Three Hummock to Currie.

Woke to a morning with vastly lighter wind.

Crew still in bed got up and had a look around,went back to my bunk but my legs wanted to get going.

Had my shower and stirred them up.

Biggs and Mick went to pull the pots,no need to ask when they bought the first one back ,the body language said it all.Went back for the second one with no better result.

Cheroz got some breakfast going,we had worked out that later in the day would be the best time to go but seeing the wind was light now we left about 9.

Around the top of Hunter Island and set a course for Albatross Island.

Not exactly a flat calm but reasonable conditions,it is almost always bumpy across this patch of water,got a few shallow spots in it.

There were quite a few birds out seeking a meal,looked like young ones,as we got closer we could see heaps up in top of the Island.I was well named,not all Albatross though.

After clearing we set a course for the Reid Rocks on our way to Stokes Point the southern tip of King Island.There was quite a large SW sea running against the N E wind now about 18 knots,still reasonably  comfortable.We would not be going the other way!

Saw some cray boats working along the bottom of the Island they were earning their keep in this weather ,the quota season just started.Mick talked to the port man,he said go in on the North side of the pier in near the slip,you should be right there,and gave us directions on how to get into the harbour,not easy if you mucked it up .three sets of markers ,Blue,green then red,I got chastised when we got close to the jetty,you have to keep on the red nearly up to the jetty,I allowed the boat to drift with the wind a bit when nearly there,had a look at our track later and we nearly collected a sand bank,fortunately no damage done.

Came alongside the pier,never seen so many truck tires in all my life,it gets real jumpy in here with a Westerly swell I have been told.We are lucky with the weather forecast should be ok while we are here,weather forecast says we leave Saturday morning.

Mick had arranged a two door Rav 4 at 50 bucks a day so he and Cheroz walked up to get it.

Biggs and I secured the boat and checked the fenders.They will be pretty black rubbing on the three layers of tyres as we go up and down with the tide and the ever present gentle swell in here.Not too bad only a little more than a meter,a lot better than Stanley!

Went up town to check the pub out,decided to walk to get some exercise,passed the car on the way.

Had a round in the bar ,a couple of locals there,the manager served us,he used to own the pub but sold up and moved away,he had just returned to manage it,how long for we asked,don't know but by the glint in his eye and the locals hoping he would stay I recon he is back for good,he seemed capable and really on top of things,a real publican John.

Booked for dinner at 7.

Went back to the boat for a while,I rewrote a couple of blogs which had disappeared,bloody nuisance,if I have less than three bars of internet when I try to post they go into cyber space never to be seen again.The app I use seems to need the Internet to even save them.

Tried to call in for the sched but we are right beside a large power box and my antenna is about three feet away.Got plenty of noise.I had sent a text to Jerry earlier about our arrival.

A large West Coaster charter boat had arrived for the night,the lady deckhand was cleaning fish on the aft corner,they had quite a variety of fish,a school tuna frame and head on the deck.She looked well set up and in excellent condition,the Skipper was affable so we got plenty of info.I think he comes from Port Fairy? He comes over here for a couple of months each year,interesting to see lots of rods mainly with the large speckled paternoster fly type lures and sinkers on them.

 Time to go up to he pub for dinner,no nominated driver came forward so put the walking shoes on and walked up,a girl practicing her dressage moves on the grass near the port,brought her horse down in the float.

Plenty of rod holders there,on both sides.
 

Will have to wait until tomorrow to see if we can fit in the two door buzz bomb.

Had a nice meal up at the pub dining room.you could have a whole cray served for two at 180 bucks.

We had pork cutlets and Bigs flathead.Was excellent.Talked to some Victorian Golfers they had done Bridport yeasterday and one here today,absolutely raved about this one ,unbelievable,they will do Wickham tomorrow.The publican said the Island is really buzzing,getting enough permanent staff is going to be a real problem for the planned developments,not enough houses for them etc.

Walked back well after dark and had a nightcap.

Nice boat.
 

A day in the Hunter Group

A bit of a windy night,we were quite comfortable in our sheltered corner.

Four yachts had arrived during the night,an overnighter for them.

We had decided to wait a day before travelling to King Island.The forecast was considerably better on Tuesday.

Put the dinghy down and pulled the pots,only one undersized male,if female it would have measured.Biggs reluctantly put it back.

Had a cooked breakfast of Salmon,very tasty.Had a council ,how to get rid of these fish.we knew there was a heap of mainland boats in Spiers Nook.We could see Bunderberg's mast towering above the rocks.Called up Crispian,I will distribute them he said,Paul on Rumba called,I need some bait.

We steamed over and anchored in the Bay.

Biggs and Cheroz went over in the dinghy and unloaded them.Paul invited us over for a coffee.Had a pleasant hour with him and his wife Lin.

