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samsturdy said..
Think I'll stick to Pittwater thanks.

You gotta try lake Macquarie - sailing heaven and so close.

Cheers

Bristol

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Bristolfashion said..

samsturdy said..
Think I'll stick to Pittwater thanks.

You gotta try lake Macquarie - sailing heaven and so close.

Cheers

Bristol

I'll second that!! :)

There are nights I'm glad I'm at home and my boat is secure, but more ften than not I wish I were out there somewhere, and not just doing the 9-5 routine. Its pretty rare, though not unheard of, to get extreme unforecast weather. I've found bom.gov.au to be as reliable as anything. having grown up down here I guess its just what I'm used to... but I've experienced 35+ knots in the Whitsundays and Med too.... Its all part of the fun!

When my family come and visit us from Cairns (they have probably been here 10 times in the last 10 years in all seasons and in all parts of Tassie and normally stay for a month or so ) they say that the weather changes every 8 minutes

The weather probably isn't as stable as the mainland but it kind of adds to the charm of the place and makes for an interesting day on the water

Regards Don

Even if we end up not wanting to come back again quickly, I would still put Tassie on any sailors bucket list. There are so many highlights.

East coast sailing - the lack of swell in the westerlies we had was lovely.
The amazing anchorages - Freycinet, Maria island, The Dentecastreau with its many different anchorages, Port Arthur.
The scenery - sailing into Port Arthur past the huge fluted dolerite columns, Freycinet again, Reserche bay, the picturesque channel.
The walking - great walking to the top of Maria, walking on the beaches at Maria, from Reserche to the bottom of Tassie (almost), sneakily doing some of the Three Capes walk in Port Arthur.
The wildlife - the trip from St Helens to Freycinet we saw thousands, yes thousands of shearwaters, hundreds of Shy albatross and many hundreds of dolphins. It was a trip like no other in decades of coastal sailing. Seals every day in the channel, watching the seals play at The Friars at South Bruny, having an albatross come and swing around us for 20 minutes.
The clarity - I was sailing into Port Arthur and thought "Could we nip over to Tasman island for a quick seal spot?" My wife had the flu and I said "It's only 3 miles to Tasman". Then I checked on the GPS and it was 6. It was so close it looked like I could swim there.
The air is so clear on good days and the islands so massive that your sense of scale gets messed with. I was brought up on North Head being tall but North head is a baby compared with the cliffs around the south of Tassie. And with the lack of humidity you can see for ever. Near Cape Raoul I could see about 30 miles away to the base of Bruny, nice and clear. It made my eyeball navigation need recalibration compared to the lower and much murky East coast air. Stars at night - wow.
Don't not do Tassie because it may be a bit harder. We are cruising there throughout the year (over about 13 months) because it is charming in many ways. It forces you to grow and makes you earn cruising stripes. We had to do much of our cruising in the height of summer, when we were told it would be more challenging but we are working still and have to fit in our cruise with holidays. Leave it to Feb - April and have an easier time than us if you can.

Put it on your list. It may not be easy, but it will be a high point in your sailing career. As a soft NSW/Qld cruiser, Tassie has made me tougher and more ready to face bigger challenges further down the track. We aren't rushing to get Kankama back, we are happy to cruise lots more and maybe see Port Davey and then head back through the Ferneaux group. We just are changing anchoring techniques and updating our weather watching in the interim.

cheers

Phil

Phil
Very well said and exactly correct in your observations in my view.
L

I AM SHOUTING THIS SO EVERYONE HEARS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OF GOING TO THE SOUTH COAST AND PORT DAVEY, GO THE CAMBRIDGE AIRPORT AND BOOK ON ONE OF THE HIKER/SIGHSEEING PLANES THAT FLY TO MELELUCCA THAT DROP OFF THE WALKERS, SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOU ABOUT TO DO.

Just spend the money, it might save your life.

For two of us it was about $500.00 but clearly the best $500 I have ever spent boating.

You see the scale of the South West coast but most importantly where you might hide.

Odds are you will decide not to go.

January is often unsettled down here and was particularly so this year, if you're planning to cruise down, give January a miss if you can. We went up the lower east coast on Boxing Day, in the 11 days we were up there, there were probably 5 significant cold front that came through. The best months are March and April when the roaring 40's conveyor belt slows down, the weather is more settled and still warm. May is often settled too, just getting cooler.

Here is great example of understanding Tasmanian weather.
So DSS have winter series.
Races start at 0930 on Sundays.
The reason for the 0930 start is that at that time there is cold drainage down the river valley. (ie NW at 10-15 knots)
By midday this has stopped.
So by midday race is over and you are back in the Clubhouse.
But you have had a race in good breeze and all good.

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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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lydia said..
I AM SHOUTING THIS SO EVERYONE HEARS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OF GOING TO THE SOUTH COAST AND PORT DAVEY, GO THE CAMBRIDGE AIRPORT AND BOOK ON ONE OF THE HIKER/SIGHSEEING PLANES THAT FLY TO MELELUCCA THAT DROP OFF THE WALKERS, SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOU ABOUT TO DO.

