Kayaks across Bass Strait

Clarke Island

2011-03-30T23:36:00.014+11:00

On Sunday we woke to a perfect dawn and set off to paddle around Badger Island. We had spent the night before camped on the island which is overrun with mice. It was not a restful night.
After Badger we visited Goose island then headed off for Clarke Island as the next day's forecast wasn't good. We spent the next day relaxing and drying gear. Yesterday morning was the final crossing, Banks Strait. We crossed in perfect conditions with Tidetech once again proving of great worth and made a landing on good old Tassie soil at 15.28. It was great to be home!
My wife Lyn drove up today to pick us up and now I am home again. Time to relax :)

Weather update from Karel Vissel
updt tues mrng nw 10 to 15 knts noon n to nw 5 to 10 knts aft nw 10 to 15 knts seas 0.50 to 1 mtr frm ene
karel

On Clarke Island

Tasmania!!!

A good job, well done :-)

Badger Island

2011-03-26T16:39:00.006+11:00

We left Trousers Point this morning and paddled across to the infamous Mt Chappell Island today, home of the largest tiger snakes in the world. I was really rapt as I did see a tiger and even got a photo of it as proof :). After lunch we made the short hop to Badger Island in perfect conditions. We will spend the night here, the view is gorgeous, white sand, turquoise water and Flinders Island and Chappell Island in the distance.

Approaching Mt Chappell Island

A "local"

Mt Chappell Island

Sunrise over Flinders Island

Points of interest

2011-03-26T07:26:00.000+11:00

NextG phone access

Refuge Cove - from the track heading south on a clear slab of rock 10 minutes above the bushwalker's camp.
Hogan Island - from the low saddle above the hut.
Erith Island - from the saddle overlooking Wallabi Cove, a favourite place to just sit and look and absorb the atmosphere.
Winter Cove, Deal Island - from the hill to the north overlooking Winter Cove.
Also from the track leading up to the caretaker's buildings from East Cove.
Killiecrankie - next to the shed at the back of the campground and along the beach past the stream.
Emita campground - at the campground.
Trousers Point - in the carpark above the electric BBQ's.

Tidal calculations are made using Tidetech figures. These provide current speed and direction every half hour for all regions. Firstly we estimate how long the crossing wll take and plan to begin at a time that will have us arrive at slack water. Then we note the speed/direction of the current for each hour at the point we expect to be at with an estimated 3 knots speed. Noting the total push for the ebb and the flood and subtracting the lesser from the greater tells us how much the overall push will be and in which direction. For example, the result for the paddle to Hogan island was a push by the flood of 12 kms so we aimed east of Hogan by 12 kms (20 degrees east of a straight line bearing) and hit Hogan perfectly after one big continuous curve. If we had aimed straight for Hogan we would have had to have battled upstream against the flood to get to the island.

Weather forecasts are taken from the BOM site , text forecast for Bass Strait, the computer generated forecasts and also the Victorian Explorer (Vic. BOM site) as well as from those supplied by Karel Vissel. Karel's forecasts are exceptional. We also carry a SSB radio which duplicates the BOM Bass Strait text forecast.

Water supplies

Refuge has water at the bushwalkers camp
Hogan has poor water availability, the tank doesn't look too flash
Erith has good tanks
Winter Cove has a brackish stream
Emita has good tanks
Trousers Point has a good tank
We each have the capacity to carry about 18 litres of water.

Trousers Point

2011-03-26T07:14:00.004+11:00

Yesterday I climbed Mt Strzelecki in pleasant conditions then hitched into Whitemark for the first shower in some time. I explained to the woman that gave me a lift that I was heading in for a shower and apologised for any smell. Her reply was that it wasn't too bad. I think she was being polite....

Mt Strzelecki vegetation

Trousers Point from Mt Strzelecki

Trousers Point and Mt Strzelecki

Trousers Point

2011-03-25T09:18:00.008+11:00

Yesterday we had a brisk paddle from Emita to Trousers Point at the southern end of Flinders Island. The winds were a forecast 15 to 25 knots from the west and as a result some of the headlands were "interesting". Rounding Settlement Point at the beginning of the day had lots of bumpy rebound and further along as we neared Trousers Point the seas were getting a bit on the BIG side so I was relieved to get into the shelter of Trousers Point bay. Today is another rest day with some climbing Mt Strezlecki and hitching into Whitemark with others just exploring the area.
We are heading further south tomorrow with light winds forecast.

Allports Beach, Emita

Moving on...

