Circumnavigation of Flinders Is completed and after a fantastic morning's sailing from Waterhouse Point, where we camped last night, we are now in Bridport. The north coast and most likely a lot of headwinds beckon.
Feeling really fit and strong now, surprise surprise, after nearly four weeks paddling. Crossed Banks Strait yesterday on an incredibly calm day. Left Spike Bay just about low tide aiming to be on the other side with the flood taking us around Cape Portland, and did it ever as the tides are quite big at present. The flow to the NW must have been 3 or 4 knots, we were aiming 40deg plus off to the south from our intended destination. Lunch on the western side of Cape Portland after four hours on the water. The forecast for the day was for 5 - 15kn NE to NW winds but there was hardly a zephyr all day so no sailing to help us along. Crossing to Waterhouse Point was another 26km crossing, nothing like a morning 26km crossing as a warm up for the same in the afternoon. Serenaded by dolphins in the middle of Ringarooma Bay for about 20mins including a couple that leapt completely out of the water.
On Tuesday we negotiated the Pot Boil, (the SE tip of Flinders) at just the end of the flood tide and only had to navigate around a few offshore breakers over the shallows. By the time we had lunch on Vansittart Is and continued on westward into Franklin Sound the tide had turned and we learnt quite how strong the tidal current was flowing east. We would have been paddling at around 7/8kph but were only making about 2 or 3kph over the ground, and this is at the start of the tide! This is why the Pot Boil is so named, it would be an interesting bit of water when such a current hits say a reasonable sized NE swell, throw in all the shoals and a bit of wind and it is a place you want to keep well away from, in any size boat.
Anyway a quick change of course to the south and we escaped the clutches of the eastward tide and continued on our way along the north coast of Cape Barren Island. All this tidal stuff makes for interesting kayaking EXCEPT when landing a fully laden double at low tide. Quite often the hardest work of the day is one trip up the beach for each of us with our gear for the night, the kayak is then light enough to drag above the high tide line.
Feeling really fit and strong now, surprise surprise, after nearly four weeks paddling. Crossed Banks Strait yesterday on an incredibly calm day. Left Spike Bay just about low tide aiming to be on the other side with the flood taking us around Cape Portland, and did it ever as the tides are quite big at present. The flow to the NW must have been 3 or 4 knots, we were aiming 40deg plus off to the south from our intended destination. Lunch on the western side of Cape Portland after four hours on the water. The forecast for the day was for 5 - 15kn NE to NW winds but there was hardly a zephyr all day so no sailing to help us along. Crossing to Waterhouse Point was another 26km crossing, nothing like a morning 26km crossing as a warm up for the same in the afternoon. Serenaded by dolphins in the middle of Ringarooma Bay for about 20mins including a couple that leapt completely out of the water.
On Tuesday we negotiated the Pot Boil, (the SE tip of Flinders) at just the end of the flood tide and only had to navigate around a few offshore breakers over the shallows. By the time we had lunch on Vansittart Is and continued on westward into Franklin Sound the tide had turned and we learnt quite how strong the tidal current was flowing east. We would have been paddling at around 7/8kph but were only making about 2 or 3kph over the ground, and this is at the start of the tide! This is why the Pot Boil is so named, it would be an interesting bit of water when such a current hits say a reasonable sized NE swell, throw in all the shoals and a bit of wind and it is a place you want to keep well away from, in any size boat.
Anyway a quick change of course to the south and we escaped the clutches of the eastward tide and continued on our way along the north coast of Cape Barren Island. All this tidal stuff makes for interesting kayaking EXCEPT when landing a fully laden double at low tide. Quite often the hardest work of the day is one trip up the beach for each of us with our gear for the night, the kayak is then light enough to drag above the high tide line.
Sheltering from the thunder and lightning squall that would have caught us 4km offshore in the middle of crossing a big bay north of Whitemark. I have read too many stories of sea kayakers being hit by lightning to be comfortable in that situation so we headed for the shore for a cuppa.
Lunch stop along the 40km of beach between North East River and Babel Island. We had paddled into the wind for 3 hours only to stop on a section of beach that looked identical to the spot we had left. Babel Is is on the horizon above the rear of the kayak.
Three of the dolphins that escorted us for about 20 minutes in the middle of Ringarooma Bay between Cape Portland and Waterhouse Point.
The hut we camped in on Cat Is (adjacent to Babel Is) in the middle of penguin and muttonbird rookeries. Mathew Flinders named Babel Is because of the cacophony of calls from the bird life. We can attest to the accuracy of this; the racket all night was unbelievable. If the noise reflects the nightlife these birds have then I wouldn't mind coming back as a penguin or muttonbird in a future life.
1 comment:
very nice photos :)
the water looks so blue and clear! looks like your having a beautiful time!
love you both. xx
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