South & West- Tasmania’s True self
Looking North West across Schooner Cove, Port Davey, JANE KERR in the foreground
Last month we had the privilege of sailing from Hobart to Sorrento along the West Coast of Tasmania aboard the Cray boat JANE KERR. And I don’t use the word privilege lightly. Our hosts, were the founders and owners of the Wooden Boatshop, Sally and Tim Phillips, whose experience in these waters is second to none, excepting perhaps a few ageing fishermen who prised a living from this Tolkeinesque environment.
Now I don’t consider myself a novice. I’ve circumnavigated Tasmania on multiple occasions, and we have spent four of the last six summers cruising in Tasmania. However my knowledge of the West Coast harbours, anchorages, rivers and weather systems, is infinitesimally small in comparison to the trove of detail that the Phillips’ have amassed though their own exploration, and from the handing down of lived experiences from a multitude of fisherman friends.
The South and West coasts of Tasmania are places that demand respect. The isolation, the exposure to the southern ocean, the lack of communication, all conspire to make the coast daunting. But all coins have an obverse side, and with the right boat and a measured sense of adventure, the rewards gained from exploring this awesome (in the old fashioned sense) coastline far out weigh the hardships.
And having the right boat helps. And a 50ft strongly built Cray Boat with a six cylinder Gardner and a powerful tender is certainly a wonderful platform.
There are a few places on earth I have been to where words become pathetically inadequate to express the majesty. The Taj Mahal is one, the Rift Valley in East Africa another. I think the South West Corner of Tasmania belongs in this category, so instead of rambling on, here are a few images that might in some way explain the romance of such an adventure. (Click to enlarge)
