The weather forecast was good for a few days, we had no commitments, and holiday season is yet to kick off so we packed the teardrop and headed down to Port Fairy for a quick break.
There are some great campsites along the river shaded by huge New Norfolk pines. It is a fortunate place, with the river and the beach. We had lots of pleasant walks. If someone offered me a swap with one of those houses I would be mighty tempted.
I thought about taking Derry the Skerry, but the roof on the new Subaru is much higher than on the old one, and I realised that I need some better system to get the boat up there safely. I took the inflatable canoe instead, and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon exploring the Moyne River up to Belfast Lough. One sponsoon has a slow leak which required repumping every half hour or so.
We came home early as the weather packed up. A good little trip though, a reminder of how good the teardrop can be.
The campers a few sites down had a big night Friday night. No music, but lots of grog and talking. By midnight I went down and asked them to quiten down. I thought one guy was going to have a go at me, but, surprisingly they did stop, and after I calmed down, I got a bit of sleep, awakening to a bright tent at 5.30.
It was raining. After breakfast we rigged up and loaded the boat, then drove the trailer down to the ramp, then walked back and set off, about 7.30. I was keeping close in to the mooring piles, but a boat appeared coming the opposite way, so I moved out to give him room, and shortly ran aground. The Padook earned its keep. We wound up backing out, as I could see the water and the channel better over the stern. Poor Oz didn't think much of all this.
There was not much wind but enough to sail. I met up with the other WBA boats off Kabeethong jetty round 9. Jim and Norm had launched from there, a smart move skipping all the channel. Andrew in Mars caught us up. Andrew took this photo of us in the rain, ghosting towards the Narrows.
I had to use the Toqeedo in the Narrows, and when I got to top lake, the rest of the fleet had vanished. I tried beating across with a shifty wind mostly on the nose,but started to worry I was getting too far behind, so I fired up the Torqeedo again.
There is an interesting balance of factors that come into play with the Torqeedo. The faster you go, the less distance. Sailing into the wind, the CMG can often be about the equivalent of a knot made good in the direction you want to go. With the Torqeedo, you can burble along about 2 knots and have a range of round 16 NM.
Into the Genoa River, I met Jim and Penny and Chris coming down. They had given up on Gypsy Point and were heading back to a jetty in Top lake for shore leave and lunch. I kept going, and met Andrew and Bob in Mars at Cape Horn. Just as well I did go on, as they thought Jim and co were up river, and would have been waiting a long time for them to come down. We rafted up, and Andrew provided a very welcome coffee from his thermos.
Andrew offered a tow, which I declined, but in retrospect it might have been a good idea. It was round 9 NM up to Cape Horn from Mallacoota, and my Torqeedo said I had about 7 NM left, at 2 knots, and well after 2 pm. The WBA dinner in the pub was at 6.30, and I had to get back, get the boat on trailer, get back to campsite, unhook, and clean up.
I sailed and motor sailed as much as I could, and had a good sail across Bottom lake, in strengthening wind. I ran aground on the Goodwin sands again, despite being well inside the line between markers. It was a good sail though, something in me really likes that sort of thing.
The wind was blowing strongly right on the nose, and I had 1 NM of torqeedo left at the top of the channel. I was doing ok, till I ran aground yet again a few hundred metres of the ramp. I got off, managed to start up the Torqeedo, which now said I had less than 10 minutes. If I had run out, I am not sure what I could have done, as the wind was right on the nose, and the channel too narrow to sail/. But we got in, with 4 minutes battery life left.
Oz had been on the boat for 8 hours, and as I was taking down the mast, he took off, through the campground and everyone cooking sausages. It was a real mutiny, I was calling and running after him, but he looked over his shoulder and kept going. But I caught him, and we got the boat packed, and trailer back to campsite, and to the pub by 6.45.
It was the Flathead Fishing competition at Mallacoota this weekend, and there was a group behind me that got right on the sauce that night. I vaguely heard them, talking bullshit, when I got back to the tent, but I slept through whatever racket they made that night.
Next morning, I got up at 5.30 again, packed up, hit the road about 8.30 and drove home. It was a good trip all in all, but hard work.
