Refuge Cove to Eden

Refuge Cove 13^th April

So, we left Queenscliff Mike and I on Meander, and John Hedley aboard Samoya with Gary. We went through some choppy water out through the Heads and into choppier water in Bass Straight.. Life jackets and wet weather gear on and drinks and nibblies to hand, we settled down for a long haul ahead. The sun soon set and Mike and I soon became a bit queasy - well,

Mike was queasy, I was just plain seasick as
usual (the super duper remedy from N.Z. was yet another failure!!)

We put up the sails for a couple of hours until the wind died away. About 21.00hrs we began our 3 hourly watches. Mike took the first watch and I managed to throw myself below onto the bed we had prepared in the saloon. It wasn’t long before Mike was waking me (although I think he put the clock forward) to tell me it was now my turn to sit in the cockpit and watch out for ???? I wasn’t certain what but I’d know if I saw it I’m sure. We continued this practice of every three hours one or the other of us either throwing ourselves into the cabin out in cockpit.

Just before the sun started to rise, and halfway through my last watch, I noticed a flashing light just off the starboard bow. I watched it for a while (so that’s where the term “watch” comes

from) but then had to call Mike on deck as I wasn’t sure how close we were to it. It turned out to be a beacon on one of the Islands of “The Glennies”, which is a group of Islands to the West of Wilsons Prom. The Isand was in actual fact about 20 miles away but it looked much coser to me!!

Gary and John were consistently about a mile astern of us, which for me was quite reasuring during my watch as I raised my seasick head every 15 mins or so and checked ahead for ??? and then saw the running lights atop Samoya’s mast. We watched the sun slowly rise and The Glennies approaching. As we passed by the rocks we could see seals basking in the early

morning sun and a few adventurous ones swimming just off our boat.

As we came around the bottom of The Prom we passed in between 2 Islands of the Anser Group. Mike pointed out a rock formation on our starboard side which was called Skull Rock for very obvious reason as you can see by the photo. We then came around the South East coast and past South Point Lighthouse.

South Point lighthouse

Skull Rock

As Mike had been around this part of the world not long ago he knew that if we went into Waterlo Bay we would have mobile access. We diverted slightly and made a few phone calls. Mike had already downloaded our last 7 day weather forcast from Buoy Weather during the early hours of the morning.

Gary and John were lagging behind a bit at this stage as they had gone in for a closer look at the seals at The Glennies.

After leaving Wterloo Bay it was just a short motor up to our destination Refuge Cove. So it was that on Monday 10^th at 11.00 we arrived at this beautiful cove, where we will probably stay until Thursday, which won’t be too hard to take, I can tell you! After anchoring off the beach we immediatley put the dinghy into the water and went ashore to explore.

Refuge cove

Mike didn't quite have time to kneel aswell before the self timer went off!!!

John and Gary enjoying a nice meal of sate (and a drop of amber liquid) after a long trip across the 'paddock'

Eden

Easter Sunday 16^th April

Well, we are now in Eden, after a very long trip from Refuge Cove, most of which was spent with the engine running and the mainsail up as we headed along the coast right into the wind. In fact for most of the 40 hours that we were at sea in Bass Strait, the winds were too light to sail and the seas were, well, calm enough for Jo not feel at all seasick…

After a run of nearly 36 hours, we finally reached Gabo Island, which is on the corner of the continent, and where we would at last stop travelling East and begin travelling North. It should have been a moment of triumph, but instead it becamse the moment when the engine stopped the first time… I had known that the fuel was low, but not that low – and therefore assumed that the fuel filter was clogged, as we were getting close to the bottom of a tank that had been in use since the mid nineties. So I changed the filter and added the contents of our last jerry-can. The engine started, and ran on, and I deduced that in fact what happened was that the boat had been heeling over too much (we had been sailing with engine support) for the fuel take-up pipe to reach the diesel.

Ah well, we thought, when we get round the corner we’ll be able to sail, as the wind will no longer be ‘on the nose’. Wrong. As we went round the corner, so did the wind, and so it was still on the nose. But we started sailing anyway, and headed out to sea intending to make a few tacks up the coast to Eden, some 30 nautical miles off. We had plenty of time – it was still only about 2.00 pm.

We soon gave up on that, as the wind was still too light. On went the motor, and into the wind we went.

All went well until we got just off Eden, by now in the dark (about 10.00 pm), when the engine died for the second time. Now it was not because of a heel. It was just that there was no fuel! No worries – the sails were up and we could just sail into the harbour. At precisely that moment a strong front hit us, and for a brief moment of exhilaration, we were flying into the bay. But the wind was really too much for full sail, and a reef was in order.

However, reefing was not possible, as it transpired that the topping lift had jammed in the sheeves at the top of the mast. The only option was for us to take the mainsail down and go the rest of the way in a reefed jib alone. This was safer,but not much fun at all, as we couldn’t get close to the wind for efficient tacking, and were really sailing quite slowly relative to the wind strength.

Obviously we couldn’t even think of tying up at any of the wharves in Eden, so instead we went over to the far side of the bay in the relative shelter of the ‘woodchip anchorage’ and dropped our anchor close to the shore. Luckily the anchor held, and we didn’t need to pull it up and reset it, as we had had to do several times in Refuge Cove (when it had been easy to do with the help of the engine).

Turns out that Gary on Somoya had been in exactly the same predicament – he too had run out of fuel and had been tacking against the wind for longer than we had (but he’d kept that quiet on the radio!)

So here we are in Eden, anchored two miles away from the town, and have been for a day and a half, while 25 to 40 knot winds rush down the bay towards the sea. The winds are too strong to even contemplate heading across the bay, as we would be battered against the wharves by the waves.

We do have fuel, though. After a fruitless attempt to sail across in Somoya with the intention of anchoring close enough to the town to go in with a dinghy for fuel, we decided to try to get across in the two dinghies. This was a successful, but exceedingly wet experience, but at least it allowed me to pause for a cappucino in an Eden café, and purchase hot cross buns as a ‘surprise’ for Jo (she’d have preferred chocolate, actually).

Chasing across the bay for diesel Plan A

Chasing across the bay for diesel Plan B

Hopefully we can get over to the wharves later this afternoon, when the wind goes round and drops a little. The we can go ashore and have a shower and a mea in the Eden Fishermen’s Club. Other wise it’s another evening of heavy drinking and leftover food!

Mike