Our Tasmanian adventure has started! We left the Gippsland Lakes last Friday, bound for Deal Island. We are old hands at Bass Strait crossings, but sharing this part of the voyage with our friend Trevor is great fun as the whole experience is new to him.

We are spending the festive season amongst the Eastern Bass Strait Islands.

Passage to Deal Island – Kent Group

There was excitement in the air as we all got up at 4.30am and exited the Gippsland Lakes a little before dawn. Very chilly though!

Having waited a day after the NE change for the ocean to settle, we had a nice, leisurely sail in 10 to 15 knot easterlies, covering the 104nm in 13 hours – not a speed record for Anui but better than an overnighter as most yachts do! The sea state was gentle. Read, snooze, keep watch, gaze at the ocean, snack… repeat it all a few more times, then eventually the tall cliffs of the Kent Group appeared on the horizon. You think you are nearly there, but it takes another three hours before you get close!

Although we knew we would be stern to the beach on arrival, the wind direction was forecast to switch back to the west during the night so we anchored at Winter Cove, a deep bay protected from Southwest through to Northwest winds and from experience the best for the conditions we were going to get for several days.

Five days at Deal Island

What is striking as you reach the Islands of the Kent Group, Deal being the largest, is the colours and textures: crystal clear teal water, tall cliffs reaching straight down to the ocean, granite slabs lining the bays covered with the characteristic orange lichen, grassy tussocks above the rocks giving way to she oak forests and tall eucalypts.

The wind whistles as it funnels down from the hills to the bay and can sound like a freight train when it is strong, but you feel quite protected. At night the calls of the Little Penguins coming back to their burrows can be heard.

Over the years we have spent a lot of time exploring all around the Kent Group. We have learned that the most protected anchorages are on Deal Island. With forecasts of strong West to Southwest winds, Winter Cove was our hidey spot for the duration of our stay. The strongest gust we got was 43 knots.

Most days we braved the breaking waves and went ashore for long walks. Some of the beach landings were easy, like in this photo, but a few were challenging… read wet, when the swell was rolling in!

We saw lots of wildlife: Flame Robins, various Finches, territorial Cape Barren Geese and endearing but shy Bennett Wallabies. The walks were long and steep: 15kms return to the Lighthouse, 13kms to Barn Hill, 7kms to Peg Leg Bay… we might have been pushing ourselves a little too much as the three of us are achy, but it is nice to see the sights and get some exercise. The trouble with Winter Cove is that it is the furthest away from Flaghill where the cottages are and all the tracks meet, and it involves a steep climb out of the bay onto the central part of the island. We met up with the friendly Caretakers on duty for the festive season, chatted with the crews of a couple of familiar QLD cats anchored in Garden Cove (Chilli Cat and Raw Aqua), and Beyond, a monohull from Melbourne joined us for two days in Winter Cove. It was social without feeling crowded.

If you are interested in finding out more about Deal Island, we have included a link to an article Chris wrote in 2014. This and a few others can be found on our Published Page/Destinations/Bass Strait Islands.

https://sv-anui.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/bass-strait-anchorages-deal-is.pdf

The good thing about these remote places is that they don’t change much, so the descriptions are still as pertinent now as they were then.  

Here is a slideshow that will give you a feel for this rugged outpost in the middle of Bass Strait.

However is it chilly down here! The water temperature is 15^oC, the air temperature 18^o at the warmest part of the day, but drops at night and it feels colder with the brisk wind. We have the Ugg boots, the polar fleece pants and jackets on, and we are sorely tempted to start the diesel heater! Bengie spends an inordinate amount of time buried under the covers where its comfy and warm. She is the last up in the morning and the first in bed at night.

Despite the temperature, we are all enjoying ourselves. The skipper feels a little less tense anchored behind an island compared to behind a tropical reef, we look forward to our daily walks, have Yoga sessions together every morning, we eat well, taking turns at cooking up treats and we delight in the stunning sights.

There has been a few firsts for Trevor: sailing in Bass Strait, travelling longer distances in open waters, losing sight of land, discovering wild islands, living on board for longer than a few days, helping fix the constant stream of gear hassles. To get through the passages and feel just fine after being fearful of sea sickness has been very pleasing. Only one complaint from our guest: the hard walks leaving the old body feeling a bit crippled! But he is not alone. We are all making old people’s noises!

On Christmas Day, after some celebratory French crepes for breakfast, we had a weather window to escape Winter Cove.

We headed towards Flinders Island and the many islets the Furneaux Group. But that’s a tale for another post. See you there next Friday!