With 20 knot easterly winds forecast we departed Prime Seal Island and motor sailed to the coastal town of Whitemark on Flinders Island. Due to the shallow nature of the coast we had to anchor 500 metres from the shore. We took the dinghy to shore along with our rubbish and shopping bags for groceries.
It was about a 200m walk from the beach to the main street of Whitemark which has a population of 190 – they all must have been in town preparing for New Years Eve as it was busy. At the supermarket we purchased a few items before heading to the newsagent to get a map of Tassie.
Back on board we raised the anchor and continued onto Trousers Point (about an hour and a half further south). It was at Trouser Point that we heard a broadcast on the radio that there was a yacht that had been sailing from Gabo Island to Deal Island that was overdue. Mark also received a call from the Gippsland Water Police asking whether we’d come across the yacht whilst we were at Deal. A search and rescue had commenced.