Later on we saw a small dinghy slowly braving the considerable waves coming around from Chimney Pot Bay,they pulled up at Rumba,where are the fish they asked,Paul directed them to Chrispian,the word had spread.

Went out into the Pass to download the weather,seemed tomorrow could be ok.

Heard the usual chatter on the radio of skippers making decisions about when they might go south.

Mary came on warning about condition at the entrance to Stanley Harbour.The Easterly blowing right in there.

Some of them with only their partners for crew must have their work cut out at times,they need to get it right.The boats seem to get a little bit bigger each time.

Pleasant landscape from our anchorage.
 

Returned to our spot in Coulomb,definitely the best anchorage in this wind.

Put the pots back in a different spot ,hopes high.

Had Deirdre's casserole for dinner very well received ,desert ice cream with chocolate sauce and Baileys.

Turned in at ten again.

Tamar to Hunter Group.

Up reasonably early and had a light breakfast.Cheroz and Mick decided they needed some last minute supplies.Biggs and I pottered about the boat doing a few jobs.

Crew eventually returned and we got away at 11 am,most boats gone by then Murdoch and Davies up the river for the day.

Piloted down stream with Mick riding shotgun.

Cleared the channel and set a course around Hebe Reef.Once clear we  headed for Three Hummock Island.The crew having done this leg before not interested in doing the scenic route along the coast.

The wind was NE about 18 knots so not exactly flat calm,as we approached the North end of Three Hummock Island the wind and sea picked up considerably.We shot through the narrow shallow Passage inside Mermaid Rock.

I had hoped we could lay in Mermaid Bay but there was a bit too much sea in there today.

Kept going around to Coulomb Bay and found a nice spot near Ranger Point.

Had some late lunch ,the crew keen to put the net in.

Got a bit on here.
 

Had a couple of celebratories while waiting to pull the net,Cheroz said wait a bit as the tide was just changing,could have been our undoing,the net had at least two dozen large Australian Salmon and quite a few other fish as well.No shortage of bait for the pots now!

The boys got to work cleaning the fish out and I started cleaning them.

After an hour we decided we better bait the pots as the sun was getting low.Cheroz was getting dinner but that got put on hold.Finished well after dark,the Masterpiece looking like Massie's fishing boat.Still got scales.

Had some nice Lamb Steaks with spuds and salad.

Turned in about 10.

Saturday. Crew changeover and TYC dinner day.

Had a little lay in a bit tired from yesterday's effort.Crew up so had my shower and Ross cooked a small breakfast.A few jobs to be done,crew changeover day.

Had a some visitors the Rear Commodore of the club and his wife with their two dogs for one,we are on the northern end of the marina along with a large sailing cat.

The owner came on board for a while  ,he was doing a few jobs in a theater gown.We think he is a doctor of anesthesia as the boys brought up a defibrillator to be carried on Crispian during the cruise.just when we were discussing who would use it he came on board,he said I have a full kit of gear on board,knocking them out is easy,getting them back is the hard part! Might keep away from him.

Rick Murdoch came in about eleven after a rough trip from Badger Island,Simo went over to get a report.

Got going after breakfast doing small jobs for a while.Walked along to the Port Dalrymple Sailing Club to check out the berth for fuel.The bosun seemed busy putting a large yacht in the water .Decided to call him when I got back as I did not know what time the crew would arrive and needed to make a refueling time.

The floating pontoons there look a bit scary but are ok when you use them ,I have to span the boat over two..

Early morning photo of view along the marine from Masterpiece.
 

Had a wander down the marina to the boat,there are some beautiful boats on the circumnavigation nav ,millions of dollars worth , one large motor boat owned by a cousin of Geoff Stump.Rumour is she will do 30 knots if pressed ,had two tankers down to fill her up someone said.Had a talk to the owner at the dinner,we cruise at 10 knots he told me.

The east cool breeze eased at lunch time and we had a period of flat calm before a nice sea breeze came up the river.The small yachts out training in the morning and racing in the afternoon,had a natter to Bill Rostron as he was coaching them.

The new crew of Biggs,Mick and Cheroz showed up a little after 2 with the first barrow loads of gear and supplies.

Ross and Simo said their goodbyes and we got to work stowing stuff.

Went around to the fuel berth at about 3.30 .Decided to lay on the weather side ,good crew had the fenders in the right place so although a reasonable wind blowing worked well.The members out racing would need the lee side when the came back.

Fuelling went without a hitch and it was not long before we were back at our berth,a couple of willing hands on the pontoon to help.

Would have to be beer o'clock now after all that excertion.Crew from Quendale Bay came on board as he is friends with a couple of the crew.

