Flinders Island to Mainland Tasmania

It was calm and still in the little cove as we motored out, once again marveling at the imposing formations of the towering granite cliffs. Deal Island was such a special little place, and we felt very fortunate to be among the relatively few people to ever visit this remote island.

In contrast, our next destination, Flinders Island, was much, much bigger and advertised as a holiday destination; stunning scenery, beautiful bushwalks, snorkeling in crystal clear water, wine and whiskey tasting… sounded pretty good to me.

And it was only 35 nautical miles away, a mere hop, skip and a jump across Bass Strait! As soon as we exited Murray Pass, we turned our boat into the wind and raised the mainsail. Almost immediately, some squalls raced through, pushing us over. Uh-oh, time to get a reef in. With our first reef temporarily unavailable, we put the second one in and then put out the full headsail. Soon we were sailing along nicely, and it wasn’t long until the winds dropped to about fifteen knots and we shook the reef out.

The seas were pretty flat and the motion of the boat was comfortable. Everyone was feeling well. There was a bit too much easterly in the winds for us to head directly to our anchorage on Flinders, so we sailed south for five hours, then turned the motor on to head east for the last couple of hours.

As we approached Flinders Island, the skies turned grey and a heavy fog engulfed the land. It seemed to be be passing pretty quickly though, so we slowed right down and waited for it to pass. Motoring into our chosen anchorage, it all looked pretty unimpressive and I could see the doubt on Harj’s face. Here, really?? Matt and I discussed a few options, but ultimately decided to try tucking in behind Roydon Island. Our guidebook described it as an excellent anchorage and I was willing to give it a go. After a couple of attempts at finding a comfortable spot, we pronounced ourselves satisfied.

And what a spot it turned out to be!! The winds dropped out in the early evening and the water became super flat. Harj and Dylan rowed to shore to ‘walk the dog’ while Matt and I chilled on the boat.

After a stir-fry for dinner, we sat in the cockpit replete. What a journey. What a place. We’d made it across Bass Strait. Flinders Island was part of Tasmania, but in a few days we’d be on the mainland proper.

The sun began to edge towards the horizon. Look, I said, we’re going to be able to see it set over the water. We watched the glowing orb drop out of sight, trying to spot the infamous ‘green flash.’ And then we sat, mesmerised, as the sky began to glow; deep oranges and yellows giving way to vibrant pinks and then a softer purple. It was magical. The colour lingered and lingered and lingered.

After the sun disappeared we watched the sliver of the new moon edge its way down to the horizon. The colour from the sunset was still lingering. I couldn’t ever remember a sunset lasting so long. With the moon already set, it should be a perfect night for star gazing, we decided. Dylan stayed up and we all took turns lying on the bow and just staring up at the incredible night sky. I pointed out my favourite, the good old saucepan. It’s about the only constellation I can confidently identify.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay another day here as we had to keep pressing on. We had a deadline. Dylan was due to start school and we didn’t want him missing the first day of Grade Two if we could help it.

So after breakfast and a quick swim, we waved goodbye to this unexpectedly delightful anchorage and headed south. Light winds meant we motored, but with the sun shining and beautiful flat seas it was happy days all round on Cool Change. Eventually the wind came in so we turned the motor off and had a good sail for the last hour.

Towering cliffs welcomed us into Trousers Point, a dramatic backdrop to the deep blue water and white sandy beach. It was stunning. Dylan and Matt stood on the bow and directed us to a sandy patch amongst the weedy bottom. We dropped the anchor and it held firm.

It was lovely and calm and the water was crystal clear. Time for a swim, decided the boys, and they proceeded to jump off the side of the boat.

Taking the tender to shore we strolled up and down the beach. It was just gorgeous.

Matt and Dylan put the drone up and captured a birds eye view of the spectacular landscape.

Harj swam back to the boat and started dinner preparations, and so by the time we returned in the tender, a delicious smell was wafting from the boat. Yum yum.

But as so often happens, we were to be thrown another curveball. The wind shifted, swinging westerly, and pushing us towards land. It became a bit bumpy. What the?, we thought, there was no westerly in the forecast. Matt checked again and again. It wasn’t supposed to turn westerly for another day and a half. Regardless, that was what was happening and we had to act on that. We couldn’t stay where we were because the wind shift pushing us around, closer to the land, meant that we wouldn’t have enough water under us at low tide. We had to move.

