By Sunday, we were still not free to resume cruising and Pam and David, having heard about the Curried Scallop Pies available at the Petty Sessions Cafe in Franklin, suggested we go on a road trip with them to re-sample these gems. We piled into their brothers' little car together with their little dogs and called into Cygnet on the way. It's always amazing to revisit places where you've previously arrived via the water. Destinations that took hours to reach are suddenly just 10 and 20 minutes down the road.
Market Day at Cygnet.
Pam, David and the little doggies stocking up.
The Curried Scallop pies were once again deemed a success and before leaving Franklin we visited the chandelers shop there. As usual we dropped another $100 in the till for some incidental items which on this occasion included new fingerless sailing gloves. You be the judge, but the photo of my gloves which were not even as bad as the Blokes, clearly indicate that after 7 years they were well past their use by date.
The old and the new.
David was a good sport and needed no prompting from Pam to pull over for cherries. I do hope that The Bloke was taking notes! More rain with the most recent bout of winds meant still more damage to crops. This grower was lucky, he told us he had already taken off 80% of his crop before the bad weather and that his other crop (apples) was actually in need of the rain. It still pained him to think of the loss of 20% of his cherries that were intended for the very lucrative China market. We became the beneficiaries of slightly less than perfect (we couldn't tell), but still delicious, cherries of both formidable size and flavour.
These are 'Lapins' and shown with a 20c piece for context.
Monday, at last gave way to a pleasant day. We began with a coffee at the Mermaid Cafe at the Kettering wharf before paying for the extra night at the Marina office where we ran into Jerry who supplies a bunch of flowers for the reception desk each week. He must have hundreds of shrubs to supply the weekly bunches and was a little disappointed this week because the rain had damaged the buds.
As we were preparing to leave Southern Belle began circling, waiting to pull up to the fuel jetty. I was very animated because this is another boat I'd been 'watching on Skipr.net and a new commer to Tasmanian waters like us! Gayle is also a member of the Women Who Sail Australia Face Book page. We'll try and catch up somewhere after they return from their visit to Port Arthur.
In the mood to blow off a bit of steam after being cooped up for so many days we embarked eastwards on a trip across Storm Bay and Frederick Henry Bay as far as Norfolk Bay. We eventually rafted up with Pierrette in Little Norfolk Bay off the tittle village of Taranna which is on the Arthur Highway. Most road traffic going into Port Arthur and Nubeena pass through here. It was certainly sheltered from easterlies and south easterlies but by morning the wind was more north easterly and starting to chirp up and funnel into the bay. We took off in search for something more suitable for the northerly conditions.
Since we were near, we thought we'd check out Eaglehawk Neck. Technically it should offer shelter from the north as it is the valley between 2 large hills, one north and one south of the channel. Sadly it was as we'd guessed, just an alleyway for the wind to rush through. We'd passed this 'gap' on the seaward side in November and had speculated that the hills we could see through the gap might be Hobart. We confirmed that it was Mount Wellington that we had glimpsed through the cleft!
Mount Wellington dominates the skyline and is visible from a long way off.
Enthusiasm for living among the trees not diminished even with clear evidence of bush fires.
Lots of re-growth suggests close calls!
Lots of re-growth suggests close calls!
We tried another recommended anchorage at Dunbabbin Point, which we hoped would solve our 'bobbing' in the by now 35knots. Suddenly sensing deja vous and shades of anchoring in similar conditions at Doubtful Island Bay close to a year ago, we decided that we'd take the 'downhill ride' on offer straight back to the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. There are plenty of hiding places there when its blowing a northerly. We were already kitted up and attired in full 'foulies' + sea boots and sprinted back to Barnes Bay in improving conditions. In the end we had a brilliant sail back, achieving plenty of time at 7+knots before anchoring in a known location that we, by now, feel very comfortable in.
An attractive headland with red lichen near South Arm.
Sailing close to the Iron Pot.
It sits on a tilted ledge of rock and it's deep right up to the ledge on the south side.
Cray pots are everywhere on the shoaling west side!
Summer is coming... we are sure of it!
Summer is coming... we are sure of it!
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