The Dinner at the club was at 6.30 so we got a move on and went up to the clubhouse.As usual the meal was excellent ,organized by the volunteer members.A choice of roasts followed by deserts.

The commodore gave an informative speech on the history of Bass and Flinders discovering the Tamar and the places they named all those years ago.Marvelling at their skill in navigating the many hazards along with the strong currents and the limited sailing ability of the Norfolk compared with modern vessels.The cruise commodore said a few words about the expected weather.

All participants were having a good time meeting new friends and catching up with old ones.

A good function run by the club as usual.

Back to the boat a little after 9 , Cheroz and I first back,the other two a little later.

They had a night cap and I a coffee.

Leaving in the morning for Three Hummocck Island.

The Ghost of Masterpiece ,taken by Barb Davies to Briants Corner.
 

Emita to Badger Island.Badger to Tamar river.

Had an uncomfortable night the North wind freshened to about 25 knots ,thank goodness for the mooring though.Unfortunately the tail line was a bit short so every now and then the substantial buoy would bang up under the bow of Masterpiece ,I wentup to extend the line about three but the weight on the line detered me from doing anything about it,MAST's line was stout and I really did not have a line man enough on board coupled with the fact we were on a Lee shore.

I remembered one of my fisherman's friends remarks "I just sit up all night until dawn and drink coffee"in situations like this.Will get into trouble if I move.

So I got my doona and spent the night on the pilot berth in the cabin,my lookout spot when a bit worried about the conditions at night.I can better feel the motions and am nearer the controls if action is needed,I only need to lift my head to see what is going on.

Fortunately the wind eased a little later and switched direction,the leftover slop persisted for an hour or so .

I had been watching the BOM site and trying to formulate a plan of how to get to the Tamar ,the crew were keen to go back and have another shot at the big crays at Trousers,because of the switch in wind to Westerly and being light I was tempted to bolt and have a try at a passage.We had a reasonable angle from Emita so slipped the mooring and left.Once Masterpiece came out from the shelter of Prime Seal Island it was obvious I had left my run too late.We eased off the power and changed course towards Goose Island ,might as well have a look at it on the way to Badger,my backup plan.A very nice anchorage in a Westerly.

Once in the shelter of the Island passage between the two,we had a spell to marvel about the fellow,I think, who spent 34 years here manning the light .There is some researched info on the Friends of light house people's site about life here in the old days.The light was established because of the problem  of calculating longitude coming from the west.My brother Andrew made a small plaque for association to place on his gravestone in St David's park when they found it.I can imagine he must have been quite unhappy living in Hobart at the end of his days after so many years living in this wild place.There is a description about the uncertain frequency of their resupply here by the mail ship,no engines them.

Goose Island ,three times longer than the photo but no higher .No house now.
 

Also an account about a drowning during an attempt to land food in a storm.

It was quite calm under the Island and Jerry has it as a shelter spot.

We elected to go round the bottom of Badger to anchor,Ross put in the Tuna lure an I slowed down to trolling speed,no hurry now as we were going to have at least a day and a night here sheltering.

No result ,not even a Salmon .

Chewed over our options,could try in the next morning and if still too rough pull away to the bottom of Clarke Island or go on to Waterhouse and wait for the predicted SE change.

Whiled away the day,had plenty of fish in the freezer so no need to do that,there was another good looking old style cruising boat anchored in the alternate anchorage further north.Looke like a timber vessel from where we were.

Ross had some good steaks in the freezer so he got busy doing dinner.

Turned in early as we decided to get under way a first light,some times the wind is a bit lighter then.

Dinner is served!
 

The wind eased during the night so we had a cup of tea waiting for the dawn,I wanted to see the wave conditions when we left,quite a couple of miles of shallow water before the Strait proper.

No respite as after we cleared the shelter of Badger the wind was up to 21 knots on our bow quarter,Hmm,quite challenging for a while,eased the power off to get over the rough bit and set a course on the plotter for Low Head.Had to drop away from the preferred course because of the sea conditions.Once into the deeper water the seas eased a bit but still well below our preferred course.

The BOM site said the wind would be a lot lighter for the second half of the trip,and so it was,we marvel at the accuracy of the modern forecasting.Unfortunately we were in the upto 40 percent stronger range now.

Persevered cruising at 18 knots ,hit a big one every now and then,the crew reasonably comfortable in the aft part of the boat,the skipper cops it further forward in the steering spot,have a good sprung seat which helps but had a good workout bracing for the big ones.

Eased up halfway to eat an apple and looking forward to better conditions,now about a mile to leeward of our course.Over the next hour the sea and wind eased considerably and I could get back to the rumbline .

Spoke to Tamar Sea Rescue on their sched and Jerry at 9 for his.Arrived off the Tamar leads at 10 am,four hours exactly from Badger.