2011-03-23T20:33:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow we will be up at 6 am and hope to be on the water by 8am en route to Trousers Point 42 kms south of here. Last night was a wild night with winds recorded at nearby Whitemark airport of up to 50 knots. There are quite a few trees down and one of our party had a small branch come down and tear their tent, fortunately not critically.
Our campsite is well sheltered and although it sometimes sounded like a freight train coming through the wind actually hitting the tents wasn't too bad.

Equipment

2011-03-22T22:22:00.006+11:00

I thought it might be of interest to some to hear what equipment I used on this trip and how it has fared.
The first and main item is the kayak, a Welsh designed and built boat, a Rockpool GT. This is a serious expedition boat that consumed 30 days food and equipment with relative ease. It handles beautifully loaded with 60 kgs of gear and 90 kgs of paddler edging and responding to paddler input responsively and decisively. It showed it's true worth after leaving Deal Island sailing in a quite boisterous sea with a rear quartering 15 to 20 knot wind causing this paddler to have a permanent grin affixed as I played and bounced among the waves. The boat simply felt fantastic and it was so much fun to paddle, feeling very secure, responsive and fast. And it clearly confirms that an expedition boat doesn't have to have a rudder as some would suggest, sailing or otherwise. Plus even when fully loaded it responds happily to all the usual steering strokes..bow rudder, stern draw/pry etc :)
I am using a Werner Cyprus 210 carbon crank shaft paddle. A lovely light high angle paddle. Whenever i felt a bit tired I simply concentrated on full rotation and maintaining a good high angle style. Long distance paddling doesn't always mean low angle :)
My sail is a Flat Earth Kayak sail, well made and designed and completely unrestrictive with all paddle strokes. I did reef it on the windier days.
My paddle clothing consists of the best cag out there, a Goretex Kokatat Tectour.I also wear a Kokatat Outfit Tour PFd which is comfortable and efficient. This is teamed with Reed Aquatherm pants, Aquatherm sox (to keep the bootie smell down) and Reed thermal top. It all works well.
For colder trips I would have bought my Kokatat Goretex drysuit or Whirlpool Bib, both of which are brilliant pieces of kit.
My tent is a Mont Moondance III. A brilliant 3 man tent perfect for an extended trip. Packs up quite small and has loads of room.
For sleeping I use a One Planet Cocoon 500 sleeping bag (ultralightweight but good to about -5) and the ultimate luxury, an Exped Downmat 9. This mattress is like sleeping in your own bed at home :)
I am using a new stove on this trip and it is proving to be a really good stove. It is a Primus Etapaclite and it is fast, economical(the first 227gm gas cylinder lasted 10 days) and easy to use with great design features. It's great to use good gear :).

A wet day :)

2011-03-22T20:30:00.005+11:00

Another layday today with 25-35 knot winds forecast and plenty of rain. Mark and I hitched into Whitemark for the long awaited counter meal at the pub and it was a ripper :) We walked a couple of k's in pouring rain and strong winds but the famous Flinders Island hospitality shone through and the first car that was able to stopped and gave us a lift (the very first car didn't stop but the owner made the point of coming up to us in Whitemark and apologising because they didn't have room for us!)
There are no laundry facilities in town but the pub allowed us to use their washing machines. The friendliness, generosity and helpfulness of these people is outstanding...even if they do think we are mad for paddling across "the Strait".
We spent the rest of the afternoon with the other members of the group in the Furneax Museum at Emita reading documents about island life and history. It will be much the same tomorrow with strong winds again forecast easing in the afternoon but we should be able to paddle down to Trousers Point on Thursday.
Unfortunately my means of charging my netbook from mains power has failed. I was hoping to spend today loading images from this trip but that is going to have to wait until I get home.

Mark getting some "culture" at the Emita museum.

Sunset at Allports Beach, Emita

Layday

2011-03-21T15:45:00.010+11:00

The day before yesterday we had a rest day at Killiecrankie. Some of us went into Whitemark for some shopping and a beer and then we had a meal at the "cafe" at Killiecrankie. Superb views from the cafe.
Yesterday we had planned on paddling down to Emita but the weather decided otherwise. We got halfway then ran into very strong headwinds so we made camp. We paddled to Emita today in slightly more benign conditions and will spend a couple of days hereas we have a forecast of 40 knot winds tomorrow. Another trip to Whitemark for a counter meal I think :)

