While looking to plan a passage from Lakes Entrance to Eden, it occured to me that there seem to be very few spots for a layover if I wanted to spend a night taking it easy. Are there any suggestions from the enlightened members of the forum regarding a place to lay over if the weather turns nasty, or I just feel like a snooze?
Just a few miles down from Eden is a lovely place called Bittangabee. We stayed there in our cat and dried out over a sand shoal, but there is some nice depth to anchor in.
A friend who regularly goes across Bass Strait likes to stay at Gabo. He says you can tuck in close into a sand patch. Other people we asked talked about a pretty tenuous place about halfway to Lakes Entrance called the Skerries. Read here
svanui.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/2014-15-cruise2.pdf
It is a hundred miles to Gabo,and you should be able to do that in 20 -24 hours. Unlike me, don't leave LE without a decent forecast, so you don't need to heave to for 8 hours, ten miles offshore, drifting slowly toward land.
There are no significant headlands to find shelter behind along the Malacoota/Croajingalong coast, so the plan should be to sail non-stop. You either need crew or you take short sleeps/dozing provided you wake up every 20 -30 minutes without fail, to check for shipping and to navigate.
You can get in behind Gabo and anchor in about 14 metres or closer, but you might have swell coming around the island to upset your sleep. A kedge or continue to Bittangabee creek.
Beware of Beware Reef close inshore.
Remember to enjoy the trip. The coast is beautiful there.
FYI, here's some photos of the Skerries (the rocks just offshore). The draft of the tinnie was fine to do a circumnavigation, but I'd be a little wary if you had a decent draft. The Skerries run north/south, so might offer a little protection to an easterly or westerly.
And yes, they stink and are noisy. Seals have no decorum. You can hear and smell them at the Wingan Inlet campground about 1500m away if the wind is literally foul.
Bittangabee is a top little spot, 3.2 nm from Green Cape. I've snorkelled in it and seems to be fairly deep. But it's only about 10nm from Eden.
I was involved in a fatal SAR down there. A yacht got caught in bad weather and abandoned their boat near Pt Hicks. They drowned.
The weather, especially from the west, can be truly terrible.
Get a good weather window and do it in one leg. If you get caught out keep away from the hard stuff.
Thanks for your advice - we may wait until we get some high pressure zones back over the southern half of the country again and follow the leading edge across.
I got around there in about 23 hours on my way north, from memory it was roughly 130 nm. Long day especially solo but definitely wouldn't be planning a stop anywhere along that coast.
There's a 3-day weekend coming up at the end of September in which i could lend a hand if you want.
Gabo island is good depending on the swell, nice to tuck into the NW bay where the jetty is and walk the tracks. Worth looking up the history too.
Bitangabee with 3m in the small anchorage is lovely,it's quite close Eden and attracts a few local overnighters in summer months and swinging room limited. Navionics sonar charts show less water at Gabo jetty than there actually is.
Mike
Select to expand quoteFabulousPhill said..
There's a 3-day weekend coming up at the end of September in which i could lend a hand if you want.
Thanks - no, we're not in any real need of help, but thanks for the offer .
