16C Overcast & Windy.
The coastline has some very imposing cliffs with a huge wind farm just south of Grim Point. We didn’t see any sign of settlement at all and we knew we would be out of telephone coverage for the next 30 hours. The west coast really is a wilderness area.
No. 3 headsail up with one reef in the main in the first 10 hours we have done 60 nautical miles and have revised our arrival time to be early in the morning; average 6 knots.
Wind suddenly dropped and coming from the south. We are motor sailing for about 40 minutes then the wind is back to the north east. In the interim we had taken out the reef in the mainsail. The winds came back to 25 - 30 knots and we achieved 12 knots speed over ground SOG.
Seas are too turbulent to cook so Mars bars, muesli bars, apples and water for dinner. All is well.
Arrived off Cape Sorell "Hells Gates" the entrance to Macquarie Harbour at 1.30am. The entrance is too tricky to navigate at night so we anchored in Pilot Bay adjacent to the entrance for an early way forward in the morning. 17.5 hours for 121 nm – a very good exhilarating sail.
Monday 7/3 At anchor Pilot Bay off "Hells Gates"
Rough Rolly night, at times I was flat out staying in my bunk even with the lee cloth down. We all agreed it was the worst night’s sleep so far.
Departed at dawn through the entrance to Macquarie Harbour and on to Strahan. The entrance in daylight was good but continually looking at the GPS for depths and guidance. It helped when we could follow other yachts that had the same idea as us. All the yachts we saw where taking part in the circumnavigation. Wind from wrong direction so we motored to Strahan about 2 hours.
Macquarie Harbour is about 6 times the size of Sydney Harbour. Inside this natural harbour the seas were calm and now that we have done the entrance through "Hells Gates" we feel confident that we would be able to do it at night if necessary.
Calm seas, red sky dawn with huge mountains as a backdrop; what a place. We were exploring something for the first time with all the elements being on their best behaviour. The water in the harbour looks brown or brackish; they say it is tannin from all the native grasses with salt water underneath and the freshwater on the top. Although it looks brown they say it is OK to drink.
The township of Strahan looks well suited for the setting with a mixture of old colonial buildings and more modern buildings with designs of early settlement. Helicopters, seaplanes and large river cats cater for the tourist dollar.
Train rides by steam engine through the wilderness from Strahan to Queenstown and river cat rides up the Gordon river are the most patronised attractions. Both run twice a day and we were amazed to see them always overflowing with tourists.
We anchored in the Harbour about 100 metres from town. Inflated the Zodiac for the first time and attached our new 4hp outboard; all good started and handled like a charm.
Chores to do : Stowed the headsail, refuelled the diesel tanks [used Zodiac to ferry fuel] and topped up the water tanks. Showered ashore and washed clothes. All well. We ate dinner at the pub; they were busy as most of the other yachties were there too. Caught up with Andrew, Vickie & Bruce off Trezor. In bed by 9pm; slept well.
Tuesday 8/3 at anchor in Strahan
Working to the indicative schedule we will be in Strahan for the next 4 days. Kevin departs on Thursday via a coach link from Strahan to Hobart then fly to Melbourne. Tony will do return journey on Sunday; both of them live in Melbourne and will be attending Tony's youngest son’s 21st birthday party on the Friday night.
We continued to ferry fresh water via the Zodiac to our tanks. Showers and sun throughout the day; a relaxing one. Ate on board tonight; in bed by 9.00pm
Wednesday 9/3 rafted up adjacent to Strahan Pub
(next to an original "wooden work yacht" friend of Ian the skipper).
The train consists of 4 carriages and a steam engine that travels along a very narrow rail track into the wilderness. The steep grades are handled via a railway cog system that is unique to only a few other systems in the world. We departed Strahan about 10am after taking the Zodiac across to the other side of the harbour and walking the last 15 minutes to the railway station.
The little steam engine " I think I can, I think I can " handled the steep inclines well.
The train just cleared the cuttings that were all constructed by manual labour, convict or otherwise. Lunch was provided with beer available, we all enjoyed the trip it is worth doing again. Returned from Queenstown by coach along a very windy road.
Chris stayed in a motel this evening. The three of us ate at Risby Cove.
Thursday 10/3 at Strahan
Kevin left this morning on the bus at about 8.00am. Chris went to the local medical centre with Ian - caught a cab as Chris has little energy. Luckily there was a doctor visiting the clinic; he put Chris onto a drip and said he needed to stay there for some time. Chris returned in the early afternoon and said his prescription was emailed to Queenstown and the tablets would arrive on the school bus that afternoon.There is normally no doctor or pharmacy in town; the nurse is generally the best you can do. Chris stayed in a motel. Ian & I did a few jobs, relaxed, read a book and went to the pub for tea. Slept well.
Friday 11/3 at Strahan
The trip in & out of Hells Gates was definitely for the tourist because no sooner were we out than we were back in again heading for the Gordon River. On the way we stopped and saw several fish farms. Macquarie Harbour is the first place in Australia where Ocean Trout were farmed. They also farm salmon. The ponds or farms each contain several thousand fish that are distributed throughout Australia or Asia.
Our speed was reduced once we were in the Gordon and you could see the tannin in the water from the native button grass. The riverside environment is pristine and has remained unchanged for thousands of years. We stopped at several jetties and walked over timber boardwalks to view Huon Pine trees that have lived more than 3000 years. Lunch was a smorgasbord and good value for money.
Our last stop on the tour was to visit Sarah Island, the first penal colony in Tasmania. Established in 1822, this was all prior to the establishment of Port Arthur . The guides indicated that conditions on the island were harsh and that the prisoners had named the entrance to Macquarie Harbour "Hells Gates" because of the treatment they received. Great day - wouldn't have missed it for quids. On return Ian & I ate at Risby Gove. Chris at the motel.
Saturday 12/3 at Strahan
I walked to the "Peoples Park" around the Harbour to return to visit the waterfall named Hogarth Falls. It was about 1 hour’s walk from the entrance through rainforest with the stream meandering alongside the path. Stream was again tannin/ brown coloured. Relaxing day; we are all ready for Tony's arrival tomorrow so that we can get on the move. Chris stayed in the motel for the night and is really improving in his health. He is eating more , drinking lots of water and definitely has more energy. Ian & I ate at the local fish restaurant.
Sunday 13/3 Strahan – Pilot Bay
17C overcast
Tony arrives today . We restocked last minute things (eg top up of water & food). Tony arrived at 3.45pm and we sailed out at 4.30pm. We are heading for Pilot Bay so we can leave early tomorrow morning for Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour about 100nm. It was great to see Tony and he seems quite happy with the sailing in the harbour and movement of the yacht.
Spag Bog for tea. Early to bed 9pm (Tony said he never goes to bed this early but let’s give it a few days!).
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