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Hobart, Home of Sailing

There are a host of notable areas and routes around the island. Hobart is a logical starting place as it’s most visitors’ first port of call, expect for those who arrive by ship at Devonport, on the north coast.

Hobart has developed in and around the River Derwent since early settlement at Sullivan’s Cove by England’s Lieutenant David Collins in 1804, and one of its greatest attractions is the beautiful deep-water harbour. The waterfront is home to many of the state’s premier racing yachts and international cruising yachts, while some of the world’s largest cruise ships are regular visitors during the summer.

The city hosts some of Australia’s oldest yachting clubs, which provide local boat owners and visiting yachts with berthing, marina and slipping facilities as well as a friendly club atmosphere. A phone call to any of the clubs (listed at the end of article) can ensure the needs of visiting sailors are catered for in a welcoming manner.

The port of Hobart, with the 1,271m-high Mt Wellington and the city skyline in the backdrop, provides the cruising yachtsman with some great day sailing all year round, especially during the summer when light northerlies can take you to temporary anchorages in Ralph’s Bay, or Richardson’s Beach and Opposum Bay. Even Blackmans Bay and Kingston Beach provide sheltered anchorages from southwesterly winds for a lunch of Tasmanian shellfish and white wine.

There are also many nooks and crannies north of the Tasman Bridge that may attract the visiting sailor who just wishes to nosey around. Shag Bay, Cornelian Bay and Prince of Wales Bay all provide points of geographical and historical interest.

D’Entrecasteaux Channel

The D’Entrecasteaux Channel is Tasmania’s most popular cruising ground, featuring miles of sheltered waters and safe, secluded havens between mainland Tasmania and the beautiful Bruny Island. The channel is only two hours’ sailing from Hobart, although the lower reaches of the Derwent can be challenging for small craft in strong winds.

The waterway is entered between Pierson’s Point and Dennes Point on Bruny Island, from where you can sail south across North West Bay and past Margate, which offers limited marina facilities including fuel and water. Barnes Bay, a highly popular overnight destination for the weekend sailor, is less than an hour’s sailing further south. Barnes Bay offers a choice of several safe anchorages, and favourites include Sykes Cove, Alexanders, The Duck Pond and the Quarantines.

Across from Barnes Bay is Kettering, home of cruising yachts, where there are hundreds of boats in marina berths or moored in Little Oyster Cove. Kettering offers the visiting sailor a wide range of facilities at Oyster Cove Marina and South Haven Marina (all marina and facility details are listed at the end). In addition the visitor can secure boating equipment and distillate and fresh water from the Oyster Cove Chandlery and Kettering Marine. There are slipway facilities, and shipwrights are generally available to assist with any serious problem.

Just a few miles south of Kettering is Peppermint Bay, a new restaurant/hotel offering some of Tasmania’s best culinary delights. Here the visiting sailor and crew can moor the boat or come alongside the small public jetty so they can sample the best of the state’s food and wine. A marina complex is under consideration.

Sailing further south offers a range of other safe anchorages on both sides of the channel – from Snake Bay, Missionary Bay through to Little Fancy and Simpsons Bay.

Past Simpsons Point, the D’Entrecasteaux Channel moves into more open water where such delights as Partridge Island, the fishing villages of Dover and Southport, and the Huon River offer magnificent scenery and some delightful anchorages. Cruising yachts can sail further south into the historically important Recherche Bay, gateway to the southwest wilderness. While an attraction in itself, Recherche is the stepping stone to Port Davey. This voyage is not for the faint-hearted, but rewards the adventurer with its pristine beauty and virtually primitive, untouched grandeur.

Alternatively, you can sail east and circumnavigate Bruny Island, the first haven being an exquisite anchorage in Cloudy Bay. From there yachts sail through The Friars to Adventure Bay, where early explorers such as Captain James Cook took refuge from the wrath of Storm Bay.

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