The wind at Bun Beeton's Point

Main Street, Whitemark

Stunning view from the restaurant at Killiecrankie

Killiecrankie Beach

Wind patterns

Sunset, Killiecrankie Beach

Castle Rock, near Emita

Killiecrankie, Flinders Island

2011-03-19T16:28:00.014+11:00

Well today was a real “Bass Strait” day. We woke early at Winter Cove planning to get on the water by 8 am. Our destination for today was Killiecrankie on the northern end of Flinders Island, 58 kms away. This was the biggest crossing and the one we approached with the most trepidation. The forecast for the morning was 15 to 20 knot wsw winds, higher winds than ideal but if we stayed put the weather was not expected to improve for another week. High tide was due at 9.28am although it takes a while after high tide for the flood to go to slack so we could expect some rather upright waves for an hour or two, and that’s what we got, 2m breaking waves on a very boisterous sea with the occasional bigger set going through. Fortunately through Karel’s forecasts we knew that things would settle by 11am which they did to the extent that by midday we had very little wind at all to sail by.
The previous evening I had taken the time to set my sail up so it could be reefed to 2/3 of its normal size and this was a good move as I was able to use it successfully during the windier time in the morning, letting the reef out in the afternoon to get what assistance was available from the wind.
The tides were expected to push us in both directions fairly equally so our main consideration for today’s heading was drift due to the wind and we altered our bearing by 10 degrees to the west initially, correcting a small amount later as we could see how we were going in relation to our direct course line. Intelligent use of the information available for currents and winds in Bass Strait makes the crossing so much more predictable and safer.
The total distance for the day was 62.4kms and we were in the kayaks for 9hrs and 19minutes, not our longest day but long enough and we were all glad to get out of the kayaks and elated at having put the biggest crossing behind us.
We are now camped at the Killiecrankie campground, a basic little campground run by two of the most helpful ladies you could hope to meet, nothing is too much trouble for them. We plan to visit Whitemark tomorrow to buy some more supplies. We had planned to have a counter meal but the only pub in town doesn’t serve counter meals at midday on weekends. Bummer! So it will be a pizza then around to the pub for a couple of beers.
Sunday we will start working our way down the west coast of Flinders Island, probably camping at Emita on Sunday night.

update mrng WSW to W 15 to 20 knts 11 am WSW to W 10 to 15 knts 2 pmW to NW 5 to 10 knts 5pm NW 10 to 5 knts 8pm E 5 to 10knts 11pm ENE 10 to 15 knts seas 0.50 to 1 mtr frm SW late aft chng to E dir
have a good one :-)
karel

Beginning the longest crossing

First light on the cliffs of Deal Island

Killiecrankie Beach at last :-)

That tiny little boat.....

Winter Cove

2011-03-17T15:16:00.008+11:00

Today we moved camp from West Cove, Erith Is to Winter Cove, Deal Island.
As we packed our kayaks this morning a pod of 10 dolphin playedin the bay. Once launched, we paddled over to them and they came across to check us out then swam alongside and under the kayaks for a distance. It was a blustery morning with a few nice gusts but we were fairly sheltered by the island as we paddled. I am now sitting on the side of a hill about 200 metres above Winter Cove, a magnificent deep inlet with a broad white sand beach and turquoise water. It doesn't get much better. Past the headland I can see Wright Rock 20 kilometres away and Craggy Island 37 kilometres away with Flinders Is faintly visible behind. That's where we hope to be tomorrow evening, 65 kilometres away. The forecast isn't fantastic but at least the winds are expected to ease. We plan on leaving around 8 am to miss the chance of large breaking waves caused by a 2 knot current setting to the SW against a 20 knot SW wind. By 8 am the current will be close to slack and we should have an easier time.

Winter Cove

On Erith Island

2011-03-15T15:28:00.012+11:00

Yesterday we had an easy day exploring this marvellous area. In the morning Mark and I paddled around to the Swashway (the low point between Erith Is and Dover Is that goes underwater at high tide). Some of the others did it on foot, our way was easier!
Also today the caretakers and ranger dismantled the toilet, a real shame, now we have to go bush again!
In the afternoon we all paddled across to Deal Island to do a little exploring. We walked up to the lighthouse to see our next destination a looong way away. Then we took a look at the fascinating museum and took a short walk down to Little Squally Cove. Visited the Swashway on the way back and paddled through it just because :)
Today a very lazy day, currently watching 4 paddlers down below struggling against a strong tidal flow at the end of a long day. Company tonight. Looks like we won't be out of here until Monday at least.

