Some domestic work and some stocking up was necessary before we could continue our route south.
We where ready Tuesday noon, and then sailed south down through D’Entrecasteaux Channel, an archipelago protected from the ocean swell. Well, protected is a very relative word, the wind funnels through the islands and is sometime quite catabatic too. We arrived in Duck Pond on Bruny Island where we anchored in the completely protected cove.
We used the next morning to repair our air heater, which had decided to stop working some days ago. Even if the weather is quite nice, the early mornings are chilly and 20 minutes with the heater running increases the comfort during breakfast quite a bit!
We then tacked the short trip across the Channel to the mainland and Kettering marina to visit Sue and Mike on their Yaraandoo. We where in contact both visual and with VHF all the time during our trip from Eden to Tasmania. They had recently been sailing Alaska and we where keen to here about their experiences. The evening was spent eating and talking in Yaraandoo. Next morning they drove us to Mt Wellington and to Hobart and shopping for four weeks of sailing. Back in Kettering we filled our diesel tank and sailed south.
After one over night anchorage, we anchored in Rocky Bay the last spot before the unprotected south coast. We where prepared for some waiting for a weather window to sail the 60 nm along the south coast to Port Davey. The wind was hauling from southwest for two days, but then we got a window. An early start to be able to reach Port Davey in daylight. The approach is scattered with Islands and rocks, so reasonable swell and daylight are essential.
When we passed the first narrows entering the inlet, the swell disappeared and we could start looking for a suitable anchorage. We anchored 3 mile into the inlet together with another Swedish build boat, in fact produced on the same Island as Lindisfarne north of Gothenburg. A 39’ Hallberg Rassy named Blue Heeler, with Ale and Wayne from Melbourne.
As we woke the next morning the water was like a mirror, and thanks to the blackish water it was more than usual like a mirror. Some nice photos were of course taken…
We continued after lunch another 6 nm into the inlet where we anchored. You can still go on for more than 15 nm inland! The surroundings look like something between the Hebrides in Scotland and Patagonia in Chile, quite barren and completely remote.
We took our dinghy ashore to do some hiking before having dinner in Blue Heeler. On our way to shore we stopped and said hello to the third yacht in the bay. Surprisingly he answered in Swedish!
Per, borne in Sweden living in Melbourne, sailed from Sweden to Australia and back 25 years ago.13 years ago he came back to settle down in Melbourne.
After our walk we had a drink in Karena together with Per and his daughter Matilda before all of us joined Ale and Wayne in Blue Heeler for dinner. The Melbourne’s didn’t know each other, so of course a lot of local chat. But the conversation kept coming back to various boat related items…
The next day we where all invited to Karena for coffee and home made cakes. The weather was predicted to be bad, starting midday. In spite we had that information we left for Lindisfarne 10 minutes to late. Strong wind and heavy rain caught us half way. But we managed and had patience enough to lift the outboard from the dinghy, already wet as we where. The other two weren’t that lucky. Both dinghies flipped over with the outboard attached to the dinghy.
The rest of the day and night where quite windy with a lots of strong williwaws and a lots of rain. Now we recognise the conditions from Patagonia even more.
The next morning there where only gusts left from yesterday and we could continue our social activities. But this time Annika and our dinghy had to act as a taxi between the boats. Coffee in Blue Heeler while Annika did some computer work and then dinner in Karena, a full three course dinner finished with coffee and a Single Malt. Who said something about remote…
Just after ten the next day we took the dinghy to Blue Heeler and then to Karena to give them the latest gribfile for their trip north to finally Melbourne. After a last coffee we left them to prepare for their trip and we motored out to the entrance where we anchored and hiked up a mountain overlooking the outer part of Port Davey and the Southern Ocean. We saw Blue Heeler and Karena leaving Port Davey on their way to the north.
Saturday morning we had to decide if we should leave or stay another week. A series of low pressure where predicted and our visa where about to expire within three weeks. We didn’t want to be caught in Port Davey for another week, jeopardize our visa.
By lunchtime we motor sailed back to east in a gentle breeze from south west. In the afternoon the wind increased and we did good speed. Approaching the south east cape we where afraid the northerlies still where blowing along the east coast, but the forecast was right. “Our” southwest brought us around the corner back to Rocky Bay where we anchored in the dark, following our old track on the plotter. Everything settled and tea ready just as the sky let out a heavy rainfall. That’s timing.
