Tegwen to Tasmania - Second Leg Achieved

We logged 333 nautical miles from Hobart to Stanley over 11 days. Tegwen now sits in Stanley Harbour rafted up to a fishing boat awaiting a crew changeover on Tuesday 1st of February.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Devonport to Stanley

Up at the crack of dawn for a long day's trip and to get what sailing we could with the anticipated weather. After leaving the harbour entrance we crossed the Spirit of Tasmania and a freighter coming into Devonport. Not long after we set course for Rocky Cape as the first significant waypoint. Motor sailing was the order of the day with a light but helpful breeze. However, as we came closer to Rocky Cape the wind swung more to straight on the nose and increased in speed until abeam the Cape we had to take in the sail and just motor. Around the same time the seas increased with a particular short pattern of threes that at times that almost stopped Tegwen in her tracks. Increased engine speed helped ameliorate this, as did the change of course after Rocky Cape towards Stanley but it was not comfortable progress. Closing in on "The Nut" the seas abated but the wind held up and was still on the nose.

12 hours after leaving Devonport we were safely into Stanley Harbour around 6:00pm. One of the fisherman, Matthew, gestured for us to raft up alongside his boat. An offer which we gratefully accepted. The tides here range over 3.5 metres and being able to securely raft up against a bigger boat makes for a far more secure berth. His boat is undergoing a gearbox repair and so it is unlikely Tegwen will have to be moved while in Stanley. After a long chat with Matthew, we walked up to the Stanley Hotel for an evening meal on the deck at their bistro and enjoyed looking at some of the lit up older buildings on the way back to Tegwen.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Beauty Point to Devonport

We took on fuel at the Dalrymple YC then bid our farewells to Steve who needed to return home to his family. He has been congenial company, a good sailor and the best helmsman of the three of us as well. It was sad to leave him at the dock as we sailed off but Tegwen is likely to see him again on another cruise. From a helming perspective we had restored the autopilot to life just in the nick of time and it was successfully put to use later in the day.

Heading out down the sinuous channel in the Tamar, we had a 3 knot boost from the outgoing tide and passed the occasional seal lounging around in the fairway. With the wind on the nose it was another day of motor sailing until at last, after a predicted wind shift, we were able to sail the last 14 miles to Devonport and our home for the night at the Mersey YC. The autopilot was put to good use both under power and sail and we were pleased to have it operational.

We approached the Mersey YC with a classic "ferry glide" against the wind and incoming tide. With the Yanmar at idle speed Tegwen had a slight forward movement, allowing a very controlled sidling up to the pontoon. It was a very satisfying piece of boat handling.

A visit to the nearby award winning bakery followed by a bus trip into Devonport city enabled us to have a coffee, stretch our legs and pick up some essential goodies. Dinner was had at the yacht club with their congenial members, topped off by watching the turning and departure of the Spirit of Tasmania car ferry from the club deck.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Beauty Point Perambulations

A land based day today with time spent at the laundromat before and after a slow breakfast, talking to some locals while we waited for our clothes to dry and then finally off to explore. We walked around to Seahorse World and did the tour of this commercial seahorse display and breeding centre. Then off to the Beauty Point shopping precinct notable for its small size.

Alas Beauty Point doesn't run to a bakery as such but we did manage a lunch at the local cafe overlooking the Tamar, took on some more stores at the supermarket and then wound our way back to the boat. Walked around to the Dalrymple YC to arrange a fuel top up for the next morning and had a bit of a chin wag with a local who is converting a trawler for leisure use.

Late in the day, the autopilot was tackled once again. Previously rebuilt but assembled with a grease that turned out to be too stiff for the delicate little gears of the drive mechanism, the drive had to be stripped down completely to enable the gearbox to be cleaned of all traces of the stiff grease and reassembled with just a smattering of a more appropriate lubricant.
It all appeared to work this time but the test will be the morrow's sailing.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Bridport to Beauty Point

Leaving Bridport around 8:15 am with a clear sky and a SW wind of only 5 knots. Once on course we were obliged to motor directly into the then westerly wind until once past 10th Island we were able to enjoy a great sail the rest of the way to the Tamar River entrance.

The channel up the Tamar estuary is somewhat serpentine with swirls in mid channel and the shore scattered with leads for each small section of the route. Needless to say we met a ship coming out right at a sharp bend but managed to keep out if his way as he turned.

