How did you other Tassie sailors fare last night? We had a party on board in the marina yesterday afternoon and decided to stay on board last night. After a glorious 28 degree day the wind blew up overnight from the NW with gusts up to 47 knots at the nearby AWS on Bruny Island. So not a lot of sleep here, in what is normally a very sheltered marina. I was up around 3.30am tying extra docking lines to the boat as we were getting hammered from the beam, and it was still 25 degrees.

Reports of a boat breaking it's mooring at Tranmere near Hobart and also of a boat on a reef down in Research Bay (all safe). Does anyone have any details of the Research Bay event? Always useful to analyze these things for everyone's future safety.

Rocky lee shore, falling tide, timber boat, 30knts with more to come and no sign of a tow yet, this guy is in a world of pain, if they don't pull her off in the next hour I hate to think.

Poor bugger, hope he gets it off ok and the bill isn't too scary. Looks like a for sale sign on the pulpit too... going cheap
!

Hope you guys are doing OK down there, I hate seeing boats aground, the owner on board and helpless. Every bang crunch must tear at your heart strings.
Is it forecast to get better or worse? Praying it' s only short term if its getting worse.

Pretty breezy here at Triabunna last night - up at 4am doing the lines, fenders, chafe thing. No damage around here.

Cheers

Bristol

Guys there was nothing special about last night , all pretty normal procedure.
what is the big deal,

There you go, a storm trysail actually used in anger.
No one ever complained the trysail was too big! (it is triple spreader fractional rig btw, so another set and mast tip out of view)
No storm jib at that stage either.
Like a good boy scout - be prepared,

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lydia said..
Guys there was nothing special about last night , all pretty normal procedure.
what is the big deal,

A North Westerly at Port Huon doesn't do to much to the boats in the bay or in the Marina

We have been getting a few strong gusts here last night and today but nothing wild and i think it is going to drop off tomorrow

Regards Don

One lucky guy
they used the tinny off the fishing boat to pull her on her side with spinnaker halyard and then dragged her off, only looked to be missing a bit of paint off the bottom.

That's good news! He'll be relieved.

So Donk was all nice and safe in the marina at Kermandie?

yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-monohulls/young-sun-43-anna-rose/73570

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Kankama said..
So Donk was all nice and safe in the marina at Kermandie?

Hi Kankama

To be honest I haven't been down to have a look as mine is on a mooring in the bay but with the direction the wind is coming from I don't think there would be much happening down there

Is the cat with the wishbone down there yours and if so I will have a look tomorrow arvo after work and make sure it is ok for you

Also not sure if Lydia is on his down there as well

If you want me to I can go for a drive down there now if you want as I will be up for another half hour or so

Regards Don

Yeah Don - the wishbone cat is mine. She should be fine as they are looking after her there and we call and check. We will be down soon again. Tassie was a little capricious with us over summer. We are a little hesitant about doing much in April but will use her as a base for car touring otherwise.

K
Thought that was you.
I was there last week, now back at work for a week or so.
As to the weather, think of it this way, summer does not start until late January and goes to late May.
December is not summer weather wise.
Once the highs establish themselves in the bight then summer begins as these force the Southern Ocean lowers further south.
Every so often like this weekend, there is no high and the low just continues on with the associated front.
In the next few days a new high will establish itself and the weather will be great for about 4 days.
I don't bother going cruising in early summer anymore but cruise well into June.
A few of more friends always go to the west coast in July when really big highs sit over the island.
Everything is very still.
Where as November and December, little fronts can sweep through a couple of times a day so three hours of sunshine and two hours of sleet.
So don't be put off with autumn cruising.

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lydia said..
K
Thought that was you.
I was there last week, now back at work for a week or so.
As to the weather, think of it this way, summer does not start until late January and goes to late May.
December is not summer weather wise.
Once the highs establish themselves in the bight then summer begins as these force the Southern Ocean lowers further south.
Every so often like this weekend, there is no high and the low just continues on with the associated front.
In the next few days a new high will establish itself and the weather will be great for about 4 days.
I don't bother going cruising in early summer anymore but cruise well into June.
A few of more friends always go to the west coast in July when really big highs sit over the island.
Everything is very still.
Where as November and December, little fronts can sweep through a couple of times a day so three hours of sunshine and two hours of sleet.
So don't be put off with autumn cruising.

Thanks Lydia, just the kind of practical, local knowledge we need now we've arrived in Tasmania. We'll delay our overseas trip until late June and come back a little later. We intend to spend at least the rest of 2018 and the 2019 cruising season here, so lots to explore.

Cheers

Bristol.