Just spend the money, it might save your life.

For two of us it was about $500.00 but clearly the best $500 I have ever spent boating.

You see the scale of the South West coast but most importantly where you might hide.

Odds are you will decide not to go.

I spent 2 months at melaleuca as volunteer warden. My impression was that, like so many of these situations, there are great weather windows but you have to be prepared to wait.

When we walked the Port Davey Track, South West Cape and South Coast Track, we only had 3 bad weather days in 21 days - it can happen.

Cheers

Bristol

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Kankama said..
Even if we end up not wanting to come back again quickly, I would still put Tassie on any sailors bucket list. There are so many highlights.

East coast sailing - the lack of swell in the westerlies we had was lovely.
The amazing anchorages - Freycinet, Maria island, The Dentecastreau with its many different anchorages, Port Arthur.
The scenery - sailing into Port Arthur past the huge fluted dolerite columns, Freycinet again, Reserche bay, the picturesque channel.
The walking - great walking to the top of Maria, walking on the beaches at Maria, from Reserche to the bottom of Tassie (almost), sneakily doing some of the Three Capes walk in Port Arthur.
The wildlife - the trip from St Helens to Freycinet we saw thousands, yes thousands of shearwaters, hundreds of Shy albatross and many hundreds of dolphins. It was a trip like no other in decades of coastal sailing. Seals every day in the channel, watching the seals play at The Friars at South Bruny, having an albatross come and swing around us for 20 minutes.
The clarity - I was sailing into Port Arthur and thought "Could we nip over to Tasman island for a quick seal spot?" My wife had the flu and I said "It's only 3 miles to Tasman". Then I checked on the GPS and it was 6. It was so close it looked like I could swim there.
The air is so clear on good days and the islands so massive that your sense of scale gets messed with. I was brought up on North Head being tall but North head is a baby compared with the cliffs around the south of Tassie. And with the lack of humidity you can see for ever. Near Cape Raoul I could see about 30 miles away to the base of Bruny, nice and clear. It made my eyeball navigation need recalibration compared to the lower and much murky East coast air. Stars at night - wow.
Don't not do Tassie because it may be a bit harder. We are cruising there throughout the year (over about 13 months) because it is charming in many ways. It forces you to grow and makes you earn cruising stripes. We had to do much of our cruising in the height of summer, when we were told it would be more challenging but we are working still and have to fit in our cruise with holidays. Leave it to Feb - April and have an easier time than us if you can.

Put it on your list. It may not be easy, but it will be a high point in your sailing career. As a soft NSW/Qld cruiser, Tassie has made me tougher and more ready to face bigger challenges further down the track. We aren't rushing to get Kankama back, we are happy to cruise lots more and maybe see Port Davey and then head back through the Ferneaux group. We just are changing anchoring techniques and updating our weather watching in the interim.

cheers

Phil

I may be well off the mark, but I seem to recall a magazine article about a single handed trip to Lord Howe on a Twiggy... I still find it inspirational. Sounds like a lovely trip despite a broken main halyard?

Tassie summer storms can be really something. Way back in the mid '70s I was walking the South Coast Track with my first wife, and we had been hammered by bad weather for a week. But one night stands out. We had a very exposed campsite on the coast, and as the wind built I recall putting at least a quarter of a ton of rocks on the tent guys. The wind screamed through the trees. .. .. Years later I read Naomi James book of her circumnavigation. And eventually she was rolled flat in 60-80 knots off Matsuyker Is. I felt I knew that storm, and after a careful reading of my diaries, it was the same night we were flogged on the walking trip. We could nearly have seen Naomi, she was so close....

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All@Sea said..

I may be well off the mark, but I seem to recall a magazine article about a single handed trip to Lord Howe on a Twiggy... I still find it inspirational. Sounds like a lovely trip despite a broken main halyard?

That was my old Twiggy, but not me sailing. It was written by the guy I sold it to. Sadly that nice boat is no more.

It is sad that a good percentage of stories relating to Twiggys relate to their demise. The one I sailed still rates as one of the most rewarding boats I've sailed - she met a sad end on Bruny Island. Sorry I got my wires crossed with who wrote that story. Very wet in Hobart today, hopefully the rain eases in the nezt few hours for a sunday arvo short handed race.

Mate off mine left Strahan onabout the 22nd got to about West Point where the swell went down from 11m to about 4-5m when easterly began, but the east turned NE then went through the roof. 40+ late morn. Broke the following gear; running back stay snap shackle; steering control line block; steering vane; auto pilot; main sheet fastening. Now back in Strahan.

Just this minute got to Port Arthur round the Tasman Peninsula. Fantastic sailing - got a soaking in the last hour

Bristol

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Bristolfashion said..
Just this minute got to Port Arthur round the Tasman Peninsula. Fantastic sailing - got a soaking in the last hour

Bristol

The sail down the cliffs into Port Arthur is one of the must do trip in your lifetime.