Foodie Heaven .. and we've just started!

Me and the Captain enjoying our lunch at 'Get Shucked'!

Our night spent in the little 'Duckpond' bay ... one of the many bays up and down the D'Entrecasteaux Channel ... was calm, peaceful and a great first night back on the boat after our car adventures.

Yesterday we moved to Missionary Bay which is an easy sail around Kinghorne Point on North Bruny Island.  We planned to find the oyster farm 'Get Shucked' for afternoon snacks but arrived too late.

As we sailed down the Channel the wind was rising to its forecasted high of 20 knots.  We only had the headsail out which was pushing us along at a great speed of 6.5 knots with gusts blowing up to 25 and then 26 knots.  My favourite way to sail!  Just the headsail up with the wind blowing hard enough at just the right angle to move us along at a good pace - without the boat heeling too far over.  I've said it time and time again .. I'm not much of a sailor.  I prefer the boat upright.  The Captain, on the other hand, would love to have every piece of sail flying winched in tight with the gunnels in the water!   Keeping us both happy - and the boat moving - is our constant balancing act. 

When we rounded the corner and started our move into the 'Great Bay' we came upon the largest salmon fish farm we've seen so far.  In fact it was in the process of being moved across the bay.

Floating fish farm with the towing and pushing boats working.

As we sailed past George thought he saw a number of divers working along the perimeter but on closer inspection we realized we were seeing seals!  They were circling the nets like wild lions in Africa .. on the lookout for tasty escapees to snap up if any made a break for freedom!

By the time we moved into our place in Missionary Bay it was too late to try and find 'Get Shucked'  so we had a late lunch followed by George's considerably long nap and some heavenly quiet reading time for me. 

George, the "chef", making a night time treat of banana + blueberry muffins.  They were the best he's done yet!!

This morning we woke to a drizzly day and, at one point, a very loud thunderstorm overhead.  But the intrepid sailors .. and oyster hunters .. were not to be deterred!  With the rain pouring sometimes and at other times just drizzling enough to get your head wet .. we started out across the 'Great Bay' to find 'Get Shucked' and the "Bruny Island Cheese Factory".  We managed to find the other side of the bay through the white mist as well as a public mooring we didn't know existed and once safely moored we jumped in the dingy ... with all the wet weather gear we had!  


Since we've owned "Southern Belle" with her hard dodger we haven't had any reason to wear much wet weather gear.  A jacket is only needed when going forward and even then it's pretty much just George that does that .. but today, to stay reasonably dry, I put it all on and needed every bit.  I was quite a sight walking into the lunch deck of the oyster farm draped in my dripping wet outer gear .. but no one seem to notice. 

If you're coming down to Tasmania you MUST give "Get Shucked" a try!!  I don't really like oysters much .. George loves them.  But I had the BEST oysters I've ever eaten.  George had a dozen naked oysters with a glass of Tasmanian Chardonnay and I tried the Asian panko crumbed with rice noodle salad.  Fantastic!!  We went back for seconds as well .. they really are good.

Panko crumbed oysters .. a must try!  I had a dozen!!

We followed that with another dingy ride in the rain to the Bruny Cheese Factory .. good place and great cheese, from what we could see.  Unfortunately there were a lot more people there and it was hard to get to the counter to order or try.

Right now we're back on the boat with the expected SE change blowing outside and a new round of rain tapping on the deck.  Perfect for another great night's sleep.   Tomorrow we plan to sail around to the little town of Cygnet where there is a well known folk festival on this weekend.  We've heard most of the tickets are already sold for the scheduled performances but there should be a lot of street activity and buskers to enjoy.

Picture this!! ... A photo update

The rugged bush of northern Tasmania .. at a lookout above the Tamar River.

Blogging is a hard thing to keep up with, especially when everyday is full of interesting and new experiences.  Since my last blog we've been to Launceston to visit with friends who were very generous with their time to show us around the area.  Then we've travelled back down to Hobart, provisioned the boat and made a break for the cruising grounds of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.  I've got so much to talk about and so many photos to share and so little time ... which means I'll cheat a bit and do a photo narrative instead.  Here goes ....

We left Hobart on Friday and followed Di and John to their home in Launceston in our car ... The next day they drove us to see the wide expanse of the Tamar river all the way up to their yacht club - Tamar Yacht Club - and towards Bass Strait.  The river is wide and can be navigated down to Launceston .. although it gets shallow and pretty much ends there.

On the way we went through the mining town of Beaconsfield - where two miners were trapped underground for two weeks.  The mine collapse and rescue were covered worldwide by the media.  Today the mine is closed and a museum covering the area and its mining history is open.  We didn't go in but John said the museum is very interesting and worth a visit if we had more time while we're here in Tassie. 

Upon our return to Launceston we were invited to the home of another couple we met in the Louisiades Rally - Rodney and Christine - for a BBQ.  They live in a lovely home built in the 1800's sitting on a commanding position high on a hill looking down on the beautiful little city and the beginning of Launceston's Cataract Gorge.  They also have a pool!  The weather in Tasmania is well known to be - or at least I expected it to be - quite a bit cooler than the mainland of Australia.  To be honest I expected it to be cold - and for much of the time we've been here it has been quite cool.  But this day was hot - up to the low 30's - and perfect for a champagne + pool dip!  I must admit I NEVER thought I'd be in a swimming pool in Launceston ... a great time was had by all!

