Back To Cruising

Port Lincoln

After many years, these cruises could be coming into the category associated with cruising by “gentlemen”, meaning that there is no sailing to windward. This is by intent and not just by chance. Age might be a factor, bearing in mind that two are aged in their mid-seventies and the rest average around 60.

The trip was basically to launch at Port Lincoln and first sail south with anchorages in Spalding Cove, Memory Cove and Snug Cove (Thistle Island) and after re-provisioning in Port Lincoln, spend the rest of the week at the Banks Group. The recovery of the boats to take place at Tumby Bay.

What happened was that during our sail south to Memory Cove, we heard that a strong northerly was forecast for the following day. Conferring on this information soon had a consensus that we would be better off in Spalding Cove rather than thrashing our way back the next day. In any case, the planned anchorages would be somewhat exposed if the wind backed through north for the expected change. As it turned out it was calm in Spalding Cove for our second night, so that we could have anchored just about anywhere in the Thorny Passage that night. It stayed calm until after lunch the next day, allowing a good opportunity to harvest razor fish at low water. The wind never really came in from the north but rather just picked up to about 25 knots from the north-west and by evening had backed to the south-west. At our anchorage off the beach where the track leads up to Flinders’ Monument on Stamford Hill there was a lot of dust being picked up on the shore as the gusts came through.

Next day was a brisk sail with sprung sheets into the town jetty at Port Lincoln, to re-provision and have a cappuccino fix. Although the wind had eased a bit in the morning, it was still in the south-west, with some afternoon sea breeze kick in it for our direct down wind sail to the Sir Joseph Banks Group, a clacker of a sail you might say. Full rig was a trifle uncomfortable on Musetta once we cleared to seaward from the northern end of Boston Bay, so we put one reef in the main to stay more with the offshore waves, rather than surging all the time into the back of the wave in front.

Now to the second point worth mentioning. On the way out the coxswain asked the name of an island appearing on our starboard bow. I said it would be Spilsby Island, where we had originally intended to go before this strong south-westerly caused us to again change our plans. It was only a few minutes later when this “island” raced up over the horizon and turned into a fish farm. Because of its low elevation it had seemed further away and now we were nearly into it. A gear wrenching gybe was made from starboard tack to port tack because fish farms could be seen extending to the horizon in both directions. We weren’t certain how far they extended. We alerted the others over the radio and then watched as a work boat slowly overhauled us and went to a pair of fish pens. There appeared to be a gap in the pens at this point so we shot through and regained our course for Reevesby Island.

We had seen fish farms a few days earlier in Port Lincoln in the vicinity of the Bickers Islands on our way into and out of Spalding Cove. It seemed that the fish farms were set up to leave a 200 metre navigation channel on the direct course between features, ie Kirton Point to Surfleet Point in Port Lincoln and sort of Point Boston to the light on Winceby Island. The small buoys with diagonal yellow crosses marking the farm boundaries are hard to pick up in rough weather.

When you do, they look so close that it is necessary to search behind your course in case a marker was missed. Are there any protocols or charts or any information to be had?
Three nights were spent at Reevesby Island, two in Moreton Bay and one at Home Bay, once the wind had finally settled in the southeast. Moreton Bay faces north and looks towards Winceby Island. (Most of us would have had a historical awakening about the fact that the islands ending their name in “-by” in the Banks Group are named after villages in Matthew Flinders’ home county of Lincolnshire).
As usual there was fish enough to eat. For variety, as far as meal preparation was concerned and in accordance with established tradition, sushi and sashimi was served on Musetta.

Lloyd Cushway

“Musetta”