Tasmania Circumnavigation / 700 Nm / 14 Days/ CAT 1 Ocean Passage
The Tasmania Circumnavigation is a Cat 1, 700 Nm circumnavigation of Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania and one of the most extreme challenges we undertake. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to undertake one of the world’s more adventurous and spectacular passage experiences. It is not for the fainthearted and there is no guarantee of completion. It will depend on extensive preparation and considerable perseverance and the weather conditions we are dealt en-passage. The route and recommended anchorages are based on careful research, professional meteorological advice and leveraging detailed local sailing knowledge.
The Tasmanian Coastline
The Tasmanian coastline includes some of the most extreme maritime scenery in Australia. The voyage starts with a visit to the nineteenth-century convict settlement of Port Arthur and unforgettable views of the towering dolerite cliffs of Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Tasman Island. Then it is north along the East coast to Maria Island, the stunning Schouten Passage and Wineglass Bay with bright white beaches and pink granite mountains rising steeply out of the sea. We then head through Banks Strait on the north-east corner of Tasmania to the Tamar River with its many vineyards and picturesque anchorages. We’ll stop at places along the North West Coast such as the city of Devonport on the Mersey River, and the fishing village of Stanley nestling under The Nut.
As we sail around the north-west Tasmanian corner, we’ll aim to stop at Three Hummock Island or Hunter Island to await a suitable weather window for the passage south along the West Coast, through Hell’s Gates into Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River with its extreme gorges and lush rainforest.
After a mandatory stop at the west coast village of Strahan, it is south to Port Davey, one of Australian great cruising destinations with its sparkling white quartzite mountains and tea-coloured water. The final stage of the trip will be along the South Coast to the sheltered anchorage of D’Entrecasteaux Channel and home for and end-of-adventure dinner at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Hobart.
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