out between Somoya who was just leaving Triabunna after a crew change, to Shonandra who decided to take advantage of the favourable weather to explore the northern tip of Flinders Island to end up in Killecrankie Bay by evening. For the same reason, many boats decided to explore the various nooks and crannies around Clarke Island. Some (Opal Lady and Westwind) had quite an exciting time getting through Sea Lion Narrows at the western end of the Armstrong Channel. Having looked at the fast ebb tidal stream backing up against a fresh easterly breeze, a couple of boats (Skie and Maa Maalni) very sensibly decided discretion was the better part of valour and went around the western side of the island to join others in Spike Cove (Crispian, Fargo, Holge Danske, Justiine II, Lemaris, Maalmaalni, Truant).

By now the fleet was getting to know one another after the Day 4 barbecue at Passage Beach especially. Social interaction between crews has noticeably increased. Holge Danske in Spike Cove hosted a dinner party for 11 on board. Also a number of faults and things needing repairs have begun to emerge with several boats heading directly to the Tamar for repairs (Sea Esta, Dovetail Eleven, among others). One of the reasons for running this cruise anticlockwise is that it gives everyone a chance to shake down their boats that may not have been used for extended cruising for a while - before they tackle the relative isolation of the rugged west coast.

After an early lunch, Rosinante left Great Musselroe Bay and was soon skidding along at 10 knots over the ground (6 through the water) through the passage south of Swan Island and round to Foster Inlet to join 11 others of the fleet. This inlet is just inside Cape Portland. It is sheltered from the vagaries of Banks Strait. It has good holding with no roll but is a little on the windy side.

 This is the anchorage at Foster Inlet. The boat in the foreground is Slainte Vars (Gaelic for 'Cheers', pronounced "Slongie Vaah"). The Wizard of Oz and her dinghy are in the background.The sunset is taken looking the other way from the anchorage (obviously to the west!).

DAY 7 – Tuesday 17th February 2009

It was a quiet day on Rosinante at Foster Inlet. The crew got on with a few maintenance and VDL-C administrative tasks. The fresh easterly continued to blow.

Some boats made a break for the Tamar River (Aquabat, Miri, Trump Card, Aurora, Holge Danske, JEM, Skie). Fargo, who stayed last night in Spike Cove, decided on a circumnavigation of Clarke Island. Others stayed around the western side of Flinders Island (Shonandra, Masterpiece, Truant) in the Armstrong Channel (Opal Lady, Westwind) and in Spike Cove (Crispian, Lemaris, Maa Maalni).

Tom Bowling has now joined the fleet after sailing across Bass Strait from her home port in the Gippsland Lakes. Unfortunately, Somoya still in the Schouten Passage has had to withdraw because, they said, of a four letter word starting with W…

DAY 8 – Wednesday 18th February 2009

The easterly weather that has been with the fleet since it rounded Tasman Island at the south-east corner of Van Diemens Land a week ago continues. Many, including Rosinante, took advantage of today’s 25 knots from the east-north-east to run down the wind to Low Head and the Tamar River. The picture shows Wild Goose from Adelaide surfing down a wave on her way to Low Head.

By the end of the day, all but 5 boats are in the Tamar River. Fargo, Shonandra and Truant are at Trousers Point on Flinders Island, just north of the western entrance to Franklin Sound; Masterpiece is in the wonderfully named Thunder and Lightning Bay on the western side of Cape Barren Island and the Wizard of Oz is breaking her passage from Foster Inlet to the Tamar at Croppies Point on the Tasmanian mainland near Waterhouse Island. They are all intending to make it the Tamar River in the next day or so.

By the time Rosinante arrived at the Farewell Piles that mark the entrance to the Tamar River at Low Head, the tide was in full flood which, combined with the strong easterly breeze, made for spectacular tide rips and whirlpools, and for a quick trip up the river to Beauty Point – quite safe, but an adrenalin rush nevertheless. Once safely berthed in the Tamar YC marina and in common with quite a few other boats, it was ‘cook’s night out’ at the pub just across the car park.

Today marked the second withdrawal from the fleet. Dovetail Eleven, a new 12 metre long motor catamaran, has one of her two engines so badly damaged that it will have to be replaced. She will remain in Launceston with little prospect of catching up with the fleet when it moves further west next week.

DAY 9 – Thursday 19th February 2009

Today was a quiet day reviewing progress so far, drawing breath and sorting out various domestic things aboard Rosinante. Because the Cruise Commodore’s boat, Sea Esta is stuck at the Low Head Pilot Station getting her starter motor repaired, life is quite busy dealing with various ad hoc enquiries from participants. In the morning we managed a stroll to the Beauty Point shops for a newspaper fix and a cup of very passable coffee at Carbones, a little restaurant looking out over the river.