We pulled out the charts and looked for possible anchorages. We didn’t have too long. It would be dark in another hour or so. The other yacht anchored near us took off too, heading for Trousers Bay, south of where we were. Concerned that the strong westerly winds might be coming in earlier than forecast, we opted for tucking in behind Big Green Island, just 2.5 miles to our north.

So after Harj’s delicious vegetable curry for dinner, we moved the short distance and thankfully found calm water to anchor in. It was early to bed, because we wanted to be up and away before sun-up, so that we could see the sunrise. Also, we had a big day ahead of us. We were sailing all the way into the Tamar River on mainland Tasmania. It would be our longest sail yet, and the last ocean sail for Harj and Dylan.

Waking up to the alarm at 5 am, we found that the wind had actually swung to the north, but was very light, so we’d had a good sleep. Weighing anchor at 5.15 am, we stole out of the bay into the calm, flat seas. There was a hint of first light creeping over the hills and a glittering phosphorescence danced in the water. It was beautiful.

After raising the mainsail, Matt headed back to bed and Dylan promptly fell asleep, so it was just Harj and I left to appreciate the sunrise. We watched as the sky slowly coloured a soft pink and then the glowing orb of the sun emerged, spreading a golden light. Sunrises at sea are always pretty special and I was glad that Harj got to experience this one.

After an hour the wind picked up, so I turned off the motor and put out the headsail. It was lovely to be sailing along silently, without the sound of the motor. But after only thirty minutes our speed had dropped right away. No good, I thought, we have too far to go, and so it was back on with the engine. A couple of hours later though, the wind returned and we were back in business. Off with the motor and out with the headsail. Happy Sailing!! And happy sailing it would be, for the next seven and a half hours.

Matt came back up and I went downstairs for a nap. When I returned, the wind had picked up and was right off our beam, just how Cool Change likes it. We were absolutely flying along, at 7 to 8 knots, and often even faster. Whoo-hoo!! Best of all, with the following seas and the wind off the side, the motion of the boat was comfortable and we all felt well. Harj was taking everything in and asking lots of questions, and in no time had a great understanding of the basics. He and Dylan spent quite a bit of time sitting at the helm and monitoring the wind instruments. What great crew!!

It was one of the best sails we’d had in a very long time, and what a way for these guys to finish their sailing experience. We were headed into the Tamar River to the marina at Beauty Point and in just a few days they’d be leaving us. But right now, everyone’s focus was on that marina, and more specifically it’s showers. A proper long shower is certainly one of the things I miss the most when out cruising, and Dylan appeared to feel exactly the same. Several times he’d mentioned that he felt like a shower but instead had to make do with a swim and a quick fresh water hose down. We just don’t carry enough water for such luxuries as proper showers.

And while my focus is usually on the shower, Matt’s is usually on the Pub. There was a Pub just near the marina and he was pretty keen for dinner out. As we’d been making such great time, it felt as if this was within our reach. I rang the Pub to see how late they were open. ‘Last orders at 7.45 pm,’ said the lady. Rightio, we can do that!!

It was pretty rough just outside the entrance to the river as we pulled down our sails, but calmed down as we made our way upstream. Unfortunately the tide was going out, so we slowed right down as we pushed against the current. Matt upped the revs in the last bit, and it was with excitement and relief that we pulled into our berth at the Tamar Yacht Club Marina around 6.30 pm. Phew! We made it!

Some other yachties were waiting to catch our lines as we berthed right behind some friends of ours; the catamaran No Regrets. After a very quick catch up with Chris and Jo it was off to the much awaited showers and then to dinner. Sitting at our table reserved for the ‘Boat People’ we toasted a great trip. Nine days since we left Hastings. Five different anchorages. Crossing Bass Strait. What a journey!!

It was the first time we’d had crew along for a passage or any real length of time and it had been great. Matt and I both enjoyed having Harj and Dylan on the boat and we were glad we’d been able to share this experience with them. We thank them for coming and for gaining an understanding of our lifestyle. We also thank them, and Shelley, for trusting us. It’s a big thing to let your seven year old go on such an adventure. To say I’m proud of Dylan is an understatement. Uncle Matt and Aunty Lee will have you back anytime, buddy.

But they weren’t leaving us just yet. We planned to say in the marina for a day to do washing, restock food and refuel and then head upstream to Launceston. It was time for some river cruising!

Life was meant for great adventures and close friends.

Unknown