We left Triabunna and trundled up the East coast of Tasmania knowing we needed to be tucked into some protected anchorages along the way. First stop Schouten Passage, about 5 hr sail from Triabunna and arrived late pm to the anchorage with about 4-5 other fishing boats anchored (good indication that it was a good choice of anchorages if the local fisherman are there) it was a very quiet anchorage with minimal swell and protected us from the strong South-East winds. The next leg was to try for Bicheno, with it’s stores and grog shop so we could get well and truly stocked up for the next week as we await that perfect time to dash across the strait, as the winds were coming from the north we opted to go to Long Point to anchor a stop where we had picked up Valerie back in January when we first arrived in Tasmania. The swell was quite large when we got to Long Point so we headed back to Bicheno where we knew we could get a fishing boat mooring buoy as long as we were prepared to move off it if and when the fishing boat came back. Most times you get lucky and the fishing boat doesn’t show up so we took the chance and picked up the best looking fisherman’s mooring buoy, it looked like it could hold a 100 tonne vessel. No fishing boats around so figured that would be okay. Took the dinghy onto the sandy beach and found the grog shop right around the corner … and the IGA, can’t forget the IGA.

Bicheno apparently has a fish and chips shop that is ranked in the top 10 in Tasmania and we found it in the “gulch”. The fish n chips could have been fantastic but charging $45 for a seafood dinner for 2 was a little outrageous. Opted for the bakery and a local Aussie pie. What more could you ask for! After getting back to the boat and enjoying an evening where we know the boat is secure on this mooring buoy built for a boat 3 times our size, we get woken up at 0700 hrs by THE boat that belongs on this mooring buoy, all I heard in the am was “Wakey Wakey, may we please have our mooring buoy!”. The fishing boat had been out all night and now they needed to rest and recoup.

With the winds still to the north we headed back to Long Point and thank goodness the swell was more manageable . This provided some good protection albeit the winds were strong from the north and we were getting rocked around. Had to pull up the anchor and re-position to get away from the rocks. After spending 2 nights there we headed for the next port of call. Binalong Bay! Binalong Bay had been our first stop on arrival back in January and where we experienced some good old Tassie hospitality when Jacqui went and helped the guys off of the Sydney-Hobart yacht Mako to fetch some fuel. The swell was exactly the same as it had been then. We went ashore anyway to get rid of some garbage and recycle and to see if we could get some internet reception to check the weather. By this time the internet was becoming scarce. Down to taking screenshots of Windy.com weather. Talked to the guy in the local tour boat hut getting the most up to date weather. He explained that there was a good anchorage just a few nautical miles up the coast at Seaton Cove that provided good protection.

Seaton Cove turned out to be pretty good based on the weather that we were expecting but it wasn’t the best sleep with the constant rolling, in the morning there was another yacht that showed up that had come down from our next stop on the list and that was Eddystone Point. At Eddystone there wasn’t much going on, only more rolling. Eddystone point is a jumping off point to get across the Banks Strait to the Flinders Group and we set off for Burgess Bay. This was probably the best bet for the upcoming strong winds out of the west. We needed to stay here for an extra day before attempting the Bass Strait crossing. The weather on the following 2 days looks perfect for our type of sailing. Not too strong with minimal swells. The first night here in Burgess Bay was perfect as the wind came from the west and took care of any swell. Nice calm sleep. The second night however the winds had turned to the south, which is what we wanted but made for a bad swell into the bay. Get as much sleep as you can. Tomorrow the crossing begins!!