Australia - land of Bikinis (sorry) BBQs and beaches - really

[Neeves]

I thought this might provide some interest:

https://www.mysailing.com.au/cruising/the-winter-wonderland-that-is-tassie-s-south-west

No Bikinis but lots of contradictions.

Jonathan

 

[NormanS]

Hi Jonathan, thanks for that. Not sure that I would choose the winter for that area, but many of the photos look just like the West Coast here. Mind you, that's what I kept thinking in Patagonia also.

 

[Neeves]

Hi Jonathan, thanks for that. Not sure that I would choose the winter for that area, but many of the photos look just like the West Coast here. Mind you, that's what I kept thinking in Patagonia also.

Patagonia is bigger than either your West Coast or Tasmania and their weather is sized accordingly. We were in Patagonia at the height of summer - and there was still a decent amount of snow high up. There is an uncanny resemblance to parts of Scotland, inluding the weather - everything is the same sort of scale - though the SW of Tassie is considerably more isolated than anywhere in Scotland (hence the need for HF (or sat phone is you are more monied). To make you feel right at home - there are a couple, maybe more, malt whisky distilleries.

Now that I have reached the age of maturity - we are not venturing to Tasmania in the winter either. There is a circumnavigation rally round Tasmania every 2 year, not our scene, and as long as you keep out of their way and schedule you still have the place largely to yourselves.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Jonathan

 

[ffiill]

Patagonia is bigger than either your West Coast or Tasmania and their weather is sized accordingly. We were in Patagonia at the height of summer - and there was still a decent amount of snow high up. There is an uncanny resemblance to parts of Scotland, inluding the weather - everything is the same sort of scale - though the SW of Tassie is considerably more isolated than anywhere in Scotland (hence the need for HF (or sat phone is you are more monied). To make you feel right at home - there are a couple, maybe more, malt whisky distilleries.

Now that I have reached the age of maturity - we are not venturing to Tasmania in the winter either. There is a circumnavigation rally round Tasmania every 2 year, not our scene, and as long as you keep out of their way and schedule you still have the place largely to yourselves.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Jonathan

Flinders and Bass did the circumnavigation in a 28 foot schooner in the 1790s when the nearest town was Port Jackson(Sydney)

 

[Neeves]

They, and those who came immediately afterwards, are the reason the Admiralty Pilot books are so useful - much of the exploration and cartography was conducted using vessels not much different to ours, HMS Bramble was a bit bigger (and gives its name to Bramble Cove in Port Davey. Even now vessels not much bigger than ours are all that can navigate in many of the Tasmanian anchorages and not much has changed (addition of some lights) since Bass and Flinders (and parts of the charts are still 'white'). We use a pre-war Pilot Book and it is difficult to find any 'new' information in the more recent 'commercial' or privately produced cruising guides.

I'm sure the weather systems have not changed since Bass and Flinders (and the voyages of the Bramble (and Rattlesnake) made their voyages - which makes their voyages so much more heroic than anything we attempt (where being caught out by a Southerly Storm off the Southern Ocean would be 'character building')

Jonathan