Through Hell’s Gate

We had spent 1 day and 19 hours crossing Bass Strait from Geelong to Strahan, covering about 250 nautical miles. During all that time, we were self-sufficient when it came to electricity, by using the wind and solar power. Not only that, but we managed to fill up the batteries.

Happy sailor, somewhere in Bass Strait!

The first stop in Tasmania was to be the town of Strahan on the West coast. It is situated in Macquarie Harbour, a large bay with only one inlet. This inlet is tricky, with a lot of shoals and currents. If the wind and the swell are from the wrong direction, it’s dangerous to even approach it. Probably, that is the reason why it’s called Hell’s Gate. Or maybe because this was the entrance to the Bay where the convicts were shipped to Sarah Island, one of the grimmer places.

Getting closer to Hell’s Gate as the sun rises

We were preparing carefully for negotiating Hell’s Gate, so we would come in during daylight, on high tide. We were lucky to have both wind and waves that allowed entrance. However, we were all excited about how this would go. Breaking waves? Bad visibility? Too close to the rocks or shoals?

Ken steering the boat through any challenges with a steady hand

But with Ken on the wheel, and Sharon’s on navigation, it all went very smoothly. Almost too smoothly - we were ready for much more drama. Instead, we had breathtaking views, the rising sun shining through the clouds, making the sky look like a Renaissance painting.

The sea was absolutely flat, and the inlet was surrounded by beautiful islets. Hell’s Gate looked rather like Heaven’s Gate.

We’ve never been this close to a lighthouse, at least not when coming from the water. It almost felt like we could touch it!

This bay is quite large, and while some of the crew were remembering sailing up Gordon River, we took the turn towards Strahan right away.

In Strahan, there was an option of anchoring or docking. When it comes to docking, there are only a couple of spots that are deep enough for us. We chose the dock, and Salt Lines rafted up next to us.

We had a day to spend in Strahan. Showers were a priority, but soon we got to experience that the hot water in the paid showers at the dock was not enough for crew from two boats. Some got a involuntary cold shower. So some chose to come back to the boat and shower there.

Happy faces - Chief Mate and Skipper, just arriving to Strahan

A short walk from the dock, there is a old railway station. The West Coast Wilderness Railway leads from here to Queenstown. The vintage train was waiting at the tracks, and the station building had a restaurant, a museum and a gift shop. We met up there and had a lovely lunch. On the way back, there was a trail to nearby waterfalls, so we took a hike there.

We did some jobs on the boat, cleaning and organising. Soon it was time to leave - we wanted to go through Hell’s Gate while there still was daylight. Pushed by a few knots of current, we flew out of the channel We even had to slow down, because we hoped that the dinner of roast lamb would be served and eaten in somewhat calm waters. A last good-bye to the lighthouses, and we were out.

An update about a circumnavigation leg would not be a proper update without mentioning any toilet stories, would it? When we were in the bay, one of the crew flushed the toilet just to see brown liquid filling the bowl. A moment of panic - but then it turned out that the water in the bay was in fact brown in color, because of the tea trees around the bay. The release the tannins into the water, coloring it yellowish brown. So it was all good for now.

Once again, sailing into the sunset. Goodbye for now!

This was the report for 5-7/11 by Chief Mate on Silver Fern