Minke II: Stanley - Devonport

The passage from Three Hummock to Stanley was quite interesting. We decided to leave early before a 30-35knt Westerly blow was due later in the day and make for the port of Stanley. We had a quick passage averaging about 6 knots and arrived to a very foggy port, we could hardly see "The Nut" - Stanley's main attraction, a giant rock on the headland as you enter the port - and relied heavily on the radar to confirm the position of the land relative to the boat. A very tight entrance into the port saw us tied to a fishing boat wharf with a 3 metre tide - interesting.

That night a 30-35 knot wind blew in from the West as forecast and we were glad to be in the safety of the port even though we had a relatively uncomfortable night adjusting fenders and lines as the tide raced in and out. Little did we know that worse was to come.

On my birthday we climbed The Nut and took a heap of photos. It's a very impressive rock and makes the town quite unique. We also bought a Crayfish from the docks for $65 per Kilo - Cheapest I've seen for a long time. It was a birthday to remember.

Sunday night there was another Westerly blow forecast for about 30-35 knots. We weren't concerned at that stage as we had been in worse and felt quite safe. Well, lets just say they can't be right all of the time - we got 55 knots of natures finest. A wild night to say the least. Bass Voyager endured a night of being thrust hard against a swaying pylon of wood and concrete, bashing her beam and losing only paint. I climbed up on to the wharf a few times to check the lines and it was swaying more then our boat! When the wind dropped to 40 Knots we decided it was quiet enough to get some sleep (!)

We left Stanley on Tuesday morning after an exciting week and stayed at Table Cape, a small bay only 23Nm from Stanley. The next morning we upped anchored and made for Devonport. It is located on the Mersey River and is the landing port for the Spirit Of Tasmania. We have spent the day here at the Mersey River Yacht Club and we are happy with the facilities.

More to come....

The Nut, Stanley. We couldnt see this as we sailed in - it was blanketed in fog.