Old article about Sail - La - Vie (Spindrift) #114
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 3:43 pm
The original owner of my boat passed this on to me. You might find it interesting.
Investigating at Forty-Three South
Note: This article was originally printed in the Investigator Yacht Association Newsletter. The Investigator Yacht Association is based in NSW.
On Good Friday morning 1980, with my wife Janet and youngest son John, we trailed our boat “Spindrift” to Cygnet, about an hour’sdrive southof Hobart.There we were to meet with two boats from theSouthern Division of the Trailable Yacht Association of Tasmania and a runabout that was to accompany the group for the trip. The final destination for the four days cruise was to be left until the last minute depending on weather conditions.
Heavy traffic on the road resulted in a slow drive, and it was not until after 1.00 p.m. that we arrived at the Cygnet launching ramp to find that the others had left an hour earlier. A note informed us that they were heading for Mickeys Bay in Great Taylors Bay on South Bruny Island. Our chart revealed this destination to be a long way away, so after launching we proceeded to motor-sail the three nautical miles down Port Cygnet and into the broad estuary of the Huon River.
An hour after starting we were off Surveyors Bay on the southern side of the Huon River Estuary and beginning to pick up sufficient of the northerly breeze coming down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to enable us to stop the outboard and proceed under sail alone. At this point it was almost eight nautical miles across the Channel and into Great Taylors Bay, so I did some mental calculations before deciding there was sufficient time to reach our destination before night-fall
Our first stop was to be Partridge Island, so on clearing Mickeys Bay we hardened sheets to beat into a fresh sou-wester. As we settled down for our “bash” we watched in admiration as the forty-foot long sleek blue-hulled harbour racer “Vanity”, seventy-five year’s old, but now beautifully restored, eased sheets and sliced through the seas on the long reach back towards Hobart. She made as pretty a sailing picture as I have everseen.
We were hard on the wind on a port tack for a little over four nautical miles really relishing the conditions except perhaps for the temperature. A temporary break in the clouds about the rugged range of La Perouse and Pinders Peak to the south-west revealed fresh snow and this confirmed our opinion that the wind was in fact cold. After a couple of quick tacks, we sailed into the lee of Partridge Island and dropped anchor in deep clear water close to shore among an assortment of other craft.
boat can tie up to the tripod from any direction.
About three nautical miles from the mouth of the Huon River on its northern side is a beautiful little enclosed bay called Egg and Bacon Bay. We dropped our sails at its entrance and motored into the calm waters, anchoring close to the shore to bask in the sun and enjoy a leisurely lunch, much to the interest of the local shack owners.
All that remained after lunch was to sail around Cygnet Point and quietly ghost the three nautical miles up Port Cygnet in a dying westerly breeze. As we retrieved our boats at the launching ramp the water was as still as a mill pond and the autumn sun quitehot.
David M. Harvey
Investigating at Forty-Three South
Note: This article was originally printed in the Investigator Yacht Association Newsletter. The Investigator Yacht Association is based in NSW.
On Good Friday morning 1980, with my wife Janet and youngest son John, we trailed our boat “Spindrift” to Cygnet, about an hour’sdrive southof Hobart.There we were to meet with two boats from theSouthern Division of the Trailable Yacht Association of Tasmania and a runabout that was to accompany the group for the trip. The final destination for the four days cruise was to be left until the last minute depending on weather conditions.
Heavy traffic on the road resulted in a slow drive, and it was not until after 1.00 p.m. that we arrived at the Cygnet launching ramp to find that the others had left an hour earlier. A note informed us that they were heading for Mickeys Bay in Great Taylors Bay on South Bruny Island. Our chart revealed this destination to be a long way away, so after launching we proceeded to motor-sail the three nautical miles down Port Cygnet and into the broad estuary of the Huon River.
An hour after starting we were off Surveyors Bay on the southern side of the Huon River Estuary and beginning to pick up sufficient of the northerly breeze coming down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to enable us to stop the outboard and proceed under sail alone. At this point it was almost eight nautical miles across the Channel and into Great Taylors Bay, so I did some mental calculations before deciding there was sufficient time to reach our destination before night-fall
Our first stop was to be Partridge Island, so on clearing Mickeys Bay we hardened sheets to beat into a fresh sou-wester. As we settled down for our “bash” we watched in admiration as the forty-foot long sleek blue-hulled harbour racer “Vanity”, seventy-five year’s old, but now beautifully restored, eased sheets and sliced through the seas on the long reach back towards Hobart. She made as pretty a sailing picture as I have everseen.
We were hard on the wind on a port tack for a little over four nautical miles really relishing the conditions except perhaps for the temperature. A temporary break in the clouds about the rugged range of La Perouse and Pinders Peak to the south-west revealed fresh snow and this confirmed our opinion that the wind was in fact cold. After a couple of quick tacks, we sailed into the lee of Partridge Island and dropped anchor in deep clear water close to shore among an assortment of other craft.
boat can tie up to the tripod from any direction.
About three nautical miles from the mouth of the Huon River on its northern side is a beautiful little enclosed bay called Egg and Bacon Bay. We dropped our sails at its entrance and motored into the calm waters, anchoring close to the shore to bask in the sun and enjoy a leisurely lunch, much to the interest of the local shack owners.
All that remained after lunch was to sail around Cygnet Point and quietly ghost the three nautical miles up Port Cygnet in a dying westerly breeze. As we retrieved our boats at the launching ramp the water was as still as a mill pond and the autumn sun quitehot.
David M. Harvey