We found our home for the next two nights at the Tamar Yacht Club, adjacent to the Australian Maritime College. The yacht club's relatively new floating marina had been recently devastated by a particular wind and wave combination and space was at a premium but they fitted us in. Dinner that night was had at a restaurant some way up the road that Graham's smart phone had revealed to us.

Arriving in the Tamar was another milestone on Tegwen's Tasmanian journey. What could have been a difficult and tedious bit of sailing around the north eastern corner of Tasmania had been achieved all by day sailing with the only inconvenience being the unexpectedly early wind change when anchored in Fosters Inlet.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Tomahawk Head to Bridport

Blearily we departed Tomahawk Head around 8:30 am with overcast skies and a W wind of around 12 knots. We motored around the top of Waterhouse Island then sailed from there. The wind was up to 15 knots by then, subsequently increasing to 20 from the west and gusting 23 as we closed on Bridport.

By 1:30 pm Tegwen was safe at anchor near the old jetty at the northern end of Bridport, known as Waterhouse Beach. Rather than be couped up on the boat on what had turned into a delightful sunny afternoon, we dragged out the inflatable dinghy and were soon on our way to the shore. A pleasant walk to the other end of Bridport revealed the very narrow entrance into the fast flowing creek/river most unsuitable for a yacht to enter and more importantly a nice bakery in which to enjoy time over a coffee.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Foster Inlet to Tomahawk Head

We had anticipated a gentle start to the day, intending to sail for two hours to Tomahawk Point before the predicted westerly change came in mid morning. After a somewhat rolly night, we actually found ourselves called to arms at 4:55am when one of the crew noticed the wind had gone around to the west and was already at 17 knots and rising quickly.

The wind change put us considerably closer to shore in a relatively shallow anchorage so immediate action was taken. Being well before sunrise and heavily overcast it was quite dark. The route for the days run had been planned the night before and loaded into the GPS but never the less, motoring out of Foster Inlet, in what were by now well over 30 knot winds with gusts to over 40 knots, took quite a while with the SOG only 3.1 knots at 3,000 rpm on the Yanmar.. The seas were short and sharp and if concentration lapsed for just a few seconds the nose of the boat would get blown well off course straight away and take quite a while to come back around.

The original choice of a three bladed propeller for Tegwen was certainly vindicated today. By half way across to Tomahawk Point the wind had eased a little to 25 knots and we were a more comfortable distance off the shore.

We anchored in behind Tomahawk Island before 9:00am and were very sheltered from the westerly wind. We moved along the beach a bit more later in the day the after had wind shifted to through SE to E and spent the night there. It was not a restful night - a pan pan call disturbed us all around 2:00 in the morning followed by a mayday call at 02:25. The vessel in distress managed to stabilise their situation and proceed but not before ongoing updates every 15 minutes until 04:00 had well and truly woken us all up. Tegwen was also quite rolly in the overnight conditions.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Skeleton Bay to Foster Inlet

Dictated by the wind and tide requirements of Banks Strait, we departed Skeleton Bay at 5:25 am after a bit of a tussle with the anchor which had well and truly dug under some kelp.  The sailing up around Eddystone Point and into Banks Strait was uneventful although the wind strengthened as we proceeded.  The original thought had been to anchor off Swan Island but on arrival it was clearly untenable in the prevailing 20 knot conditions, so we sailed on to Foster Inlet with the by then 25 knot easterly and 3 knot current boosting our SOG to 9 knots along the way!

Safe at anchor by just after 1:00 pm, Foster Inlet provided great shelter and we had a quiet afternoon and early evening there, sharing the anchorage with a trawler.  The rocks forming the northern end of the Inlet were well rounded and at times looked like a large colony of elephant seals slumped over each other.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Wineglass Bay to Skeleton Bay

Wineglass Bay had a number of trawlers and two yachts overnight.  It was a bit rolly but we still managed an early start for a potentially long day as we made the haul from Wineglass Bay up to Skeleton Bay just north of St Helens.  The predicted strong southerlies never lived up to the forecast in strength but the wind picked up and we did have a nice run up the coast with a light swell and sea. 

As we were going so well we diverted to Bicheno to top up the fuel and the larder.  Of course Bicheno has a nice bakery as well.  One of the local fishermen was on the wharf when we turned up and when we enquired about the proximity of the nearest diesel fuel, he lent us his late model ute to go and do all our shopping!  The Tasmanians are definitely a friendly and hospitable lot that put Aussie mainlanders top shame.

