Bass Strait Islands cruise – Joan Ellen – 7th Jan – 14th Jan 2024
I am the first to admit that I am a complete novice when it comes to cruising. Most of my sailing life has revolved around regatta’s and club racing and I often wondered how you fill in the blanks when there is nothing to race against. Competitive racing is a blur of adrenaline and strategy. Every manoeuvre is calculated, every sail adjustment precise as you vie for position against other boats.
By contrast, cruising allows the immersion of yourself in the beauty of the surroundings, to explore hidden coves and tranquil bays at your leisure. There is no rush, no pressure to reach a finish line—only the freedom to savour each moment of your journey.
After competing in the Cock of the Bay, Petersville and 100th anniversary 12ft Cadet regatta over the XMAS and new year period, we headed off to cruise the islands of Bass Strait. Our first leg to Refuge Cove at Wilsons Prom was marred by continual rain , mist and fog. At this point I was starting to think this cruising concept was somewhat overrated.
I am happy to report that is where the misery ended. The weather cleared upon our arrival at Refuge. Refuge Cove is simply stunning. I had never been there before and now I understand all the fuss.
After spending a couple of days at refuge, we headed off at night with the intention of pulling into Deal Island at daybreak. Our racing genes kicked in to the extent that we arrived off Deal at 2:30am. We decided to bypass Deal and head straight to Flinders Island as none of us had anchored off Deal before and thought it wise not to try at night. Sailing at night with a clear sky is magical. Just kicking back, watching the stars and the procession Elon Musk’s satellites is well worth the ‘Night Shift’. However, we were quite surprised how many nasty rock obstacles need to be avoided during this passage.
We arrived at Flinders Island about 6:00am in between Outer and Inner Sister Islands. We spent the next 4 days cruising the bays and inlets of Flinders Island. I am guessing most people would not have Flinders Island on a bucket list. My advice….ADD IT! There are so many anchorages that cater for all sorts of conditions and wind directions. The beaches and caves in these bays are breathtaking. We settled down at Killiecrankie bay for the first night before exploring a number of other islands and bays over the following days. The pick of the anchorages was Port Davies just off Cave beach where we picked up a mooring. This gave us the opportunity to rent a car to explore the island , enjoy the local cuisine and of course the pub! On the night before we left Flinders Island to return to Melbourne, we were lucky enough to witness a spectacular lightening show that was taking place off Wilson’s Prom while we had clear sky above.
The return voyage, while quite rough (20-30kn Westerly), was equally exhilarating as it was good opportunity for Joan Ellen to stretch her legs and put her 27 Tonne Displacement to good use. We finished off our cruise by preparing a very large Flinders Island Cray cured Ceviche style and good bottle of French Champagne…. For breakfast!
And so ended my festival of sailing with friends and family. 20 days of continuous sailing in 3 different formats that was both memorable and engaging for many different reasons and reminds us all of the diversity this wonderful sport can offer.
Yours Aye
Tony Hennessy
