Tasmanian sail – how perfect is this! Tasmanian sail – how perfect is this!

On Wednesday morning we set off to explore the inner waters of Port Davey. We lifted anchor after breakfast and made our way into the ‘fjord’. It was a spectacular view. Amazing! So many small islands rising up high, the deep dark brown colour of the water gave a bit of extra flair to it and the weather was not all to good so it gave it a bit of the mystique we were hoping for. For those who have never seen Tasmania before, it is a bit of a combination between the Hebrides in Scotland and the fjords in Norway with the weather they are used to on the Shetland Islands.

We dropped anchor and had a very early lunch (because we could not take anything ashore with us) in a bay called Ila Bay. We set off with a shore party for a long walk up in the hills and after many laughs and many slippery falls on bums, whoopsidaisies, we got back on board in the late afternoon. It had been rainy/foggy most off the day, so the evening was spend reading a book, relaxing.

Next morning we left again after breakfast and motored our way out of Port Davey. We set sail in the last bit of the bay and with just enough room to set the jib, we set off on a speedy course south. Wind was about 6bf and getting more. Rounding the south west point of Tasmania we passed the lighthouse on Maatsuiyker Island and got a call from their lighthouse keeper. He called us on the VHF and said they had been in thick fog for most of the morning but just as it lifted 5 minutes before he saw this Tall Ship pass on the south side of the island. They had known we were coming and knew that we would be the last to pass the island. He had not seen the others and was very happy that the fog lifted just long enough to give them a spectacular view!

After that we had a nice run down wind. Around dinner time the wind had really increased and we decided to let the mainsail down before gybing towards D’Entrecasteaux Channel. We gybed and then got the jib down as well, as the wind seemed to be increasing more and turning more to a side wind in the showers. Everybody outside had been there the whole day! Their clothing soaking wet, cold, in the dark, but nobody wanted to miss a single second off this adventure. Wind was measured up to 45 knots and the Tecla was doing 9 knots with just a reefed mizzen sail and a forestaysail on.

As we entered the channel, things calmed down a lot and around 22:00 hours we had dropped anchor in the bay of Southport and were all in our dry warm clothes enjoying a well-deserved sip of Whiskey.Vertaling volgt nog!

On Wednesday morning we set off to explore the inner waters of Port Davey. We lifted anchor after breakfast and made our way into the ‘fjord’. It was a spectacular view. Amazing! So many small islands rising up high, the deep dark brown colour of the water gave a bit of extra flair to it and the weather was not all to good so it gave it a bit of the mystique we were hoping for. For those who have never seen Tasmania before, it is a bit of a combination between the Hebrides in Scotland and the fjords in Norway with the weather they are used to on the Shetland Islands.

We dropped anchor and had a very early lunch (because we could not take anything ashore with us) in a bay called Ila Bay. We set off with a shore party for a long walk up in the hills and after many laughs and many slippery falls on bums, whoopsidaisies, we got back on board in the late afternoon. It had been rainy/foggy most off the day, so the evening was spend reading a book, relaxing.

Next morning we left again after breakfast and motored our way out of Port Davey. We set sail in the last bit of the bay and with just enough room to set the jib, we set off on a speedy course south. Wind was about 6bf and getting more. Rounding the south west point of Tasmania we passed the lighthouse on Maatsuiyker Island and got a call from their lighthouse keeper. He called us on the VHF and said they had been in thick fog for most of the morning but just as it lifted 5 minutes before he saw this Tall Ship pass on the south side of the island. They had known we were coming and knew that we would be the last to pass the island. He had not seen the others and was very happy that the fog lifted just long enough to give them a spectacular view!

After that we had a nice run down wind. Around dinner time the wind had really increased and we decided to let the mainsail down before gybing towards D’Entrecasteaux Channel. We gybed and then got the jib down as well, as the wind seemed to be increasing more and turning more to a side wind in the showers. Everybody outside had been there the whole day! Their clothing soaking wet, cold, in the dark, but nobody wanted to miss a single second off this adventure. Wind was measured up to 45 knots and the Tecla was doing 9 knots with just a reefed mizzen sail and a forestaysail on.

As we entered the channel, things calmed down a lot and around 22:00 hours we had dropped anchor in the bay of Southport and were all in our dry warm clothes enjoying a well-deserved sip of Whiskey.

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