Topped up with a "real" coffee and nice cakes the rest of the day was another good days sailing.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Freycinet Peninsular to Wineglass Bay

The morning was spent fiddling with the autopilot and enjoying the beauty and solitude around us. While still not working, the autopilot resolution has progressed and will be sorted as soon as the correct lubricant can be purchased. Another reason for taking the morning off was to await a more favourable wind which came in after lunch. We had a pleasant sail up to Wineglass Bay although there was the occasional rain shower. While there weren't many people on the beach there, no doubt due to the weather, we were able to enjoy the changing moods of the setting sun on the various hills around from our vantage point in the bay itself.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Triabunna to Freycinet Peninsular

The morning started with a trolley run to get diesel and gas. Fortuitously on the way back the bakery was open too! Tegwen slipped her lines at 09:30 and we made her way down the "interesting" channel, only this time with the benefit of a recent high tide adding more water under the keel. We motored in light winds down around the points separating us from the wide expanse of water that leads up to the Freycinet Peninsula. Approaching Cape Bouganville, the last of the points, we decided to delay hoisting sail briefly while we enjoyed a cuppa along with delicious vanilla slices fresh from the bakery that morning.

Sails up, the wind by now blowing 10-12 knots and away we went! A beautiful sailing day with blues skies, thin cloud and Tegwen going to windward for probably the first time since she left Batemans Bay on November. We passed a dozing seal with its flipper held aloft, not unlike the dolphin seen in Bass Strait. After lunch, as predicted, the wind gradually increased as we made our way towards the sheltered beach at the south western end of Freycinet Peninsula just inside of the Schouten Passage. By the time we were pulling down the sails to moor, the wind was up to 24 knots.

Having anchored well in a relatively sheltered position we enjoyed the close of the day with snacks and then a nice dinner of lamb chops, cooked vegies and salad.

All in all, a most enjoyable day's sailing.

Tegwen to Tasmainia - Port Arthur to Triabunna

With a long day's sailing in front of us we left Carnarvon Bay, Port Arthur at 06:15 with next to no breeze and low mist swirling around the shores. Light rain ensued off and on as we made our way out of the Port Arthur area and passed between Tasman Island and Cape Pillar. Seals abounded on the rocks of Tasman Island and as we moved on out and up the coast the mist and light rain cleared quickly. Looking back we saw the Tasman Island Light bathed in sunlight for a little while.

The winds lifted to around 10 knots for most of the day but it remained overcast. Deceptively so as we all were a little sunburnt by days end. Along the way we saw dolphins, some small albotross and little penguins.

The approach to Triabunna was trickier than ever as we came in not long after low tide and there were Maria Island ferries coming the other way. We managed to come to a stop once at the side of the channel, which is missing many markers, but extricated ourselves OK. The depth warning alarms were going off continuously! Rafted up safely at the town wharf, we sought out likely places for a gas refill on the morrow when they would again be open. We had arrived after 6:00pm.

The Triabunna hotel lived up to its reputation and we all enjoyed a good meal there followed by a very sound sleep.

Tegwen to Tasmania - Hobart to Port Arthur

A slow start to the day as while we waited for a fuel top up we ran into Jeremy Firth, an old Canberra Yacht Club member that Graham knew well. Jeremy also happened to be the editor of the RYC of Tas Anchorage Guide so much good advice about the proposed journey was to be had.

We sailed around 10:15am for Port Arthur. The day was cloudy. The wind was all over the place as we motored down the Derwent, depending on what landform we were passing, and also had quite a chill. Past the Iron Pot, as we entered and crossed Storm Bay, it steadied then increased throughout the afternoon. Approaching Tasman Island and the entrance to Port Arthur we saw dolphins and two seals swimming with them.

After arriving late in the afternoon we did a slow cruise past the wharf and main buildings for Steve to have his first sighting of Port Arthur, which was appropriately gloomy for a penal colony. Not long after anchoring around the corner in Carnarvon Bay it started to drizzle and become somewhat misty.

Our first day sailing together as a crew and we all had gotten on well and enjoyed each other's company.

Tegwen to Tasmania - The Second Leg Preparations

Graham Giles and Stephen motored Tegwen up from Kettering to the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania at Sandy Bay where we met up over lunch with Steve Knight, the other crew member for this leg. In the afternoon we were offered a lift into Peter Johnson's chandlery near Constitution Dock which we took advantage of to get a few bits and pieces. Taking the bus back to Sandy Bay shops we raided Woolworths for provisions then walked back to the yacht. With all the stores put away Tegwen had an engine oil change and impeller check and we were then all but ready for departure on the next leg Tegwen's Tasmanian adventure.