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Bass
Strait Cruising
Cruising in Bass Strait - an oxymoron? Cold, wet, windy, with steep
and confused seas, many would say this infamous stretch of water
should be kept for racing masochists to enjoy - when they reach
the other side!
Well
we have news for you.
Cruising the islands and coastlines of Bass Strait can be a sublime
experience. Over forty years of sailing we have been fortunate enough
to have cruised in many of the favoured spots around the world -
the Mediterranean, the islands of the Adriatic, the Aegean, , the
Caribbean, New Calledonia, and all around Australia - all of which
have been fabulous (although like all sailing, not without the odd
crisis!) - be we can honestly say that some of most pristine moments
we have ever enjoyed have been on our 'home ground' of Bass Strait
What
does it have to offer?
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Great weather if you choose the right time of the year - from
late January well into April there are some really fine spells.
Coupled with this the cyclical nature of the winds ensures that
they won't stay constantly in the same direction - and this
means that, with time on your side, you can optimise off-wind
sailing, which is what cruising is all about. Plan your cruise
around the wind. If it has any east or north in it when you
set out, forget the Prom and take the opportunity to head for
King Island - it's never long before the south-westerly comes
in making completion of the circuit in an anti-clockwise direction
a 'breeze'
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Good overnight spots to anchor. Wilsons Prom (Refuge Cove, Sealers
Cove, Waterloo Bay, & Oberon Bay in northerlies), Deal/Erith
Islands, Killercrankie Bay, Prime Seal Island, Badger Island,
Lady Barron, Waterhouse Island, Georgetown, River Tamar, Devonport,
Stanley, Three Hummock Island, Hunter Island, and King Island
(Grassy and Currie) provide a network of anchorages around the
rim of Bass Strait.
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Looking
across Murray Pass from West Cove Erith Island to East Cove
on Deal Island - Cascade is anchored in the only good holding
ground in a strong westerly (East Cove has too much swell
in these conditions).
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East Cove Deal Island with old lighthouse jetty. Cascade,
Bagatelle & the square rigged 'Eye of the Wind' at anchor
- Dover Island across Murray Pass in background. |
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An abundance of marine life (dolphins, seals, whales - as well
as good fishing!), wild life (albatross, sea eagles, mutton
birds, Cape Barron geese, many varieties of land birds , kangaroos,
wallabies and other smaller marsupials) and native flora. And
no sand flies!
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Clear and clean (but also cold) water
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A modicum of civilisation (Lady Barron, Georgetown, River Tamar,
Devonport, Stanley and King Island) as well as pure "back
to nature" conditions on some one hundred and twenty uninhabited
islands scattered around the south-east corner of Bass Strait
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Looking over the old airstrip towards Garden Cove Deal Island.
The black dots to the left of the photographer are wallabies
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Orange lichen covered rocks on Prime Seal Island in the Furneaux
group, Eastern Bass Strait. |
But
nothing's perfect so what are the caveats, what are the "dos
and don'ts" ?
You will get bad weather at some stage of your cruise. The trick
is to make sure that when it arrives you are already snug at a
protected anchorage, or if making passage, that your course is
off-wind (the golden rule of cruising!) and will take you to a
safe anchorage before dusk. To be able to do this you must listen
regularly to weather forecasts and constantly be on the watch
for approaching fronts.
You mustn't tackle Bass Strait in a boat that is not capable of
blue water sailing or without an appropriate crew in terms of
both numbers and experience. What measures up as a blue water
boat can be very subjective but purely in terms of size anything
less than nine metres long will find the going tough out there
- but there are some boats, much longer than this, that shouldn't
be seen outside the Heads. You must be the final judge. Just as
important is the safety gear and equipment which should be to
the level of AYF Category 2 Safety Regulations - and to learn
how to use it.
"Appropriate crew" means someone with some blue water
sailing experience in whom you have confidence.
Even in mid summer Bass Strait can be cold, particularly when
a windy , wet front comes through. Carry plenty of warm clothing
(including spares) and make sure your wet weather gear is suitable.
Use your radios (SSB and/or VHF) (a) to keep a constant listening
watch, (b) to listen to weather forecasts and (c) to report your
position morning and evening. Three community marine stations
-Western Port Safety Council, Coastguard Locksport (Gippsland
Lakes) and Mersey Radio (Devonport) maintain a continuous service
on HF2524 and VHF providing an efficient network covering the
whole of Bass Strait. They give regular weather forecasts, take
position reports and keep in touch with one another. They are
all friendly and helpful and have a strong collective responsibility
for all small craft on "their pond".
Make sure you have comprehensive up-to-date charts and don't go
without a copy of 'Victorian Waterways' which is a comprehensive
cruising guide not only to Victorian coastline and inland waterways,
but also for the whole of Bass Strait. It is packed with good
information and in particular has a comprehensive anchorage guide
complete with "mud maps" showing the best approaches
and spots to drop the anchor.
Finally
some "must see" places:
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Refuge Cove - It's usually pretty crowded but there's always
room for one more. A near perfect anchorage in a beautiful setting.
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Prime Seal Island.
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The causeway between Dover and Erith Island viewed across
Murray Pass from East Cove Deal Island. |
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Deal and Erith Islands - Sailing up the passage between the
islands for the first time is magical. The better anchorage
is at Erith but a trip across to Deal to visit the lighthouse
museum and the lighthouse itself on Deal is a must
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Lady Barron - The principal port of Flinders Island. It's a
safe haven in all weathers and has fuel , water and provisions
- as well as being an attractive harbour. And the natives are
friendly!
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Any one of the many uninhabited islands in the Furneaux Group
with a safe anchorage.
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The Tamar River from Georgetown at the mouth up to Launceston
and back. Beautiful landscape all the way and newly erected
pontoons strategically located adjacent to eating places make
for pleasant and comfortable overnight stays.
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Three Hummock Island and/or Hunter Island off the north-west
tip of Tasmania - remote but well worth a visit.
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King Island - Grassy on the east coast is the better anchorage
for yachts although Currie on the west side has an enclosed
harbour which houses the trawler fleet. Grassy has a 'part time'
yacht club which is very active socially at weekends and welcomes
visitors. However Currie is the centre of action and no visit
to King Island should by-pass it. From Grassy you can have a
rental car delivered to you from Currie and in twenty four hours
you can see most of the island, enjoy the "fleshpots of
Currie" and leave the car back at Grassy. The natives are
very friendly and make you feel most welcome.
Good
cruising
Lindsay
and Val Cuming
Photos
courtesy of Alex MacNaughtan
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