Tied up at York Cove pontoon to tidy up.Logged of from TSR and called Ron at the Tamar Yacht Club.I have a berth for you,come over was the friendly answer.

Tied up on the Northern floating Marina,happy to arrive,sheltered and a very sunny day to clean up the boat ready for the next crew on Saturday.

Was given a conducted tour over Mercury by John and Barb Davies,luxury there,every need down to a dishwasher.A lot more modern gear than the 15 year old Masterpiece.

Spent the afternoon washing the boat down,the salt eats away at my polish ,filled the water tanks and checked over the engine rooms.Did my washing and rigged a clothesline on the flybridge,good job we are on the end of the marina,looks like a Chinese Laundry.

Simo booked a table at the pub for dinner,John and Barb joined us there for a pleasant evening,got back to the boat after dark,stopped at Rumba to hear the engine running again,he had to fit new injectors in his engine today.

Had a coffee and went to write my blog but the eyes got heavy after a few lines.

Wednesday Prime Seal to Emita

After a comfortable night the wind had eased a bit to 10 knots,looked like it was going to be quite a warm day.

We were up before seven and got underway,arranged to meet Chris Chen at the launching ramp to borrow Robin's car.

Took Simo ashore to pick it up.Explained where to park it out of sightin the Sheoak trees at the end of the beach.Chris showed him the spot.

Picked him up when he got back and had a light breakfast.

Went up to Chenys to cook the cray,had a coffee while he and Simo looked over an old photo of the Hutchins Premiers football team many years ago,Chris in the back row,we knew all the players so it took a while to go through them all.

Beautiful Emita ,a rival for Wineglass I recon.
 

Found he did not have a pot big enough so I drove down to Angus's to see if Robin had one,found a suitable sized one .Threw the dog's ball few times for him.Tim had gone to the farms to check the water for the cattle expecting a hot day,I believe they have 1400 !

Got the cray on and cooked,gave him 30 minutes.Chris is going to freeze it and give to Angus and Robin on their return from holiday.

Got into the Honda and after getting directions from Chris left for Whitemark to have a look and get a pie for lunch.Drove down to the waterfront and looked at the old jetty,I bet the skippers of the old trading ketches had some hairy moments there.

Left for the farm at Lackrana , bit further from Whitemark than the quickest route they take but we were happy to do the round trip.Tried to do the wave greeting to each car we passed but did forget a few times,bloody tourists I bet they thought.

Missed the turnoff to the first farm but got the second ok.drove in and out again,must be back further .I could see the house going in the other direction,Angus had pushed the old pine trees down into heaps as they had reached the end of their useful life.Will have to try and remember next time.

Called up Tim,he was on his way down from pumping down a waterhole.I need to get the water out as a contractor is going to clean it out in the morning,It pays to keep them clean as if cattle happen to get into them they can get stuck and drown he informed us.

We met him at the old house and I asked him to show us his place across the road,it has a nice house rented out.

Drove down to some paddocks and had a chinwag about how they run their farms ,interesting for Simo as he has a hobby farm at Cygnet.

I was quite interesting to hear about the challenges the have but seem to have a handle on it,the properties look great.

We saw paddocks on our way there with hundreds of black cattle,Tim told us some farmers put 400 in a mob in each paddock and eat it down to a certain level and then move them on.

Drove back to Emita and left Tim to get on with his work,they seem to be busy just managing it all.

We made 1000 bales of hay this year nearly got them all in.Told us the crows peck holes in the plastic.

The tide had gone out and was on the way in when we arrived back,had to get the roast lamb on as expecting Chris for dinner at 6.30.

He arrived at the ramp on time and Simo picked him up as I had to report to Jerry on the sched and Ross was preparing dinner.

The sunsets are good up here last for ages.
 

Had a pleasant time and a good meal over a couple of wines.

I took him ashore after nine as he was expecting a phone call.The wind had picked up and as the ramp was on a Lee shore and I  had a few problems getting back out, black as the inside of a cow as only a small moon ,I think he would need a change of clothes when he got home,surprised how agile he is as he is older than me.

Told us he is going down the channel with Solo for a fortnight next week,two recent widowers together,I hope they have a good time as they are old friends.He said Solo is in charge of the food and he the grog hmmmm!

On the MAST mooring but the wind from the North and strengthening.

Trousers to Prime Seal Island.

Up early to pull the pots,thankfully the wind had eased during the night and the sea had gone down.My call that the tide would be high at 7.30 seemed correct as there was minimal current near them,the bottom is raised up where we set them which causes the current to swirl and the waves to build up in the area,sometimes enough to drag the buoys under up here so you have to wait and come back for slack water.We got it right this time.

Simo is adept at throwing the grapnel and Ross clears the lines and buoys quickly to enable the line to attach the pot hauler and as long as the skipper does not put the boat over the line we are all good once it is on.