The first day was wet and windy, but the next quite ok for a trip ashore.
After three days on anchor we used the last day of southerlies and sailed up D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Duck Pond. The wind became quite fresh during the afternoon and finally we had more than 40 knots downwind with reefed sails and 8 knots through the water, not bad for a heavy loaded 37”. We chose Duck Pond again because the wind where supposed to veer around the clock during the night.
Thursday morning brought sun from a clear sky. The high pressure behind the cold front dominated the weather completely. Dinghy ashore and some hours of hiking.
In the afternoon a German yacht came in to the pond and anchored nearby. This was almost the first overseas yacht we have seen since we came to Australia. Looking at their courtesy flag we could see that they had spent some time in AUS. Peter and Giesela came for a glass of wine before dinner and unveiled that they had been in Tasmania for more then a year. We discovered that we had sailed almost the same, little unusually, route around South America and Patagonia. We had several places and friends/people to talk about. It’s very relaxing to meet people who don’t rush away. We sometime think that we are to slow, a lot of sailors have made the whole trip by now, and we are only half way! Peter and Gisela started several years ahead of us.
We believe that it’s the travelling that’s important, not the goal. We aren’t travelling around the world, we are travelling around in the world and that can take as many years we have.
Once again we left Duck Pond for Kettering marina and Sue and Mike. We had not been shopping for three weeks and we still wanted some more Alaska info. There was of course a dinner to “pay back”. So when Sue and Annika had been in town we had dinner ready in Lindisfarnes cockpit. Later, after dusk, the temperature dropped and we conveniently used our clear sides to the bimini and the cockpit became a “deck saloon”.
Saturday morning we once again had blue sky. We used shore power and did some work, before we filled up with diesel, preparing for the trip to NZ.
Egret with Scott and Mary where in Hobart and had reserved a birth for us, so after another two nights in Duck Pond we sailed north to Hobart.
Our two weeks (two because of the easterlies between Tasmania and New Zealand) in Hobart was filled with a lot of work on our website. The technical part had to be updated and the English version had to be written. In the afternoon we where occupied with a lots of social activities most of them together with other overseas yachties. We met some local yachties as well. Mieke and Mal had their yacht in RYCT and invited us for dinner in their house some km south along the shoreline from Hobart. A magnificent house with a magnificent view overlooking the approach to Hobart and down to Storm Bay. Sometime one could think about living ashore… During the dinner we could see the Wednesday race just outside the dining table.
The next day we had Mieke and Mal in Lindisfarne for lunch and they brought our laundry Mieke and Annika did last night, talk about service.
One night we where invited to a barbecue in Egret on the outer pontoon in the Yacht Club. We where nine people representing Florida, Alaska, Aus, NZ, Chile and Sweden. All boaties, even if we where the only sailors. The others had big powerboats. But we have discovered during our years of travelling that it’s the way of living, cruising around and discover new places and meeting new friends we have in common. If your boat is a powerboat or sailing yacht doesn’t matter. We have the same technical things to talk about; pumps, fridge, watermaker, autopilot not to mention the head… And our travelling speed differ more because of the length of the boat than if under sail or power. Although with a powerboat it’s easier to find a weather window. We experience often either too much or to less wind when we try to find a suitable window, the latter for obvious reason not a problem for powerboats.
So we find that we have much more in common with our fellow powerboat cruisers than the opposite, but of course we have found sailors who don’t communicate with powerboats (and the other way around too).

In between our computer work and social arrangements we manage to do some walks in the steep neighbourhood.
Finally the upgrading of our website came to an end and we found a weather window for the passage over Tasman Sea to New Zealand. The customs came to the Yacht Club Friday afternoon and Sunday morning early we left for D’Entrecasteaux Channel and anchored in “our” Recherche Bay for two days until the easterlies died out and Tuesday morning, February 9, came with no wind at all. To be in Bluff before the next predicted gale/storm we had to motor east on Tuesday. No big deal, but the sea state was not nice in these shallow water. We where on our way and had 900 nm to go. We arrived in Bluff after 7 days, Tuesday February 16. More to come in the next logbook.

16 Februari 2010
Annika & Björn
Lindisfarne

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