We woke early as the wind had swung around to the East which turned Nashira around and set off the anchor alarm. Turns out we were dragging but very slowly as we were set in heavy mud. So no stress. At 6.15am we were sitting in the cockpit having a cuppa watching the sky getting lighter and the sun begin to rise.
Forecast was for variable winds to 10 knots so this was going to be a motor/sail day depending on wind direction. For this part of the world having calm seas, low swell and little wind is a rare combination so armed with this knowledge we planned a route much closer to the southern Tasmanian coast than we took on the way across to Port Davey.
By hugging the coast after South West Cape which would be normally too rough to do we got to see some spectacular scenery with rugged headlands backed by tall mountains.
New Harbour is an inlet a bit over 5 nautical miles east of South West Cape with 2 sets of rocks across its opening which faces almost directly south. As the prevailing swell is SW with a SE secondary swell, New Harbour is one of the destinations mostly missed in the dash to/from Port Davey.
As we approached the entrance we spotted another yacht travelling in the opposite direction entering New Harbour. Oh well I suppose there is room for 2 yachts in a space that is ¾ mile wide with a beautiful sandy beach to walk along and crystal clear water.
And so it was that we met Peter and Chris on Tere from Queensland, a beautiful wooden ketch which was a participant in the recent Hobart Wooden Boat Festival. They too were taking advantage of the fantastic conditions and visiting the anchorages so often missed along this route.
Kelly and I took the dinghy ashore and walked the beach. At various places tannin stained water drains from the mountains and runs in streams across the beach only to be diluted by the enormous Southern Ocean, hence the water in the bay remains clear. What a glorious summer day on one of the most remote and southern beaches in Australia
We had a good nights sleep with the gentle rocking of Nashira in the small swell that was finding its way into the bay.