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lydia said..
There you go, a storm trysail actually used in anger.
No one ever complained the trysail was too big! (it is triple spreader fractional rig btw, so another set and mast tip out of view)
No storm jib at that stage either.
Like a good boy scout - be prepared,

trump card ?

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lydia said..
K
Thought that was you.
I was there last week, now back at work for a week or so.
As to the weather, think of it this way, summer does not start until late January and goes to late May.
December is not summer weather wise.
Once the highs establish themselves in the bight then summer begins as these force the Southern Ocean lowers further south.
Every so often like this weekend, there is no high and the low just continues on with the associated front.
In the next few days a new high will establish itself and the weather will be great for about 4 days.
I don't bother going cruising in early summer anymore but cruise well into June.
A few of more friends always go to the west coast in July when really big highs sit over the island.
Everything is very still.
Where as November and December, little fronts can sweep through a couple of times a day so three hours of sunshine and two hours of sleet.
So don't be put off with autumn cruising.

there's some valuable information for potential tassi sailors !!! cut and paste to chart book !!

Select to expand quote

lydia said..
K
Thought that was you.
I was there last week, now back at work for a week or so.
As to the weather, think of it this way, summer does not start until late January and goes to late May.
December is not summer weather wise.
Once the highs establish themselves in the bight then summer begins as these force the Southern Ocean lowers further south.
Every so often like this weekend, there is no high and the low just continues on with the associated front.
In the next few days a new high will establish itself and the weather will be great for about 4 days.
I don't bother going cruising in early summer anymore but cruise well into June.
A few of more friends always go to the west coast in July when really big highs sit over the island.
Everything is very still.
Where as November and December, little fronts can sweep through a couple of times a day so three hours of sunshine and two hours of sleet.
So don't be put off with autumn cruising.

Curiously this was the weather pattern of the South Island NZ / Wellington when I lived there. November - early Jan was described as "cyclone" season. April to May was cold, but often stunning with stable weather and clear sky.

The advice I received from the BOM is that the current Southern Oscillation Pattern encourages slower transitions of the weather systems, so the 4 days or so of stable weather is likely to be a bit longer this year.


A

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riverider said..

lydia said..
There you go, a storm trysail actually used in anger.
No one ever complained the trysail was too big! (it is triple spreader fractional rig btw, so another set and mast tip out of view)
No storm jib at that stage either.
Like a good boy scout - be prepared,

trump card ?

Yep

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SandS said..

lydia said..
K
Thought that was you.
I was there last week, now back at work for a week or so.
As to the weather, think of it this way, summer does not start until late January and goes to late May.
December is not summer weather wise.
Once the highs establish themselves in the bight then summer begins as these force the Southern Ocean lowers further south.
Every so often like this weekend, there is no high and the low just continues on with the associated front.
In the next few days a new high will establish itself and the weather will be great for about 4 days.
I don't bother going cruising in early summer anymore but cruise well into June.
A few of more friends always go to the west coast in July when really big highs sit over the island.
Everything is very still.
Where as November and December, little fronts can sweep through a couple of times a day so three hours of sunshine and two hours of sleet.
So don't be put off with autumn cruising.

there's some valuable information for potential tassi sailors !!! cut and paste to chart book !!

Think of it this way.
On the east coast the weather moves south to north and not that quickly, while in Tasmania it moves west to east and quickly.
But remember what is happening in the Bight dictates a lot of what happens in Tasmania.
Also it is the north westerly that is the problem not the south westerly.
Seabreezes can have much more punch than you are used to unless you live on the NSW south coast.
Lastly, Tasmanian weather forecasts will use terms you are not used to hearing.

Thanks Lydia,

Cruising in Tassie had us a little gun shy by the end of January when we headed back to work. We liked the place but certainly hadn't fallen in love.

We were not used to the way that it could blow 15 up the Huon river and about 25 and gusting more 5 miles away. I did sort of get used to having heaps of different winds in one sail in the channel. Or the time it blew 25 from the west and we were reefed with storm jib and then sailed downwind and out of the wind - I have never done that before but it was near the Iron Pot.

Lots of lovely scenery, great birds but January in Tassie had us less relaxed than anywhere else on the East coast up to Lizard Island. I hope it allows us to relax a little more on our next visit.

K
Unless you get your head around the weather you will never feel relaxed cruising in Tasmania.
Also you have to remember how high the mountains are right to the shore in many places and that the west to east flow is coming off them.
Also the bottom of the Channel gets very different weather than the upper channel.
Port Esperance south gets many more fronts which don't get as far up as Hobart for instance.
Zero to 25 is a pretty normal day a lot of the time if there is westerly flow unless you have developed sea breeze.
Like I said in the other thread it is not for everyone.

