2 March 2011 Port Davey, Tasmania

Bleak, rainy, cold yet magnificent, that's Tasmania's SW coast - in Summer! The winds here at 43S howl in unencumbered across vast distances of the Southern Ocean. Illywhacker is tied in a web of lines to stunted trees ashore with 2 other boats in a small cove off the Bathurst Channel. We need to wait 2 more days for a projected lull before we can explore this fascinating place. The surface waters are such a dark tannin that no light reaches down more than a metre or so and the sealife there is more like that found at much deeper ocean depths. It is a unique and beautiful waterway just a few days sail (plus some judicious picking of the right weather) away from illywhacker's berth in Kettering. Very special cruising.