Two perfect catches this morning,the conditions not too bad.

Up comes the first one,excitement with three monsters.Congratulations all round.Pulled the second one not so good a blank.quite happy with the result.

Nice Haul.
 

Motored slowly down wind to the south side of Trousers for breakfast.

Left about an hour later and headed to Big Green Island to check it out,marked in Jerry's guide but I had never been there ,surprised to find how good it was,some one had spent a considerable sum on a large four or five bay lock up machinery shed and a matching presumably shearing shed behind.There were also a couple of well maintained dwellings.Must be a heap of sheep on the island.

Left there to check our East Kangaroo Island also roughly on our route ,I think I would prefer the former from the latter in a good Westerly blow.

Out round some formidable rocks on the South side and set a course for Prime a 15 knot west wind now blowing but not quite enough slop to slow us down,cruising at 18 knots.

Closed the Island and as there was a vessel on the MAST mooring we anchored close in in three meters of water.I had an opinion the moorings were an intrusion up here but after dragging twice during the day have changed my mind.After the other vessel left later in the day we moved over to it for the night,the only drawback came after mid night when the high buoy found itself up under the tunnel of my boat and I had to go forward and put a long line on the supplied loop to get it further away,no more trouble after that.

Pardon the boasting,smallest one weighed 1.7 kg after cooking.Marvel at people saying they caught 

Two and a half kilo crays!  I bought some digital scales on the internet,got a few surprises when weighing fish.These ones quite long when the tails pulled out . 
 

The fishermen put the net in off Koh-I-Noor rock for a couple of hours while I set about cooking the crays.The two smaller ones just fitted in my pot with their feelers sticking out.This was probably the longest cooking session I had ever had as the lid would not fit on properly and we cooked them for 30 minutes after they reached the boil.My pot only big enough to fit on one burner.

I have arranged with Cheney to go ashore to cook the largest one tomorrow,George's wheat bag coming in handy to hang over the stern to keep her fresh.

Crew pulled the net after lunch and had a good haul of Silver Travally with a few other fish as well.

They turned them into fillets and put them into the freezer,they will have a good haul to take home.

As mentioned before we dragged again and moved over to the mooring,a sail boat had elected to anchor in the North anchorage and we could see another on the horizon heading in .Turned out to be a good looking Passage making motor sailer.They anchored close in ahead of us.

Simo took the dinghy ashore to inspect the buildings and was suitably impressed with the set up.

These two Islands obviously still well used.

Tuned the TV and got some Launceston stations but did not watch them,my new extension speakers seemed a lot better sound,not really tried yet.Some crews like to watch videos ,some do not.I am easy.

Called Cheney got a report on the funeral,staggered to hear 400 people there,shopkeepers told us the population was 700.obviously a very well liked bloke.Must have led a busy life looking after the Islands needs,you often wonder what people do in a place like this but once you meet a few they are really quite busy.We noticed the lawns mowed and picknic tables set out at the tavern with a stack of substantial sun umbrellas ont the verandah when we were there,would have been a big wake I recon.

Organized with Chris to talk to Tim about Rob's car.Dont want for him to walk back up to the house if he wants to get away early to the farms.Harry usually leaves it in some trees near the beach landing.

Turned in about 9.30..

Monday,Lady Barron to Fotheringate Bay Trousers Point.

Had a sleepin,no reason to  get up early.

Had breakfast and walked up to the shop.10 am is coffee time when locals gather on the front verandah in the sun.

Purchased a few things forgotten in the original shopping .

Bought the boys a coffee and joined the shopkeeper and some contractors who had knocked off for morning tea.

Got a fair amount of info as to how the Island life works.

Departed and walked back to the boat,tidied up and left for Badger Island.

The old house and jetty built by Alf Stackhouse,featured in a recent documentary on his life.
 

Had a light crayfish lunch and the crew set the net off Lucky Point,have had success here before.

Simo and Ross went ashore for a while.I washed up and had a tidy .

Pulled the net at  4 to get enough bait for the pots.Just enough so happy enough,the South Wester still blowing at 25 knots but clear sky.

There was a sailing cat anchored when we arrived but had left a little earlier,this is a popular spot in a Westerly.An old Gaff rigger with the headsail flapping coming across Franklin Sound from Thunder  and Lightening.

Baited the pots and made up the buoy lines. I intended to set them in a spot off Trousers Point I found years ago.On  lee shore well out it would be rather unpleasant when we got there in this breeze.Travelled the six or so miles across Franklin Sound to the spot.Found two nice pieces of bottom.

Looking towards Trousers Point.The magnificent Mount Strzelecki in the background.
 

