Esperance to Fremantle in 16 days
This is the second of Tim’s wonderful newsletters that we have published on SWS. He is undoubtably one of the last true woodenboat adventurers and is an inspiration for those of us looking for more from our time on the water than sailing well varnished, museum pieces, around in small triangles!
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Tim’s Cruising News
18th April 2021
From Esperance to Fremantle, 16 days! You may recall we sailed the JANE KERR from Queenscliff to Esperance over 12 months ago where we intended to leave her for 3 weeks until returning at Easter. COVID-19 intervened, and 3 weeks became over a year! You may also recall we were off to the MoU Box to make a film on the traditional Indonesian fishermen who sail from Rote to Ashmore Reef and dive for sea cucumber and fish under sail, if interested more info here.
Gary Kerr, Joy Phillips and I flew into Esperance to find the boat in remarkably good condition, but with a foot of weed hanging off the hull.
A beach walk the morning after sleeping on the boat at Esperance. A swim and a surf, then back to readying the boat for sea. This beach is just out the front of where we left the boat at Bandy Creek…truly magnificent.
This trip was about 600 nautical miles around Cape Leeuwin. Big distances in W.A, the next trip we’re planning from Freo to Broome is the same distance as Sorrento to Esperance!
JANE KERR, built by Gary Stewart, and ROSANDRA, built by Gary’s father Ron Stewart, tied-up at Bandy Creek, so very far from home. Whilst the ROSANDRA requires a lot of work, she would make a wonderful cruiser.
Onboard we have this small fibreglass dinghy, unfortunately we lost the huon pine clinker a year or so prior on the Tassie west coast. This was heading off from Esperance, the best we could make was about 7 knots. After a while it creeped up to 8 with the weed coming off.
West Australian sunsets…stunning. One of our favourite pastimes are sundowners watching the west sun disappear.
First stop was Figure of Eight Island, the furthermost western island in the Recherche Archipelago.
Lucky enough to hook this lovely little bluefin tuna for dinner.
Joy prepared a delicious seafood dinner!
Looking out from the gulch on Figure of Eight island, was a really nice walk just before sunset, and a beautiful anchorage.
That sunset again, it’s a real feature of the West. We made a couple of day hops on our way to Albany, calling in at Investigator Island (you can’t get away from Matthew Flinders anywhere on the Australian coast!) and Bremer Bay.
I’m taking in the last of the rays, as for Gary, he’s not mad on the sun. The JANE KERR has a full width, battened awning and it’s a wonderful asset. It’s strung from the top of the boom, between the wheelhouse and the mast. When it’s not required it’s just folded up and lives on top of the wheelhouse roof.
I pre-organised to slip the boat at Albany, and we did so at Emu Point, the second biggest inlet in King George Sound. The fella that did this was Darren, I previously talked to him on the phone as he built a Will Baillieu-designed couta boat, organised by Jack Baxter for Chris Norman. Darren did an excellent job.
Whilst the boat was on the slip, we did some touring. Standing on the boat and in the above image is world-renowned scrimshaw artist Gary Tonkin. His remarkable work is something to behold. We had never seen anything like it before. That piece we’re looking at is 13’, all relief work, he started it 20 years ago.
A visit to the Albany Whaling Museum is a must. The shell collection you see here is about 20 percent of what’s on display.
The Anzac full-size monument depicting an ANZAC digger and his warhorse is very special. 40,000 diggers departed Albany for Gallipoli; this is their monument.
A lugger in a similar state of disrepair as the STORM BAY was, certainly bought back memories. She was at Emu Point awaiting restoration.
Right on cue the couta boat Sally Anne turns up at Emu Point along with our revamped 12’ dinghy. The driver had only left WBS on Friday afternoon and delivered the dinghy at lunchtime on Monday. Off we go to Denmark, about 50 km west of Albany, to deliver this classic Lorne couta boat that’s been at Sorrento for the last 60 years. Her new owner is John Sampson, that’s him with the ear-to-ear smile!
Couta boat sailing in Denmark. John Sampson, Garry Kerr and myself. We found Denmark a most charming town. The waterway is about 16 miles long, and quite wide.
After the sailing it was sea shanties in the boatshed. Just a small group of people, all woodies, with the love of boats and the sea. One could definitely live here.
Next day we went swimming in the rock pools on the ocean side. Beautiful spot, water was 22 degrees.
Back in Albany, here’s the AORERE built by E.E Phillips (no relation) at St. Kilda in about 1890, surprised to see her at Albany.
We were running a little bit behind time, so we decided on an overnighter and rounded Cape Leeuwin at dawn and headed for Dunsborough.
That evening whilst we were sailing past Eagle Bay, I was dumbfounded to get a text from my brother-in-law Scotty “are you sailing past in the Jane Kerr”, “yep” I replied, “that’s us”. We do get around the coast a bit! We arranged to have breakfast with Scott and Amanda the next morning.
It was quite joggly going around the Leeuwin, can certainly see why this is one of the three major great Capes of the world.
When at anchor we generally leave the mizzen up, which on these boats is called “the mule”. The sail is cut relatively flat and keeps the boat hanging into the breeze when trimmed hard-in.
Garry Kerr, what a pleasure it is cruising with this man, next year he’s planning his 60th uninterrupted crayfishing season.
Garry had the JANE KERR built by Gary Stewart in 1981, he fished her for about 6 years before purchasing a bigger boat, then his deckhand Dougie McDougal took over her ownership. I purchased her about 2012.
The trolling arms are great for fishing, the transom is all huon pine, finished clear.
At Parakeet Bay, Rottnest Island, the day before we went into Freo. We moseyed around and this looked like a lightly spot to put the pick down. It was great! Lovely beach and excellent swimming. Next morning in the VSR we went around to Thompson Bay, the main destination of Rottnest, to have breakfast.
Parakeet Bay, from the sandhill.
Garry, the Tasmanian Cray King.
On tying up at Fremantle Sailing Club, Igor Bjorksten said hi. He sailed with us in the couta boat SALLY in 1983. He’s now a rigger and shipwright, just happened to have a few jobs for him on JANE KERR!
So, another cruise is done. Notice the 12’ dinghy on the roof with the electric outboard, a great combination. The dinghy is lug rigged, and a great carrier of people.
Beautiful to see GREEN MOON, our newly launched Efficient 44, on her mooring at Sorrento.
Next we’re off to the Abrolhos, Ningaloo Reef, the Montebello Islands and Broome. Planning to be away for about 3 weeks, stay tuned.
Was just wondering if there would be any interest in others joining us for a cruise around Australia, sometime in the future? It’s about 7000 NM, the longest leg between fuel about 650 NM. Let’s know if there’s some interest?
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Story by Tim Phillips at The Wooden Boat Shop.