No need for an alarm this morning. The tent is bright when I wake up around 5.30. Porridge and tea and coffee, and I am ready to go. I drive the car and boat on the trailer down to the ramp. It seems to take forever to get rigged as I have got the boat in long distance travel mode, with everything moveable taken off. Eventually I get rigged and launch. A local is interested in the boat and is ready for a yarn. Eventually I get organized and cast off, running aground on the shallows within about 100 metres. But we get off that, and head off down the narrow channel past Rabbit Island, and out into Bottom Lake.
Blue sky, tannin stained water, no wind. The Torqeedo gets a good work out. There are many largish aluminium fishing boats with very large outboard engines hurrying around. I discover later that this weekend is the Flathead Fishing competition.
A light Northerly breeze picks up, and we work our way round Godwin Sands, a large shallow area in the middle of Bottom Lake. A bit of rowing to help us clear the markers. As we get over towards Allan Head, the wind increases again, maybe 12 knots. I flatten the camber in the sails as best I can, and hike out.
We tack our way round Allan Head. There is a nice little jetty there. A good opportunity for some boat handling practice. I spend the next hour trying different strategies to get to the jetty. The boat does go backwards if the mizzen is sheeted in and the main freed, but getting it to go where you want without it veering off and starting to sail again is beyond my current skill level. Eventually I give up, and resort to the old "head in and point up head to wind at the last moment" trick. We tie off on the down wind side of the jetty, and leaving the sails up, Oz and I go for some shore leave.
When we come back, the wind has shifted and strengthened, and the boat is pinned to the jetty. I put a reef in each sail. and with some difficulty push us off. We barrel off back across the lake, clocking nearly 7 knots and mostly over 5 knots on a broad reach/run. Heading back in a straight line from the most southerly marker towards John Bull, the light for the head of the channel to Mallacoota, we run aground. Centreboard up, we free easily and get back into the channel.
I got back down the channel quite late, and must have been tired. I didn't think through the docking very well, and made a complete hash of it, thanks to strong wind and tide. I wound up a few berths down, and hit the jetty quite hard. Ouch. A nice camper, Ashley, made me a cup of tea, and I gathered my wits, took the sails down to reduce windage, got the engine properly organised, then reversed slowly back to my allotted spot. Which is what I should have done in the first place. You live and you learn.
There's a roaring Northerly this morning, gusting over 20 knots. My weather forecast predicted 12 knots. I drove back from Mallacoota day before yesterday. I am glad to be home, not in a tent!
Oz was a real trooper on the trip. Here he is, after our first sailing day, on the Core Sound in our mooring, with our tent in the background.
The water was super clear today. I spotted this artefact, in about 4 metres of water. It is a long way from the moorings area over where Mr Wise's boathouse was, but it probably is from some blokes boat mooring from long ago.
It was one of those truly beautiful mornings. The ramp was busy, and I had a close encounter with some guy who suddenly backed in front of me at the jetty (just as well I had been practising reverse) but it was just lovely on the water.
I met Gerard with his new to him Hartley ts14 at Werribee South yesterday morning. Took us a while to get rigged and on the water - I have been spoiled by the Skerry and how quick and easy that is. It was a bit grey and blowy, which helped keep the number of fishing boats down. It was very quiet and relaxed at the ramp.
Once we motored out through the chop and put the sails up, the wind easedright off, and the sun came out. It was very pleasant pottering along at about two knots, parallel to the coast heading towards Little River, and we were almost asleep, when a dolphin surfaced right beside us with loud exhalation of breath. Made all three of us nearly jump out of our skins. I think it is the dolphin equivalent of playing "Boo!" He stayed with us for about three minutes swimming backwards and forwards under the boat and checking us out, before finding us too boring and heading off.
So, I have had a close encounter with a seal and a dolphin on the Bay this week, a reminder that the Bay truly is a wilderness.
I was planning on having a slow Monday, and feeling a bit seedy, but there was a text from Andrew saying he would be launching at 10, so I stirred my stumps and got down there.
I am very glad I did, it was a perfect Skerry sailing day, wind about 12 knots, steady, blue sky, and Mr Seal was home.