Museum on Deal Island

View from Deal Island lighthouse back towards Dover and Erith Islands

Deal Island lighthouse globes

View to the lighthouse from the museum

A sad history

Little Squally Cove

Deal Island haulageway

Erith and Dover islands, Deal Island in the background

Looking across to Dover Island

Curtis Island at sunset

Wright Rock and Craggy Island in the far distance, our next destination

Erith Island

2011-03-13T09:59:00.011+11:00

We finally paddled into West Cove on Erith Is with the last of the flood yesterday afternoon. Our group left Hogan Island at 9.15 am with the aim of arriving at Erith at slack tide. Using Tidetech we set a course 20 degrees north of the Kent Group knowing that the current would carry us down to Erith. Once again it worked a treat :)
Apart from a light headwind at times conditions were spectacularly good with calm seas and a low rolling 1 to 1.5 metre swell from the SE. We saw Albatross, gulls, Petrel and Gannets as well as a couple of big schools of fish ( fortunately no BIG fish :) as well as having to stop and wait for a large British cargo ship whose captain was very friendly and more than a little curious as to what we were doing out there (contact by VHF). Paddling all of the way was tiring and we were all pleased to get out of the boats at Erith Is.
We will be staying here in the Kent Group for a few days then it is the big jump (65+ kms) to Flinders.
I'm sitting on a hill looking out over a headland and bay looking back across to Hogan Island off in the distance. It's a perfect sunny morning with a light breeze from the east. Far off in the distance behind Hogan I can just see Wilson's Promontory 83 kilometres away. Fabulous :)

updte sat mrng e 5 to 15 knts noon ne 5 to 15 knts aft ene to ne 5 to 10 knts seas 0.50 to 1.50 mtr frm sw and ese dir
karel

This ship had a captain happy to chat

Sea fog over part of the Kent Group

Rounding into Murray Pass

Sunset at West Cove, Erith Island

Erith Island hut

Wallabi Cove

Sunset over Murray Pass

East Cove, Deal Island

The Caretaker's Garden

Goodbye Hogan

2011-03-11T20:44:00.010+11:00

Well after 2 (and a bit) fantastic days on Hogan Is we plan to leave this beautiful island and paddle over to the Kent Group tomorrow. Today was sunny but a little windy in contrast to yesterday which was almost dead calm but misty/drizzly. The island has plenty of wildlife, hawks, cape barren geese (saw a group of 32 today)other sea birds including sea eagles, lots and lots of really, really noisy penguins and rats galore :) along with a few cows. It is lush and green and everybody has thoroughly enjoyed their stay here. It was interesting to look across to Deal this afternoon as the tide hit full ebb and battled against the NE wind creating large breaking waves. We will sneak past the sleeping giant tomorrow and give those waves a miss.
Once again we planned our passage using Tidetech to determine how far we aim off (20 degrees) and Karel Vissel's excellent forecasts which have been very accurate.

Hogan Island hut

Hogan Island campsite

Cattle yard

Plenty of these noisy little fellows!

Logbook entries

Another local, the Australian Swamp Rat. At least he is a native :-)

Tent under a dark sky

Kent Group in the distance

Cape Barren Geese

Hogan Island

2011-03-10T10:34:00.007+11:00

Yesterday we paddled to Hogan Is. Up at 5.00, away by 7am. 10 hrs and 54.8 kms later we paddled into our little cove at Hogan. We did our calculations for the current using Tidetech and paddled on a bearing of 90 degrees ( rather than 100 direct to Hogan) for the first 7 hrs, corrected slightly toward Hogan as the wind was blowing us sideways a little and the end result was a perfect curve straight into Hogan arriving at slack water. Thanks Tidetech! Good conditions on the way across, fabulous sunrise then very hazy. For awhile it looked like we were going to be paddling in sea fog, not good in a busy shipping lane, but fortunately the fog cleared and we maintained visibility. We paddled for 4 hrs before faintly seeing Hogan by which time Wilsons Promontory was well and truly gone. An unusual feeling being out of sight of everything bar a few distant islands! Poured with rain last night which at least drowned out the noise of the penguins and the rats scurrying around. At least 2 days here then hopefully on to Deal Is on Saturday.

updt thu mrng s to sw 5 to 10 knts s to sse 5 to15 knts aft se 5 to 15 knts seas 0.50 to 1.50 mtr frm se
karel

Leaving Refuge Cove, a stunning dawn

We had to cross a busy coastal shipping channel, eyes peeled

Refuge Cove

2011-03-07T17:20:00.007+11:00

Today we paddled down to Refuge Cove on Wilson's Promontory. 46km in very light winds.An early start, up at 4am, carried the loaded boats 300metres to the water (just about the hardest part of the day!)and on the water around 6am. Wonderful spot here, very sheltered. Tomorrow possibly head off to Hogan Island.

Leaving at 6am

Our first sunrise

Rabbit Island

The "yacht (and kayak) fence".

