We were off early heading north, eleven of us out of the 18 originally booked and Wokka, our driver, all quietly knowing that with the four square metres distancing rule we should not be there at all; but the local organisers had not received the command to cancel, so we were hopeful that as we …
Advocates for the First Nation People of Australia Bessy’s parents were two of the aborigines I mentioned that were absorbed into the newcomers life in Albany. They worked for Henry, a government representative and Anne Camfield in the new town. Anne set up a school for aboriginal children where she organised lessons that would make …
There are many aspects of professional sailing that Mark Macrae is involved in; Skippering, sail training, yacht delivery, global racing, escorting visitors like us, advice and brokerage and the more time we spent with this congenial man the more we realised his local knowledge of sailing locations and onshore facilities in Western Australia is also …
The Roaring Forties are the motorway along which the engine of wind in the Southern Ocean powers unimpeded by any land and has its head during the Southern Hemisphere winter. So this area is best left alone for those months. During the summer months from November to May, while cyclones bare down on the northern …
Our first day ashore was immensely successful. Having eaten our breakfast to the calming sounds of the indigenous Karma radio station based in Alice Springs we sped the long distance from Zoonie to the Sailing Club Ramp thinking we might find someone there, but there was no sign of life. We had made contact with …
North West to Ceduna – A Town for All Seasons We watched amazed from the cockpit as a busy little cormorant fished around just beneath the water surface while the domineering (both in size and attitude) pelican kept a close eye on his fisher. The cormorant would then raise his head above water while presumably …
To the Alternative Portland Harbour Not the Portland Harbour we are familiar with in Dorset but its counterpart down under on the Victoria coast. After a last supper, games of Mexican Dominoes and scrambled eggs and smoked salmon breakfast the next morning we were making our way back to Strahan when our separate thinking came …
From Bron’s delicious Ploughman’s Lunch in Wombat Cove – Through Hell’s Gate to Strahan An early start brought us back to Wombat Cove on our way out of Bathurst Harbour and during the scenic journey, so reminiscent of the Highlands of Scotland, Bron was busy pummelling the life out of a pile of dough so …
The Leaving of Hobart down the Derwent River – And time to reflect At last we were off and Zoonie was back on track with Nichola, a yacht with an interesting heritage. Designed by renowned, prolific and versatile Australian designer and draftsman Joe Adams back in the 1970’s she is 32’ long, has a double …
Christmas Day Tassie Style You can see the joy on Rob’s face as he unwraps the ram, the amazement as Bron and Ken read about their bee hotel we bought in Coffs Harbour, my surprise and delight with Ken’s marine-scape acrylic painting of the hidden rising sun spreading its rays in a stormy sky with …