You are not alone either, I have friends anchored in Port Huon at present and they have just spend the last 7 years cruising back from the eastern Med and before that vast boating experience, both power and sail and they have exactly the same compliant about Tasmanian weather and wind.

Whether I am getting old or lazy I don't know but this is my preferred Tassie cruising boat nowdays.
Note, no biminis, canopies, low windage and 26 ton.
And when it snows you close the wheelhouse door.
In the sail boat when it was good weather you motored most places anyway.
So horses for courses and better tool for the job!

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Kankama said..
Thanks Lydia,

Cruising in Tassie had us a little gun shy by the end of January when we headed back to work. We liked the place but certainly hadn't fallen in love.

We were not used to the way that it could blow 15 up the Huon river and about 25 and gusting more 5 miles away. I did sort of get used to having heaps of different winds in one sail in the channel. Or the time it blew 25 from the west and we were reefed with storm jib and then sailed downwind and out of the wind - I have never done that before but it was near the Iron Pot.

Lots of lovely scenery, great birds but January in Tassie had us less relaxed than anywhere else on the East coast up to Lizard Island. I hope it allows us to relax a little more on our next visit.

Hi Kankama

I have never sailed any where else and thought what you are describing is normal sailing and i think to do ok in the races down here you need to carry enough sail for the light stuff and just deal with it as best you can when it blows

I remember one race around the bay when we had 50 knots in the bay and were reefing the main and considering putting the furling head sail on and 5 minutes later we had stuff all wind and were trying to get as much sail up as possible

When we have a race that takes us out of the Huon into the Channel it is a pleasure to come back in to the river because even if it is blowing in the Huon it is normally a lot flatter and drier than the Channel

This is 75 knots in the Huon from a couple of years ago (the forecast was for 30 knots) and it went from probably 10 knots to 75 knots in about 30 seconds and lasted for around 30 minutes

Regards Don

That in the top of the river btw not even the Channel
don was that when the mainsail from the Redford got found in the paddock over at Glasiers Bay

Here is an interesting pic from years ago.
Nothing unusual about 53 knots at 81 apparent.
EXCEPT if you are on the anchor at the time.
Always anchor behind the little hill never the big hill!

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lydia said..
That in the top of the river btw not even the Channel
don was that when the mainsail from the Redford got found in the paddock over at Glasiers Bay

Hi Lydia

It was a Sunday and I wasn't racing but from memory James was skippering Red Jacket with only a couple of crew when it hit and both the main and head sail were destroyed as they didn't have time to get any sail off her

On Femme Fatale Jeff said it just layed her flat in the water with the sustained wind and they were hanging on in the cockpit in the water waiting for the wind to drop but it was quite comfortable

I think when it died down a bit they took the headsail off and continued racing and were doing 13 knots into Cygnet under main alone

We had just got home from church and I watched the race fleet sail slowly past and said to Sylvia that the forecast was for 30 knots but it didn't look like it was going to happen

A couple of minutes later it hit and we had both boats on moorings in the bay and they were being layed over at 45 degrees with bare masts

There was a visitor anchored in the bay in a 40 footer and they dragged and were caught up with a local boat of the same size on a mooring

After it died down the couple on the visiting boat said they had seen 75 knots on their wind instrument but it may have been higher as they were trying to sort out the mess of the tangled boats

This is another photo taken at the same time

Regards Don

One of the things we found in Tassie was that we spent more time than usual huddled up and waiting for weather.

Up where we live - in Newcastle - the systems are big and slow. We might get a southerly front come through, it takes one or two days to blow south, then (in summer) it eases, turns east over another day and then clears up and we get 3-4 days of noreasters. I can pretty much guarantee what the next day will be like much of the time. Queensland - sometimes it blows the same wind for a fortnight or more - just up and down a bit.

Tassie doesn't give me that confidence. It is rare to have different weather just 15 miles down the coast here (you may have a thunderstorm or a southerly may be travelling up north) but the small scale of the systems and viciousness of some gusts - we have never dragged with our Manson Supreme before we got to Tassie, had us changing long held tactics. We had fun but we don't love the place, it threatened to beat us up whenever we got a bit confident.

We thought we might end up buying a nice block of land, building a house and moving down. That is not going to happen now, I would miss the lazy days of summer we get up here.

But we will see Tassie soon, hopefully it will give us a week or two of reasonable weather.

"We had fun but we don't love the place, it threatened to beat us up whenever we got a bit confident."

Yep, exactly right!

Course, for us ex-Poms, this is pretty much standard sailing. It's that warm, swell-free and predictable stuff that's weird!



Cheers

Bristol

Think I'll stick to Pittwater thanks.