Day 10+11 – Babel Island to Wineglass Bay er-um Fortescue Bay

We arrived and dropped anchor at Fortescue Bay by 2pm….. What do you mean Fortescue Bay?…We thought you were going to Wineglass Bay?

Well, we were………….  Wineglass Bay is supposed to be one of the most picturesque bays in Tassie and I would really like to see it one day.  Hey that reminds me,  I wanted to see the whale museum in Eden too but a good weather window arrived so I did not get the chance.  Hmmm……. is there a pattern emerging here?

Here’s what happened,

Its Saturday morning and we’re up at 5am and setting sail by 6:15am.

Goodbye Babel & Flinders Island

Goodbye Babel Island
Babel Island

Hello Tasmania mainland – We are on our way!   We planned to sail for about 22 hours and stop at Wineglass Bay.   The breeze was light westerly on the way out of Babel/Flinders Islands.  There are three large islands including Flinders and a whole slew of little ones on the North East of Tassie.  Between the islands and the mainland you need to be mindful of shoals (if exploring between the islands) and be aware of the tides and winds.  A North Westerly can really get pumping which as luck would have it we had a cracker of a wind (about 20 to 30 knots North Westerly) develop between Clark Island and the mainland.   We hooted along.  It is a beautiful sailing day.

Evan taught me how to helm with following waves,  I was fighting to keep Nashira straight as the waves were knocking us one way then the other.   When Evan was at the helm it looked so easy.  I was getting cranky because when I did it I looked like I was fighting a wild animal.  Not very graceful.

Evan was telling me to feel the water, feel Nashira and rudder in the water and move a little more quickly to pre-empt the next wave. I finally got the hang of it!!!  it was very Zen meditation like,  if I talked to Evan I would lose my concentration and flop around.  Lol!  So I had to concentrate and really feel the waves.   It made me appreciate the wind and water much more.   It is a tool – we respect it and use it.  For me it was a spiritual moment,  I used to grant the wind a sort of personality and I would get upset with it if it didn’t cooperate. I learned that ‘it is what it is’.  In present time you have to be here, confront it for what it is right now in this moment.   You can choose to fight it or see it as a barrier to be overcome or you can use it as a tool to help you achieve your goals.   Anyway I am super happy about learning a new skill.

Today we were visited by dolphins. Evan worked very hard to get photos with the dolphins actually in them!  It is not so easy!

We had a pod of seals (are they pods?) float by lifting their heads in surprise when they noticed us.  They weren’t bothered at all and floated happily past the back (transom) of our yacht, looking at us as they went by.

And we had the largest flock of Mutton birds I have ever seen,  it was a swarm!

Onward we went past Eddystone Point and as the day wore on and night was falling we broke into our routine of 3 hourly shifts so we could get some sleep through the night.   At about midnight we realised that we were going to arrive at Wineglass Bay too early.    In fact at about 2am, too early to be able to see where we were going or drop anchor in an unfamiliar place as the moon had already set.    An executive decision to keep going to Triabunna was made.   That settled we continued with our routine (although it is now 2 hourly instead of 3 – seems to work better).

The sun is starting to rise and we were on our way to Triabunna when Evan mentioned that if we changed tack and headed down the coast a bit more we would go the same distance (as Triabunna) but in effect be much closer to our next destination HOBART.   We really want to be there for the Wooden boat festival that starts on the 10th of Feb and we have been invited to a dinner on the 9th of Feb with a group of yachties who have all sailed from Sydney to Hobart.

So we decided Fortescue Bay it is!!!  and wow is it beautiful here.   As we sailed closer to the bay we were met by the local dolphins,  these did not look like common dolphin, they were much bigger, one sported lots of scars (a well lived and survived life I would say). They were happy to guide us in playing in our bow wave and zipping around Nashira.

Fortescue Bay
Fortescue Bay

We have anchored in the Southern area of the bay which should shelter us from the upcoming Southerly winds due to start at about 4pm and last all through tomorrow.  We radioed ‘Tas Maritime’ on our VHF radio to let them know we had arrived safely and plan on staying two nights.   The weather should be ok to sail/motor to Hobart on Tuesday (watching to see how good the weather prediction models really are – Hey, try the weather links on the top and bottom on our blog homepage and check out your local area weather too!)

It’s been a long long day,  its taken about 32 hours to get here (our second over-nighter!!).  Now time to take a nap.   Tomorrow we get to explore!!!  There are apparently some good bush walks in the area.  There is a jetty and I can see lots of cars and people on the beach.  Not as deserted as Flinders Island was.

We hope your day has been a wonderful one.

xoxoxo
Kelly & Evan

Comments

  1. Debbie and Byron

    Wow! Positively hooning along. The photos are spectacular. Are you missing Max?

    thanks for sharing!
    Byron, Deb and Aaron

    1. Kelly

      Yes definitely missing Max. I am getting updates and I know he is in great hands getting lots of Love. The sharing is fun, thank you for being here with us! xoxoxo

  2. Tim Bylsma

    Well done Evan and Kelly.
    I am enjoying reading the latest update every couple of days
    Can you please keep going around Oz?

    1. Kelly & Evan

      Hello Tim and Welcome to our world! I think you and Emma and the kids need to do ‘Around OZ’ and complete your coffee table book: Chicken Parmigiana around Australia. It is great to hear from you.

  3. Mark

    Great reading guys, breaks up the monotony of our dreary work existence

  4. Martyn

    Hello SuperAdventurers,
    Your blog is a good read. You two are so inspirational. So glad you are safe and well. I must stop dreaming and do some proper sailing too! Looking forward to your next installment. Martyn x

  5. Max & Michele

    Its great that you guys can take us away from the real world into sailing adventures that surpass our dreams. Super duper exciting, so have a great adventure. We have been kayaking around Macleay Island, which has been very exciting also, saw plenty of the big green turtles, and even managed to get stranded for a couple of hours on a mud flat, until diver Steve happened along, and towed us all off in his hovercraft. Enjoy the wooden boat festival, which will be a lot of fun, we are sure. Have fun, Max & Michele

  6. Gill and Glynne

    How well you write as well as sail Kelly. It was a perfect description of feeling the boat on the helm with the waves rushing under you and working with the wind, not fighting it. Sounds like you are thoroughly enjoying your new adventures. Hats off to you both, we are jealous.

    1. Kelly

      Thank you for the positive comments, being in Hobart is such a nice change for a little while xoxoxoxo

  7. Lian

    Wow i have just read through and your descriptions are beautiful and I think I can feel the wind and the waves with you . Enjoy this time and thank you for sharing it with us .love Lian

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