Refuge Cove

Preparation

2011-03-06T11:09:00.020+11:00

Two of us drove our cars with 6 kayaks loaded and lots of gear to Melbourne. First we sailed across to Melbourne on the Toll Transport ship and then drove down to Port Welshpool to meet the others who had flown across.
My good mate Mick McRobb drove down from Bairnsdale to pick our cars up. He will take them back to Bairnsdale and look after them until we can fly back over and bring them back home.

The beginning of the adventure

Sunset from the Toll Transport ship as we crossed Bass Strait the easy way...

Packing the kayaks

How much does 30 days supplies weigh?

2011-03-02T22:40:00.001+11:00

Today I repacked the boat with just about everything I am taking on the trip. Including 18 litres (18kgs) of water the total load came to 60.5kgs. And amazingly I had 27kgs in the front hatch and 27.5kgs in the day and rear hatch with a further 6 litres of water in a Dromedary bag in the cockpit so a perfectly balanced boat!

Variety

2011-02-28T22:00:00.002+11:00

We have a range of kayaks doing the trip. A P+H Cetus, a Rockpool GT, 2 Nadgee Solo's, a Southern Raider,and a Tassie Greenlander. All different, all good.

Time ticks along....

2011-02-28T21:55:00.001+11:00

Our good mate Laurie Geoghegan of http://nadgeekayaks.com.au/ is putting together a comprehensive repair kit for the group. We hope we don't need to use it but better to be prepared.

Transport arranged

2011-02-24T13:24:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I received confirmation that we will be able to get 2 cars and 6 kayaks onto a Toll Transport ship next week. Toll are generously providing support to us in the form of transportation across Bass Strait (the easy way!)

What goes in the kayak?

2011-02-24T13:20:00.001+11:00

Today I did a trial pack to see if it is all going to fit. 30 days food, fuel and camping/paddling/walking gear. It fits!
First photo is all the gear to go in.

After everything had been packed into the kayak.

GT surgery

2011-02-15T07:35:00.001+11:00

Today the GT goes to a fibreglass specialist to have a little surgery. Tomorrow I will mount the mast then it will finally be ready. Yesterday two of us paddled out 20kms into the middle of Storm Bay hoping for a forecast 20 knot seabreeze to push us back in. We had to be content with 10 knots, still enough to have fun and sail in but 20 would have been better!

The GT is on its way!

2011-02-08T16:17:00.001+11:00

Good news, today the boys at Expedition Kayaks took my Rockpool GT to the airport in Sydney to be freighted down to Tassie. It has had a couple of modifications, the front bulkhead moved forward and an electric pump fitted. All I have to do is fit the mast and it's good to go!

The Kayak

2011-01-18T17:32:00.002+11:00

My new kayak that I will use for the Strait crossing is being prepared in Sydney by Expedition Kayaks. It is a Rockpool GT, a fine Welsh kayak built by master boat builder Mike Webb. As soon as i receive it I will fit a Flat Earth Sail to it supplied by Mick McRobb.

The Route

2010-12-21T00:01:00.002+11:00

We will start at Port Welshpool, paddle down to Refuge Cove and then begin the first major crossing, paddling 52kms to Hogan Island. The next step is 40 kms from Hogan Island to the Kent Group including Deal Island. The longest crossing follows, paddling 60+kms from Deal Island to Flinders Island. We will work our way down the Western side of Flinders Island before hopping across to Cape Barren Island and then crossing the notorious Banks Strait before landing at Little Musselroe Bay. A total of approximately 320kms.

View Bass Strait in a larger map

More support

2010-12-20T13:19:00.006+11:00

Predictwind, a sophisticated means of getting the very best in wind forecasts has agreed to provide us with their latest version of forecasting software http://forecast.predictwind.com. The weather is critical in a Bass Strait crossing and Predictwind will add another layer of safety to our paddle.
Also, Karel Vissel of http://www.kayakweather.com will be providing twice daily forecasts. With the excellent Bureau of Meteorology forecasts, Predictwind and Karel's forecasts we should be able to approach the crossing with the best in weather information.
Another tool at our disposal will be the fantastic tidal and current information available from Tidetech. http://www.tidetech.org This software gives tidal current direction and speed at any point every half hour in Bass Strait up to 4 days ahead. Absolutely invaluable.

Support

2010-12-20T13:15:00.003+11:00

My employer, Norske Skog, has generously donated an Asus netbook to enable me to post to my blog during the crossing. They have also arranged transport for our boats and two cars from Burnie to Melbourne with a business partner, Toll Transport. We are indebted to these two companies for their support.

Preparation

2010-12-20T13:13:00.001+11:00

We are all busy preparing ourselves, body and boat for the Strait crossing.Getting the miles in, together and alone is important to increase our fitness.