April 2021
When the time came to leave Tasmania we had been in the state for 15 months and had spent those last six weeks in the Tamar River but finally the weather to leave and travel north to Eden on mainland Australia had arrived. This was very exciting news as we had wanted to head north to Queensland the year before but the pandemic had put those plans on hold. So this year we were going to try again, we had loved our extended stay in Tasmania but were ready for warmer weather and eager to be sailing to new places. The day before leaving for Eden we did one last supple run in Georgetown and had spent the night tied up to the local jetty, feeling a little sad and nostalgic to be leaving such a wonderful place behind but eager for our next adventure.
We left for Eden at 4am, well before the sun rose above the horizon which was just as well because we had 300nm miles to make in only 3 days. This was because we were expecting a northerly wind change in the early hours of the third morning. Due to this impending change we had no time to dawdle as we had estimated that at four knots it would take us 72 hours to reach our destination, almost exactly when the light northerly was expected. So once out of the Tamar river we set a second reefed main, staysail and jib and were racing towards Flinders Island at 4-5kts in about 15knts of wind and 1-2m seas. However within a few hours the wind died out and we had to shake a reef to maintain speed. We basically kept this sail configuration for the rest of the day which gave us very pleasant sailing and allowed us to settle into watches and catch sleep when we could.
That night I had the 8pm-12am watch and it was just my luck that the wind died out and left us becalmed. Because we were on such a weather bound schedule this forced us to start the engine and left me listening to it droning on for the rest of the night. With such little wind and concerned about whether we would make it to Eden in time we decided to pull into Blyth Bay on the top side of Flinders Island at about 4am. This gave us a rest without the noise of the engine and also time to wait for the morning forecast to come out to ensure the northerly wasn’t due early. By 8am we were feeling well rested and eager to get going again with good sailing winds blowing across the bay and a favourable morning forecast.
That second day we had a slow start as the tide around the top of Flinders Island wasn’t in our favour. Due to this we spent the entire morning motor sailing just to keep our speed above 2kts, ever conscious of our weather time limit. However thankfully just after lunch the tide changed so instead of a current against us we had a 1-2knt boost pushing us in the right direction causing us to fly at 5-7knts. Thanks to this we made excellent time that afternoon, making up for our morning stop and slow sailing, losing sight of Flinders Island as we settled into our evening watches. That second night I took the 12-4am watch and unfortunately woke up with mild seasickness. This was surprising considering it was the second night and I hadn’t experienced anything up to that point. Also it was seeming to be the running theme that during my watch we would become becalmed. As about halfway through my watch the wind slowly began to die until we were once more completely becalmed and in need of the engine to keep moving above a knot.
The following morning I awoke feeling much better having recovered from my seasickness. By this point the wind was also starting to once more pickup and so after a light breakfast I was up and removing a reef from the mainsail which allowed us to turn the engine off. This worked perfectly for about an hour but the wind just kept on increasing and so we thought the best thing was to put the second reef back in. Through all this I discovered that I wasn’t quite over my seasickness sharing my light breakfast with the fishes after I finished reefing.
That day once the wind filled in we had a pretty good day of sailing making good time with good speed, seeing the first sight of land around mid morning. This was the first time we had seen mainland Australia from the decks of Allagai in 15 months as the first hills of Victoria came into view. We had now also officially entered the shipping channel with big cargo ships passing us by all day long, some passing us as close as one mile. The goal that day was to get past Gabo Island by the time the sun set as this ensured we would be well positioned for when the northerly arrived. With the speeds we maintained that day that goal was easily achieved and we were passing Gabo Island just as the sun was dipping below the horizon in a very stunning sunset. Passing Gabo Island also meant we had officially left Tasmania as we entered into NSW waters, made more obvious when the southerly swell we had become so used to disappeared.
That night I took the first watch (8-12) once again and I think it was one of the best night watches I have ever done. Following the beautiful sunset I sat under a completely cloudless night and had a stunning view of the stars due to the lack of light pollution. Although this didn’t last long as just before 9pm the first glow of the rising moon could be seen on the horizon. It was the night after the full moon but that didn’t matter, the moon rose in a stunning reddish, orange colour looking like a glow of a bushfire just before it breached the horizon. In the first half of my watch I had seen three amazing spectacles and for the second half I had moonlight so bright I nearly needed to wear a pair of sunnies it was so blinding to look at. However as my luck (or curse) goes I was once more completely becalmed early in my watch and although I had such a beautiful night my watch was completed to the tune of the droning engine.
At midnight I handed over the watch and went to bed to catch a few hours sleep. But my sleep was interrupted twice. The first time was when Hugo woke me to get my opinion on a small anchorage before Eden. We had been discussing it all day hoping the moonlight would be bright enough for us to use it to enter. However the light just wasn’t quite bright enough and without local knowledge we decided to give it a miss, after all we were only 10nm from Eden. So once more I went to bed only to be woken another two hours later as the anchor was dropped. We had made it to Eden, nearly 300nm and almost exactly 72hours after leaving the Tamar River, good time by our standards.
After dropping anchor in Eden we had a slow start to the day, catching up on missing sleep and enjoying a steady boat for the first time in three days. However as usual when reaching a new place we were both eager to go ashore and after such a long sail we were in much need to go for a walk and stretch our legs. That afternoon we completed a lovely walk along the foreshore to nearby Quarantine Bay, this was about 5km in total and the perfect way to get all the kinks out from three days spent sailing and sitting on the deck.
The following day we decided we wanted to visit the Township of Eden. Since it was only across the other side of the bay, about half a mile away, Hugo decided to get some exercise by rowing. You couldn’t get a better bay or day to go for a long row, with no wind, waves or swell it was perfect and a very enjoyable row. Eden was quite a lovely town with many historic buildings but was situated on the top of quite a large hill. This wasn’t a problem for us but offered a good bit of exercise on the way into town via a zigzag walking path. We didn’t spend too much time in the town. First we wandered down the towns main street and checked out all the shops before doing a lap past the foreshore on our way back to the dingy. That afternoon we stayed on Allagai cleaning the boat up after our sail and just relaxing, still unable to believe that after 18months we were finally back on the mainland.
The following morning we had some wonderful warm weather so we decided to weigh anchor and find somewhere to go for a swim. However due to the recent floods the water around Eden was still quite silty so we decided to try our luck on the other side of the bay in the hope that the water would be clearer. That day we sailed to Nullica Bay about 2nm away on the western edge of Twofold Bay (Eden). On the way there we had an awesome, albeit a little short, sail, only using the engine to retrieve and drop the anchor. Once the anchor was dropped and set into the sand it was time to go swimming and snorkelling if the water was clear enough. We had a very lovely swim and snorkel however the water clarity even on this side of the bay still left a lot to be desired. Our thoughts were that the water was still murky from the recent rains and flooding experienced along the east coast as we could barely see 1m in front of us. Although that didn’t stop us trying, we spent about an hour swimming and occasionally seeing fish swimming around the rocks and kelp stands.
Back on Allagai that afternoon we decided to go for another short sail to Quarantine Bay, 1nm opposite, to try and get better protection from the swell as Nullica Bay was completely open to the ocean. Once again we had another invigorating short sail, dropping sails and anchor in our new anchorage before we knew it. We stayed in this anchorage until the following morning as this was to be our last night in Eden. The following day we were due to have light southerlies, perfect winds for us to sail further north.