Hoped we could lay in Trousers or Fotheringate Bay for the night.Trousers probably would have been just ok,well in behind the point,the new Mast mooring exposed in this weather,bashed our way back out and around the Point, the more northern bay is quite shallow but just enough water for Masterpiece,calculated we would still have 200 mm at low tide so anchored for the night.

Called up Chris Chen to advise him of our arrival at Emita tomorrow.Wont be home tomorrow afternoon ,the local mechanic had died and there was his funeral on at Lady Barron,noticed a sign on the shop there",closed in the afternoon due to funeral".No mention of a name but no need as the bush telegraph would notify everyone,very popular chap by all accounts.

Called Tim Campbell but got his message bank,will try in the morning,Angus has offered Robin's Honda for us to drive around in for a couple of days ,they are away in Dubai I believe.

Most likely will go to their farms to have a look,Simo now a rancher but nothing like these Barons.

Had a meal of flathead caught down south,fishing up here very patchy,large magnificent bays of sand but no fish to be had,locals try to explain some of their spots but the areas are huge so we have trouble finding them,will keep trying.

I turned in early to do the blog but soon fell asleep ,hope the wind eases in the morning to get the pots.

Testing Print sizes

Been fiddling,need to test.

 

Day five Jamison to Lady Barron.

Pulled the pots at about 7, Should have stayed in bed and had a sleepin.

Three wobblygong sharks and no crays.

The wind had cone around more to the north so motored across the bay to the more sheltered side.

Sky looking ominous to the NW.Simo requested Eggs and Bacon for breakfast.

After a leisurely meal we tidied up and set off up the east coast of Cape Barren Island.We went through between Gull Island and the mainland,it is quite shallow there and the wind had picked up making the sea quite nasty,it was ok once we were in deeper water but as quite a few miles near Vansittart Island are really shallow and the wind was freshening coupled with a course close to a Lee shore I decided it wise to turn around and take the route through the Armstrong Channel between Clarke and Cape Barren Islands.Did not wish to join the Farsund on the beach.

By the time we got to the Sealion Narrows the weather had closed in with rain and mist and a breeze from the North of 15 knots ,made our decision look pretty good.

Navigated mainly on the plotter with fleeting glimpses of land,the radar invaluable in these conditions,reduced speed to about 9 knots.

There are a lot of sandbanks in the middle of this waterway but the channels are quite wide once you are in there,just got to miss the shallow bits.

A bit of wandering around today.
 

Motored up to Thunder and Lightning Bay for lunch,although forecast saw no lightning,or thunder.

After lunch had a nana nap and left about 3.30 for Lady Barron.

More steaming between hazards but been here quite a few times now,took the shortcut beside Little Dog Island.

Picked it one of the MAST moorings as the jetty occupied by wooden boats on their way home,they left on dark,a strange decision I thought,maybe to avoid the wind.

Went up to the pub by dinghy ,landed by the slip and walked up the bank and along the road.

Simo offered to shout us dinner so we had a few waited for a table.Sim got some fishing spots from a retired fisherman in the bar.Seemed to be the most tricky part of the Vansittart Shoals route to me.

Might try there tomorrow or maybe not.

Had a good steak meal there,Sim ordered three sauces in little jugs,a good choice as they were delicious.The dining room full by now,some looked like locals still waiting as we left.

Back to the boat and rewrote my blog for the previous days .

Turned in after ten and called home ,a thunderstorm there,dogs not happy,Les seems to be busy.

Talked to Rick Murdoch to report our position on the schedule,He informed me the Briants BBQ was rained off so we have probably had better weather, NE predicted by Tuesday so will gradually move up to Emita.

Day three and day Four. Briants to Eddystone,Ed to Jamison Bay ,

Up early to pull the pots and get up the coast,had a cup of tea while travelling over to the Passage.

Good results ,two in one and three in the other,dropped the just under back to grow a couple of mm for next time.

 

Set a course for Wineglass for breakfast,put the Tuna lures in as there were many birds working,after a while many dolphins joined us,they like to swim either side of our bows so we had at least four there.Many more following.You usually do not catch tuna when they are about.Arrived for breakfast and anchored for an hour.Crew excited when a young hiker had a swim topless  off the beach,her friend taking photos.I think it must be a fad as I have seen it there before.We were a fair away so I thing she was pretty safe.

 Lemon Rock ,beautiful colours.

Left at ten am headed for Eddystone,passed Julie Burgess and James Craig after about an hour and a half.

The wind freshened up from the NW so the slop increased ,we still managed about 18 knots.

Up off St Helens the wind got up to 40 knots but being close in the sea condition were still ok.

Arrived at Eddystone at 2 pm,not bad four hours from Wineglass.Anchored and had lunch and cooked the crays.

The wind still about 25 knots  but anchored well offshore in front of a fishing boat.

