Bass Strait Updates

Trip Notes for 26 February 2006

From Lascars Bay (Cape Barren Island) to Whitemark (Flinders Island)

Guess the prevailing wind direction! Hint: Have a look at the choice of campsites

Fashion statement of three homeless paddlers

Left Lascars at high tide, on water at 8:30am. Headwind all the way to Stanley Hill Point. Cape Barren township has 72 people, of which 7 students in Primary and 6 students in High School. The youngest islander is 10 months old. Jeannette offers us fresh flake fillets. With frozen flake, we head across Franklin Sound. No apparent currents, all our decisions made on the wind alone. Beautifully calm on the sound.

Heading to Trousers Point. Battle around the headland, past prestine untouched rock formations covered in red lichen. Around the last point and into the bay. Shallow. Get out of the boats, have stretch & feed. I am tired. Decide to paddle on to Whitemark, another 11km into abating headwinds. Very shallow section (30cm deep) next to Big Green Island, slow drag over the shallows, not able to put paddle into the water properly. Hard to make out where exactly to locate Whitemark in the bay.

Dolphins welcome us into Whitemark, get a scare when they see us, then turn around and swim with us into the township. We land at public reserve south of the jetty at 5:45pm. People very friendly, offer us a lift to the Golf Club for a drink. They know Jeannette from Lady Barren Island. Petra takes my CDMA phone home to recharge it overnight. Beer in the Club, no dinner (too tired).

Stats for the day
  • 52 km in 9h 15mins, incl 2 breaks of 1 h each.
  • Average speed (excl. break): 7.17 km/h
Peter's summary of a phone call with Claudia

Adrian, Bruce, Claudia, and Kevin arrived in Whitemark on Flinders Island at around 6pm this afternoon. The night before they had camped at Lascars on Cape Barren Island's south coast where they were protected against the at that time northerly winds.

The weather forecast for today indicated a change of wind direction. And indeed the wind swung to south (into a tailwind) before lunchtime. Unfortunately, it wasn't as strong as the headwind which had slowed the group down during the first two days. They had lunch at Trousers Point on Flinders Island where some nice people who had just returned from a fishing trip gave them freshly caught flake. This has been the only encounter with a shark so far ;-)

The small community on Flinders Island seems to be a very friendly folk. After their arrival, Adrian, Bruce, Claudia, and Kevin were chauffeured to the golf club restaurant by two ladies in a 4WD who picked them up when they were standing at the "famous" Whitemark Pub — closed on Sundays ... — and still discussing what to do. During the short drive they learned some facts and figures about Flinders Island: Currently 102 kids go to school on the island (in contrast to 7 kids in primary and 6 in high school on Cape Barren Island). Any more questions?

Tomorrow will be a rest day — at least in terms of paddling — with a hike up Mount Strzelecki. They will get there in a rental car.

Let's see where they will get to on Tuesday: It might be Emita, it might be Killiecrankie (both on Flinders). The trip to Killiecrankie is more than 50km, but so was today's paddle. Hence, they already proved that they can cope with the distance.

Notes on the Weather (Issued at 11:20am on Saturday the 25th of February 2006)
Recent Events:

A high over the Tasman Sea will move slowly eastward today as a trough and cold front cross Tasmania. A ridge of high pressure is expected to extend over the state from the west later Sunday. Patchy rain and drizzle about most district this morning with fog patches also about the northeast and upper Derwent Valley. Overcast conditions statewide with chiefly light to moderate north to northwesterly winds.

Minimum Temperatures during the 24 hours to 9am:

were well above average statewide, mostly in the range of 4 to 7 degrees above average. The lowest reported temperature was 11 degrees recorded at Lake Leake, Maydene and Mt Wellington. Note: most minimum temperatures were yesterdays 9am reset temperature.

Rainfall during the 24 hours to 9am:

Light falls statewide, although isolated and very light about the east and midlands. The highest reported fall of 10 millimetres was recorded at Lake Margaret.

Coastal Waters Forecast (Issued at 5:00 am EDT on Sunday 26 Fabruary 2006)
Banks Strait and Franklin Sound:

Sunday until midnight: Chiefly south to southeast winds 10 to 20 knots, possibly 25 knots at first. Seas to 2 metres. Confused swell 1 metre.

Monday: Southerly winds 5 to 15 knots tending west to northwest. Seas to 1.5 metres. Confused swell 1 metre.

Tuesday: Westerly winds 10 to 20 knots increasing to 15 to 25 knots. Seas to around 2 metres. Confused swell near 1 metre.

Central North Coast, Stanley to the Northern Tip of Flinders Is:

Sunday until midnight: Southwest winds 10 to 20 knots, reaching 25 knots offshore. Winds lighter inshore with afternoon sea breezes. Seas 1 to 2 metres. Westerly swell to 1.5 metres.

Monday: Westerly winds 10 to 20 knots, reaching 25 knots offshore at first, easing below 15 knots with inshore afternoon sea breezes. Seas to 1.5 metres. Westerly swell 1 metre.

Tuesday: Westerly winds 10 to 20 knots, possibly reaching 25 knots later. Seas 1 to 2 metres. Westerly swell 1 metre.

East of Flinders Island, Northern Tip of Flinders Is to St Helens Pt:

Sunday until midnight: Chiefly southerly winds 15 to 25 knots, easing to 10 to 20 knots later. Seas 2 to 3 metres, decreasing. Confused swell near 1 metre.

Monday: Southerly winds 15 to 25 knots tending variable to 15 knots, with inshore afternoon sea breezes, then northerly later. Seas 2 to 3 metres decreasing. Confused swell near 1 metre.

Tuesday: Westerly winds 10 to 20 knots increasing to 15 to 25 knots. Seas to around 2 metres. Confused swell near 1 metre.