Tasmania Ho!

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Thu 1 Nov 2018 07:13

1800 Position: 41 56.5 S  148 34.4 E
Course: SSW Speed: 7.5 knots
Wind: N   F4 - moderate breeze
Sea: moderate  Swell: N / 1 m
Weather: overcast, mild
Daily runs: Tue 30 Oct: 126nm; Wed 31 Oct: 115nm; Thu 01 Nov: 110nm

We have thus far enjoyed a very pleasant sail across Bass Strait, raising land this afternoon some 30nm off the starboard bow with Mount Pearson’s volcanic peak (I think) sticking up conspicuously, if rather faintly, a slightly darker shade of grey against a grey sky.  Since then the clouds have rolled in and land has disappeared from view.  Another yacht, ‘Wavelength’ according to Sylph’s AIS, has fallen in a little over a mile astern.  I tried raising her on VHF but she did not respond.  She looks like she has her hands full with only a reefed mainsail up in this fresh breeze.  Every now and then she rounds up into the wind and it looks like a bit of a struggle to get her back on course.  Meanwhile Sylph is running wing-on-wing, again, the same as when we left you, but we haven’t been running downhill all that time.  I have a reef in the main and the jib poled out to starboard to balance the main and the windvane seems to be managing just fine to keep us heading in the right direction.

My current thinking is to head for Mercury Passage inside Maria Island, perhaps anchor off Orford or Triabunna, depending on conditions.  If one or the other has a pleasant vibe we will spend a few days there, have a rest, get my English essay done, then, when the weather looks nice, mosey on over to Hobart.

All is well.