Leg 29 - Port Fairy to Grassy Harbour, King Island - Half way across Bass Strait

Although we haven't quite finished reporting on Port Fairy, especially as we were very active in our last few days there, the red dot does not lie and we are once again on the move. We had a 2 day weather window for our 24hr passage across the biggest bit of Bass Strait. The Thursday forecast was offering 15-20knots and 3-4m swells decreasing by late afternoon. Friday was promising 10knots and 2m swells ahead of a change on Saturday. Decisions, decisions! One thing was for sure, if we didn't take this window it would be at least another 5 days before we could leave. So we entertained visitors on Wednesday night, got cleaned up, slept in, went out for a BIG breakfast and left at lunchtime to take advantage of early winds, improving conditions and no pressure that the window would close before we arrived at our destination.

 

All being well we won't get any of this stuff caught on our prop to slow us down.
 

We corkscrewed along through the swells parallel to the coast with just our headie up for the first 7 hours before breaking away to a more southerly route ahead of Cape Otway and giving our propulsion a bit more support with the motor. My mal de mer meant the galley was closed for the night and the bloke knew he was a legend for having insisted earlier on a giant farewell breakfast at Rebecca's Cafe.

The Cape Wickham lighthouse emerged at dawn.

It's the tallest in Australia, at 48m and built in 1861.

We were within easy sight of the Cape Wickham lighthouse by dawn and doddled along down the lee side of King Island with the absence of both wind and swell in the middle of a high pressure system. We encountered some overfalls as a result of the outflowing tide abeam of the lighthouse with a 2kn current.

 Yikes it's official - we have entered the 'Roaring Forties'!

Focusing on the leads 

This is Frog Rock (photo taken from the land).

Even though you have to aim it initially you 'chuck a right' before you reach it.

Looking back at the entrance of the harbour.

Could have bought a surfboard!

What a welcome sight!

'Whiskers' a local fisherman and great friend of Max had already been contacted and was ready to guide us to a mooring.

 Infrastructure to assist the weekly ferry.

 'Whiskers' decided to swap moorings and put us on his.

 Yanking up the mooring chain!

We are glad we left yesterday; we like sailing into better weather. An overnighter does take it out of us and we are glad to have arrived and knocked off a substantial part of the Bass Strait! Now for some sleep. Sweet sleep!