Nixon Street Hits the Waves - Inca to Port Davey or not

Good mornings

So they have been.  'Tis Thursday the 15th March 2018, and Inca is at anchor beside the old railway exit at Ida Bay, on Southport Bay.

Image: Breakfast at Tiffany's.

We started this sail last Saturday with intention of slipping around to Port Davey on Tasmania's West coast, hopefully sailing first to Recherche Bay, (some 40 miles south of Hobart) then an early start at 4am to get to Port Davey by sunset on Sunday 11th March 2018.

However, the 'weather window' was ungood. A new word made famous in George Orwell's 1984.

So, we had no rush to get anywhere on Saturday. Although the weather was fine in Hobart, this exercise is one of prognostics.  By the time we 'get to Phoenix' she'll be gone!  

Stephen, Don and I with assistance of Stephen II packed up INCA with a tonne of food. SJB bought some kryovac mean products from Marcus Vermey (thank you Marcus), and Don and I did some grocery shopping at our whim and mercy at Coles.  Fresh bread, eggs, salad (where did that lettuce and those avocados go?).

We packed that and the 5 cases of beer, and two bottles of rum and 6 bottles of wine into the spare cabin, and made good out intentions with each of the 3 othe double cabins.  

I took the bow cabin, not out of privelege, but necessity. I needed it.  My usual, the stern port cabin, I relinquished to Stephen, and Don set up in the starboard stern cabin.

We motored and sailed down to Bruny to find at Dennes Point a happy scene with dogs and grandparents, and young kids and Sarah and Justin, Stuart and Katy - basking in a sun filled and warm day. 

Inca lay off the Jetty at Dennes Point, but the sea dictated we move on later in day. Which we did; heading south to lay anchor at Peppermint Bay/Woodbridge. Still sunny and warm, we enjoyed our first meal and couple beers aboard.

Sunday, still no rush due to the CYCT co-ordination leader having cancelled the plans for a week due to unsatisfactory weather, we meandered down from Peppermint Bay to Dover.  Sailing most of the way, with double reef in the mainsail, and only 1/4 of the headsail out, the yacht played beautifully on the starboard tack, but seemed not to wish to pull well across the waves in the mouth of the Huon river.

Toward the end of the day we fired the engine, and steamed into Dover. Again, warm and pleasant, the wind dropped a bit, and we layed at anchor near the wharf on the western side.

A windy day on Monday, warm yet no window to the west, we lay at anchor, and had one of those lazy days you can't pay money to get!

Quizzes kept our mind alive, if not alert, and books and warm cubby spaces on the boat made it very comfortable.

I think it was Monday that we decided to open the rum......Or was it Sunday. Yes, it was Sunday - and Monday was not a very engaging day for me. A combination of excess and fear or lack of fear, and a cold or 'flu' left me debilitated, unable to do much at all.

Come Tuesday, still no weather window apparent until next Saturday, we chose to bunker down.  A motor over to the Van Dieman jetty, and ashore, for a walk around town, and a beer in the RSLClub. Differing reviews.  The pub burnt down and hasn't been rebuilt for some years. The RSL is 'all things to all people', consequently maybe not everything to anyone.

We lunched at a pleasant and clean fish and chip shop; 'may we have salad with that?' and 'take a seat wherever you like', with a very personable lady in charge. At $10 each it was a bargain for fresh cooked fish, chips and salads.

Back to the boat and Tuesday disappeared into mist and wind and no rain. Still warm.

Wednesday and we upped anchor and took a short flight on Inca down to the next large bay: Southport. A little swell, but little or no wind, no waves, and pleasantly warm and sunny, the views are stunning back up to Adamsons Peak behind Geeveston, and over the channel, now ocean, to south Bruny and the lighthouse.

Multitudes of sea farms are placed around this area, and we moved carefully around them before heading south. Pulled into Southport and laid the anchor down carefully, to sit in the cockpit for a few hours wish some of Justin's strongest beer for additional company. Clearly, back on the horse.

'Tis Thursday morning now, and I have managed to get the boys to eat spam!  Well, Don wouldn't but Stephen would and of course I did. That with fresh tomatoes on toast and onions, and orange juice and fresh coffeee, we are replete.

Our plan: tomorrow morning 6am head across south Bruny to round the Friars by 9am and then head north to Adventure Bay, there to moor for the night. Saturday to trip up to North Bruny, and maybe lay at our mooring in the Dennes Point Bay, with the final leg up to Hobart on Sunday morning before strong winds come back again.

I have news from the other West Coast attendees just now ((noon Thursday 15th March) that they who are planning to go, are now looking at Wednesday next week. Clearly our much made plans of mice have to have adjustment for reality of seas and weather.

Happy with that, one doesn't wish to take risks nor find oneself floundering around in difficult areas with limited time. I'm very much enjoying this southern part of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and the bays on the mainland side.

The yacht is very comfortable, beds warm, galley a great place to cook at night, fridge works wonders on cold beer and kryovac meats, salads keep well, and music is enjoyable. Discussions range wide and low, high, water (still on first tank) seems to last quite well without wastage or showers, and gas tanks full also seem under no threat. Fuel was full before we left and will barely have been touched. Sails are in good order (save jib, which has UV stripping delaminating and needing replacement now).  I didn't mention yet, but the gearbox on Inca is proving troublesome, with the reverse gear difficult to engage: making it both uncertain and sometimes unhappy when trying to motor into a wharf and engage reverse to 'swing her around'. That will be priority for fix.

El Kimbros, over and out for now.  1139hours Thursday 15th March 2018