Bass Strait Updates

Trip Notes for 3 March 2006

Rest Day on Deal Island

Adrian's birthday: Fresh tomatoes, pancakes & song

Yesterday we came in through this pass.

A free ride with the 6-Wheeler to the lighthouse!

No ocean around us, all fog.

Underwater encounter.

Rest Day on Deal Island. Man, we deserve this! Up late. It is Adrian's birthday, and the bugger hadn't told us about it. However, we are smart, had found out, and surprised him with pancakes and fresh tomatoes from the caretakers Linda and Tony, accompagnied by a Happy Birthday song for breakfast. It is soooo good to have a day off with no detailed plant what to do. Snorkel with sting ray. Adrian and Bruce train their eskimo roll in East Cove. Kevin and I walk onto Barn Hill, overlooking Murrays Pass again. Kevin is hungry, the boomerang of not having proper dinner the night before. Lunch at the museum of the island where we also find the log books of the last 10 years. It seems that sea kayaking across Bass Strait started in the 1980 and increased ever since 2002. Today, there is hardly any page in the log book which doesn't bear the word kayaker. Mind you, quite often people tend to get stuck on the islands due to weather.

Neil and Gwyn reside in the 2nd cottage — Neil grew up on Deal as a boy, his father being the lighthouse keeper. This trip is a visit to his boyhood. Sea fog all around the islands, we can't see the water at all. After lunch, Tony drives Neil and Gwyn up to the lighthouse to check out the weather for a potential helicopter landing. He offers Kev and I a lift on his six-wheeler. THAT is the way to move: sitting on the six-wheeler, moving without moving ;) From lighthouse we see sea fog in all directions, only the top of the hills on Deal are in sunshine. The "three boys" are on their way to Flinders now. How are they doing in the sea fog? Will they find their way? Will they get sea sick? And what will our decision tomorrow be if the fog doesn't lift? We had hoped to look back over Wright Rock and Craggy, instead we wonder how kayaking long distances in fog might feel like?

Tony and Linda invite us to plunger coffee with real milk and hot (!) home-baked scones with jam, plus a sit in a sofa. I almost fall asleep, so much am I enjoying the comforts of a house. Neil and Gwyn will depart the next day, we manage to bludge some milk powder off them since we are running low on it. Wallabies all over the place. Cape Barren geese in the cottage compound. The sea fog forecast for the next day worries us a little — shipping and sea sickness are our concerns. Penguins are again noisy at night!

No kayaking stats for today.

A text message which never made it through due to atmospheric conditions and sea fog

Rest day on Deal Island. Climbing hill (again). Saw the three boys off in the morning. Weather: calm and sea fog. Possibly Hogan Island Saturday. Happy birthday, Adrian! A, B, C, K.

Notes on the Weather (Issued at 11:20am on Thursday the 2nd of March 2006)
Recent Events:

A 1032 hPa high was centred to the northeast of Tasmania this morning and was expected to remain nearly stationary during today and Friday as a weakening cold front and trough slowly approach from the west. The trough and front should cross the south and east of the state on Saturday. Isolated fog patches overnight and this morning about the southwest and midlands, otherwise it was fine statewide. Cloudy about the northwest this morning with mostly clear skies in the remainder. Fresh to strong easterly winds about the northwest with chiefly light and variable winds elsewhere.

Minimum Temperatures during the 24 hours to 9am:

were around 1 to 5 degree above average in the northwest with remaining districts mostly near average to 4 degrees below. The lowest reported temperature was 2 degrees recorded at Lake St Clair and Liawenee.

Rainfall during the 24 hours to 9am:

No significant rainfall.

Coastal Waters Forecast (Issued at 5:00 am EDT on Friday 3 March 2006)
Victoria East Coast, Wilsons Promontory to 60nm east of Gabo Island:

Friday until midnight: Northeast wind 15/20 knots, easing to 10/15 knots over western waters during the day. Afternoon inshore seabreezes around 15 knots. Seas 1.5 to 2.5 metres decreasing to 1 to 1.5 metres. Easterly swell 1 to 1.5 metres.

Saturday: Variable wind to 10 knots tending southeasterly at 10/15 knots in the afternoon. Afternoon inshore seabreezes to 15 knots. Seas 1 to 2 metres. Easterly swell to 1.0 to 1.5 metres.

Sunday: East to northeast wind 10/15 knots. Afternoon inshore seabreezes to 15 knots. Seas 1 to 2 metres. Easterly swell 1 to 1.5 metres.

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

Friday until midnight: East to northeasterly winds 5 to 15 knots, 20 knots offshore at first. Seas to 2 metres. Chiefly east to northeast swell to 1 metre.

Saturday: Variable winds to 15 knots tending northeasterly to 20 knots later in the day. Inshore afternoon sea breezes. Seas 1 to 2 metres. Chiefly westerly swell to 1 metre.

Sunday: East to northeast winds 5 to 15 knots becoming variable in the afternoon before tending westerly at 5 to 15 knots late. Seas to 1.5 metres. Westerly swell near 1 metre.

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

Friday until midnight: North to northeast winds 10 to 20 knots, tending northwesterly later. Seas 1 to 2 metres. East to northeast swell near 1 metre.

Saturday: Northwest winds 5 to 15 knots tending southerly at 10 to 20 knots in the morning, then southeasterly later. Winds possibly reaching 25 knots near the change. Seas 1 to 2 metres. Confused swell to 1 metre tending southerly.

Sunday: Southeast winds 5 to 15 knots becoming variable during the morning. Seas to 1.5 metres. Chiefly southerly swell to 1 metre.