By the end of the day, only Truant and Masterpiece were still to the east , still making the most of the continuing easterly weather – Truant at Croppies Point and Masterpiece at Spike Cove on Clarke Island. Slainte Vars has pressed on to the west to her home port of Wynyard for a more extended stay than would have been possible had she come into the Tamar.

Many boats refuelled at the bowser at the Port Dalrymple YC next door to the marina. At least one, Wild Goose, made her way up the river to Spring Bay, a very pretty anchorage just above the Batman Bridge. Our day was completed by an excellent dinner with the crew of Holge Danske at the Tamar Cove restaurant and an extended stroll back to the marina in the cool of the evening.

The picture shows the white flags flown by VDL-C boats in amongst the locals in the Tamar YC Marina. Rosinante is the blue hull in the middle of the picture. Next to her is Justine II. To the left of Rosinante is the black mast of Tom Bowling; further out near the old barge are the top of the spruce masts of Holge Danske. To the right the boat under the red flash is Trump Card and near the end of that arm of the marina is the red sail furled on the forestay of Lemaris.

The old coastal freighter that provides shelter  for the marina is the Stephen Brown, now out of commission and used for training by the Australian Maritime College. Behind her is the Wyuna that for many years was the pilot vessel stationed outside Port Phillip Heads. Like the Stephen Brown she is out of commission and is also used for static training by the AMC. In the distance is the gas-fired power station for use when drought conditions limit the capacity of Tasmania’s hydro-electric generating resources.
 

DAY 10 – Friday 20th February 2009

It was a slightly muggy day with rain threatening that never actually arrived. The last of the fleet (Truant and Masterpiece) finally made it into the Tamar river waxing eloquent about the weather and their exploratory and fishing activities in the Furneaux Group.

Some went off to explore the Tamar region by car, others stayed around their boats working on maintenance tasks or just relaxing. In the evening, the Tamar YC ran a bar in their new clubhouse - providing a relaxing venue for the happy hour and the opportunity to fraternise with the locals.

In the evening, the fleet lost another participant when a contract was signed for the sale of Zappler II, with more or less immediate effect.

The photos are of our two international participants: Maa Maalni whose home port is Seattle USA and Lavinda from Auckland NZ.

DAY 11 – Saturday 21st February 2009

It was another quiet day on board Rosinante. Other boats from the fleet came and went to and from other ports and anchorages in the Tamar. I changed the engine oil while Penny picked ripe blackberries on the path around the foreshore. Happily just beyond the vines was an apple tree that didn’t obviously belong to anyone. As I write, these fruits are being converted into blackberry and apple crumble, as well as some muffins.

After on a car tour of the Tamar region the crew of Maa Maalni returned waxing eloquent about a restaurant they found quite by accident. They had tried four eateries on the tourist list that were either full or closed before settling on an out-of-the-way eatery down by the river in an old flour mill in Launceston. After an excellent meal, they discovered that they had found Stillwater – one of the best restaurants in the country that has won several national awards.

Here are a couple of pictures taken by Lynne Lally on Trump Card during the trip round the north-east coast.  One is of Trump Card’s dolphin escort and the other of Zappler II disappearing in the swell while rounding The Nuggets that mark the northern approaches to Wineglass Bay.
 

 DAY 12 – Sunday 22nd February 2009

Today the fleet gathered from various parts of the Tamar ready for a VDL-C fleet dinner in the evening hosted by the Tamar Yacht Club. All the boats were there except for Slainte Vars in the Inglis River at Wynyard; but including 3 of the 4 boats joining the fleet at Beauty Point (Tom Bowling, Schnell and Jubilee). The crew of the fourth boat, Gadfly, joined by car from Stanley. They had had some difficulty getting far enough east from Port Phillip to make the Tamar in all the easterly weather. (As we well know in the cruising fraternity, gentlemen don’t go to windward!)

The dinner for 150 people was a great success. A large team of TYC volunteers made for good service and excellent food. By this stage of the cruise, those that left from Hobart have got to know each other, so there was much conversation and good cheer. Here are some pictures of the festivities.

Bryn Warrick (seated in the black jersey) and his son Kevin (on his right) of Tamar Coastguard were guests of the VDL-C fleet talking with (from the left): Dave from Ill Eagle, John (seated) from Holge Danske, David skipper of Crispian, Alan skipper of Masterpiece and Alec skipper of Ill Eagle.

 
The entire crew of Justine II from Sydney: from the left: Kay, Rolley, Jim, Sandy and skipper Bruce. There is one ring-in - Duncan skipper of Lemaris who is sitting on Kay’s left.
 

This convivial table was well away – from the left we have Richard and Ralph from Masterpiece, Chris skipper of Wild Goose and two of his crew, Bruce from Masterpiece and Diana from Dovetail Eleven.

Victorians Stephen and Di from Glenn Robert on the left with the Maa Maalni crew: Cornishman Hilton (in the centre) and Americans Michael and skipper Suzan