Julie Burgess arrived at 7 pm,a twelve hour journey for them.Had a nice dinner and into bed early,forecast for light winds and tide in Banks Strait running out ,should be ok in the morning.

Day Four .

Got away at seven and headed up past George's Rocks ,saw the pile on Leprena rock where the sailing ship of that name was wrecked.The word is I think was the crew were saved in the ships Pinnace.My brother now owns it with a steam engine in it.She may well last another 100 years if looked after.

Got up towards Swan Island when the wind freshened and the slop became very short nasty,we reduced speed for a while until the conditions eased a bit and we could pull off towards Clarke Island.

Decided to pull up for lunch in the Passage between Passage and Foresyth islands.Jerry was right in his anchorage guide.We were half way up when a large wave rose up under us,quite a surf for a while.We anchored at the inside end of the passage.The log showed 3.6 knots of current running there.Masterpiece's propellers still turning.

Departed after about an hour round the top of Passage Island and through the Sealion narrows.

Simo caught a couple of salmon for bait there.Lots of birds working along with two large pelicans .

Anchorage at West Jamison Bay.
 

Arrived at Jamison Bay about three thirty.The crew baited the pots and we put then in on some small bottom area.They set the net but only caught mother in law fish.

Turned in about 9.30.

This is the third time I have written this blog as is is not happy when I try to save it when out of Internet range.

Day. two circ

Crew up early,skipper a bit slow doing the blog.

Posted and jumped into action,wandered down to Green point to pull the pots, One blank with Port Jackson shark,one with good size cray,no need to measure,Ross cut the tail.

Cruised slowly up the Mercury Passage avoiding the leases towards  the disputed Salmon farm area.

Decided to cruise up the shore as far as the Salt Works as not many people take this route .

Saw a couple of boats pottering about,almost a perfect day,light offshore wind and bright skies.

Pulled up to check out the bar and launching ramp when Weed and Hoggo showed up after pulling their pot and catching some flats.

They offered to show us one of their favorite spots off Mayfield Point. We followed them and had a pleasant hour fishing,getting a feed and some squid as well.

Two mates out fishing off Mayfield.They spend a lot of time up here,and why not!
 

Slowly motored towards Shouten Island and cooked the cray while under way,flat calm.

Pulled up at Passage Beach for lunch and to clean the fish,Simo put the dinghy in and did a lap of the bay to charge the battery as it was a bit down not being used for a while.He caged some tea bags off the large walking tour yacht anchored in the bay,provodore slipped up there.

 

Was going to have a nana nap but the time slipped away and it was time to bait the pots.Left the Island headed over towards the mainland side of the Passage to one of my spots.The NE sea breeze quite strong now.

We were slowly motoring across ,I was concentrating on the bottom watching the sounder when Simo called out kayak! I looked up and there was a fellow about 50 feet away trying to cross in front of us from the port side,he obviously would have seen us for ages but still elected to try and race across our bow very hard to see in the waves and with dull clothing and white canoe.

I pulled the boat out of gear and reversed the port engine ,the sun was in my eyes as well,he was not happy.It was as if he owned the right of way and expected me to stop for him,one rule is to always go behind an approaching vessel even if you have right away.

Put the pots in and motored over to Briants Corner for the night,ten or so boats there by nightfall.Ross rustled up a nice dinner.Finished up with ice cream bought by Simo,some flash stuff,salted,everything seems to have to have it now!

Turned in earlier as we hope to get up to the Flinders Group tomorrow.Forecast a NW change during the night.

Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania VanDeimans Land Circumnavigation 2017.

Lesley ran me up to the club a little early to meet the crew at 10.30 on the 15 th of Feb.

Many weeks of planing and getting Masterpiece in shape for the much anticipated event had come to a head.

I took her into the club to meet one of her old flying mates ,Bill , and bought her a cup of tea.

Left them to it and took a barrow load of stuff out to the boat.

The crew were loading last minute things on board.

The crew for the first leg to the Tamar are Ross and Clive,we have done other legs before so I knew what to expect,most things covered and keen fishermen.

Most other boats had left for Port Arthur so pretty quiet around the club.We have elected to skip the Tasman Peninsula leg as Ross has a holiday home there and I fish a lot down there,we have friends on Flinders and hope to spend some time up there.

Les came out to say goodby and we slipped lines about 11.30.

Masterpiece in full cry,Credit John Solomon.
 

Down towards the Iron Pot with a fresh Northerly following us.Noticed Saba on the AIS a couple of miles away.Mick ,Bruv and Mark are delivering her to new owners in Newcastle.

Thought we might catch up by the time we get to the Denison Canal,might save the keeper a trip down.

Once through we decided to anchor at the Marion Bay end for lunch before going out,you will have to ask them what happened next.

