Monday 11th January 2021 – Fortescue Bay to Port Arthur

Mark and I thought that Fortescue Bay would be in a remote part of the Tasman Peninsula with limited access, so we were surprised when we entered the bay to find a carpark, boat ramp and a large number of tourists.

We anchored in Canoe Bay which is where the wreck of the Dutch Trading Vessel (William Pitt) is located. The vessel was built in 1907 and was later used as a coal hulk up until WWII. The William Pitt was decommissioned at the beginning of WWII and became a breakwater to shelter the fish canning factory, timber mill and ice works. The final resting place of the William Pitt is a result of a storm in the 1970’s.

The three of us snorkelled around the wreck which lies in about 4 metres of water. It was interesting, but it was hard to distinguish a lot of the vessel’s features as the kelp was thick.

A short dinghy ride to shore followed by a walk around Canoe Bay on a well-worn walking track, which included a suspension bridge and some amazing vegetation, wildlife and views out across the bay.

With 20-25 knots of wind from the north, an intruding N/E swell and a forecast of 30 knots from the south we pulled up anchor and headed out of the bay bound for Port Arthur. As we were departing we passed the tall ship Lady Nelson, who had just arrived.

We re-entered the Tasman Sea and rounded The Lanterns passing the famous Totem Pole (can’t believe that people actually climb it!)

The N/E swell of 1.5–2m with the northerly wind made for a rolly down wind motor sail between The Lanterns and Tasman Island (Georgie’s garden decided that it was time to be re-potted and emptied its contents all over the pilot house floor). The scenery along this part of the coast is truly magnificent. The cliffs of Cape Pillar Point are reportedly the highest in the Southern Hemisphere and the Tasman Island lighthouse is the highest operating lighthouse in Australia. The landing point for Tasman Island was situated on the north east corner of the island – from there twin trolleys were hauled up the 1:1 slope (one up, one down) with a winch drawn by horse. Truly spectacular!

The coastline around this area and particularly in the passage between Cape Pillar Point and Tasman Island (500 metres wide), has so far been a highlight of our trip – my words are not able to explain the beauty.

We arrived at Port Arthur and anchored in Stewarts Bay. After a family challenge of jumping off the boat (with no wetsuits) at the same time, we went ashore to explore the town and walk Lucy.

Having the opportunity to sail and explore Australia is amazing, but it’s not without its stresses, especially for Mark. Mark is continually checking the weather and based on the forecast decides where the next most suitable port or anchorage will be. There are times when we could either take a longer route with a smoother sail, or take the shorter route and put up with rough conditions. These are some of the choices that are made. Often, we will work out a plan and then the weather will change so we modify our plan to suit the weather. Sometimes even the best laid plans do not eventuate, and we encounter gusts or bullets of wind in an anchorage, or the weather forecast does not eventuate, or we get weather that was not forecast. Apparently, this is not unusual for Tasmania which is a baptism by fire for us sailors that have a lot to learn.

(Total distance travelled to date 419nm)