Probably not a great decision on our part because when we went around corner into Marion Bay the Northerly had freshened considerably ,we were committed and could not turn round so set her into it.

The water is shallow here but we knew we had enough under us but the tide was running out by now and the waves were standing up well.Most we're ok but a few were ugly.They broke over us an although not dangerous had a lot of spray in them.

Got through ok and headed jump to Hellfire Bluff to get out of the wind ,some gusts over 40 knots.

Arrived at Blowhole Point for a spell,a beautiful sheltered beach under a high hill.Got some fishing lines out but nothing on the anchor,after an hour or so the wind eased so we drifted and Simo caught a nice feed assisted by Ross,funny how two lines with the same lures can vary in the amount of strikes.

Went back up to the beach and cleaned the fish and baited the pots,steamed over to Green Point to set them,two others in the best places so set them out deeper,happier to as a Westerly change expected in the evening and we have to get them back!

Steamed up to Chinermans and anchored behind Goldings Reef for the night,a few boats there a couple of wooden ones sheltering left as the wind died down,had a nice feed of salt and pepper flathead with a few chips and fresh salad.

The change came through about 10,turned in at about 11 after a pleasant first day.

Next two days at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival.

The weather on Saturday was a bit windy bur mainly fine,the crowds were massive,we had probably the most visitors to Masterpiece ever for one day.An interesting variety of friends,relations an people from interstate we had not seen for many years,well over fifty I would guess.

Although good fun it becomes rather tiring later in the day.Plenty of tea and carrot cake consumed.

Lesley and I managed to scoot around to the corporate shed and tall ships early and had a good breakfast along side the four foot two models in the IXL atrium.

Finished the evening with Roger and Julie from Melbourne and Ben at Fish Frenzie,they were abosolutly flat out,the menu and service was excellent considering the pressure they were under,having the large cruise ship in was an extra for all eateries..

Sunday was deceptive we slept in and when I arose remarked that the weather was better than expected,this did not last as we had showers and squalls all day,quite chilly as well,saw many people under dressed for the condition but seemed not to notice,must be cold blooded!

The Roulettes attempted a flyby but the conditions were unsafe for them,even worse than Saturday.

Formation flying was out af the question.One fellow put on a short display but was almost disappearing into the low cloud.

The Cruise liner left at lunch time and had many spectators.

Had quite a few visitors again but managed to look at a bit more of the displays.

The floating shed was moored on the other side of the pier and we were entertained by a trio most of the after noon,it is meant to travel around but it really needs a cox as you cannot play music and steer at he same time,I think the wind would make it a handful today.

The weather really put a dampener on things later in the afternoon,there were still quite a few hardy souls about but the rain squalls made it unpleasant.

Kate dropped in for a while and after she left Les rustled up some soup and we dined on board.

Watched some tv and turned in.

 

Masterpiece at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2017.

Masterpiece was entered this year.

We were fortunate to have an almost perfect day for the parade of sail.

We left the club at 11am with a group of friends to view the journey up the river of an incredible mixture of timber boats,all sizes from quite small to large vessels.

Propelled by diverse propulsion methods,from oars ,sails and powered craft,some with a little of each.

We anchored off Wrest Point have lunch and watch the last stragglers go past.

We returned most of the crew back to the club and then some assisted in mooring Masterpiece at Kings pier North for the Festival.

Kate and Ben dropped in for a while after they left we attended  the welcome hour but the noise drove us out eventually,went back to the boat where Les whipped it a snack from lunch leftovers.

Went to bed early after a busy day.

 A few shots stolen from Facebook as to busy to get my own.

 

 

Results of coupling service

Dismantled the torsional vibration coupling and made a new bush for the center,also machined some off the center to reduce the clearance on the thrust rings.

Reassembled with some grease to give it a chance to run in.The bearings are a plastic material.

I am suspicious the thrust rings have always had too much clearance.

Seems to run better in the marina but under load will be the test.

James found a small leak in an exhaust coupling so we pulled it out and found a crack in the fiberglass 6 inch pipe.Fortunately Trevor had some so I machined up a new piece,I found some better clamps in Moonah so should eliminate a small annoying water leak which used to appear now and then. I though it was coming through the hatch.

I hardly ever go into the engine room when the engine is running,probably should do it more often.

I have had a busy week or so working on the boat,not helped by some Queenslanders next to me who are ready for the trip and seem to be really relaxed and enjoying themselves.

Thank goodness I am finally ready for the Wooden Boat Festival in the morning,then one day to load up for the circumnavigation.

Wife is happy as her Cessna arrived on Wednesday and is in the hanger at Lee Wave.

Coupling apart.

Back together and ready to install.Looks simple but really quite complicated.

Lesley's new toy in the background.