The view of the Cataract Gorge from the house.  We were told there a some good walks through the gorge and also the Basin Chairlift believed to be the longest single chairlift span in the world.  We didn't have the time to explore the gorge but, again, its something we'd like to go back and do another time.

The next day Di and John drove us up to the coastal town of Bridport.  On the way we stopped at the Bridestowe Lavender Estate.  What a place!!  There are miles of lavender fields as far as the eye can see.  They've certainly cornered the tourist market with tours and a shop that unapologetically promotes the Estate and its products - and it's very expensive.  They created a purple teddy bear filled with heat beads and aromatic lavender which they market as 'Bobby Bear'.  The Bear has become so popular that visitors are limited to one only per person!!  They are a destination shop for visiting Chinese people who LOVE the bears.  They can even buy - as their single one - a bear dressed in a Chinese coat - for $10 more!  I thought the place was amazing, the Lavender ice cream delicious, but the prices very over-inflated.  We didn't buy our allotted bear.        Later we had lunch at the Barnbougle Golf Club and I hate that I didn't take a photo while we were there.  The view and the greens are right next to Bass Strait but protected from the wind and waves by reclaimed high sand dunes.  It was a spectacular place. 

These two little west highland terriers are Di and John's best mates!  Mac and Tilly.  It was so good to be around dogs for a weekend since missing our Molly.  Great dogs .. love them.

While we were there the miniature horse boarding on the property gave birth .. we got to see a 2 hour old fold.  So cute and so agile even when only hours old! Special!

We said a huge THANK YOU to our hosts in Launceston and left for Hobart on Monday morning.  On the way we stopped at the historic town of Ross.  There they have two major sites from the cruel transportation days of early Tasmania.  The first is the Female Factory where women, most in their twenties, were kept to work in a form of slave labour to pay for their crimes.  There isn't much left of the site but they've created an area that informs while taking the visitor back to the hardships and harshness of the times.

The historic sandstone bridge over the Macquarie river in Ross.  It was completed in 1836 by convict labour in chain gang conditions.  There are beautiful and intricate carvings on both sides of the bridge on the arches.

While in Launceston John took George to his favourite chandlery so George could stock up on all the things he needed for fishing and catching Tassie rock lobsters.  As we travelled down the channel he caught a small barracuda which he'll use as bait for crays.  Unfortunately we can't put the cray trap down in the channel and the winds are a bit too wild to go on the outside of Bruny Island - where we can trap crays - right now.  George is waiting for the day when he can catch one!!!  He will be VERY disappointed if he doesn't catch anything. 

That's it ... a lot to catch up on and a great weekend!  Last night we spent the night in the "Duckpond" bay in the north of Bruny Island.  This is cruising.

Trees then Taste of Tassie ... Ending 2014 with a BANG

Midnight fireworks in Hobart! 

The pace of life we've adopted while here in Hobart hasn't slowed over the past week.  We've caught up with friends from Lake Macquarie, rekindled friendships with people we met in the Louisiades Rally in 2013, and enjoyed celebrating the turn of another year with our Hobart cruise buddies from 'Celay' and 'Bogart'. 

All this and we haven't even been back out on the water in 'Southern Belle'!   Mind you the wind has been blowing and blowing and blowing - hard - so I haven't missed being out on the boat at all.   When Di and John - friends from the Louisiades rally - came aboard they told us an interesting thing about the wind down here.  They said the wind tends to come in with the "Big End" first!  In other words, instead of building up to it's maximum strength for the day it starts out at the max and then works itself down.   I think we've seen that a good bit even here in the marina as we clocked over 36 knots blowing right here in the pen!  The good news - and we're hearing this from everyone - is the wind calms down considerably starting in mid-January and things get better and better for cruising as we move into February and March.  I'm certainly looking forward to that!!

We're lucky with the weather ... we have all the time in the world to enjoy Tasmania because we don't have to get back to Sydney any time soon.  Stephanie is taking good care of Molly and the house and we don't have work commitments so we can take our time and enjoy everything this amazing place has to offer.  And that's just what we've been doing .....

On Monday of this week we drove down south of Hobart to take in some of what is called the 'Huon Trail'.  The website describes it like this ... "a world of extensive and serene waterways, wild coastlines, quiet farmlands, boutique vineyards, and rugged but accessible World Heritage wilderness".   And it certainly lives up to the description.  The drive is lovely with vistas that change as you climb and descend each mountain and cross the Huon River valley. 

Monday we headed for the Tahune Airwalk.  This is presented in the tourist brochures as a walk among giants ... a walk at the very top of the forest canopy.  After seeing the huge trees at the base of Mt Wellington I wanted to see what it looked like towards the top of these beautiful and ancient trees.

To enter the Airwalk you cross a bridge over the mighty Huon River and start the climb up through the forest floor.

Once inside the forest area there are huge trees (as seen in the background here) - apparently left from past forestry cuttings - mingled in with new growth and massive fern trees.  As we drove through on the way to the Airwalk site there were signs along the road dating the regrowth from the early 1960s through to the late '70s.  Makes you wonder what this wild part of Tasmania would have looked like today if the original huge trees had been left to live their life unchanged. 

The airwalk at the top of the forest.  The walk is only as wide as one or two people and it is quite high up in the tree tops. It swings and moves with the wind and the weight of people walking on it.  The view was breathtaking and, in some parts, the "swing" of the walkway was disconcerting.  I loved it.

Then, as you descend back down and cross the forest floor, there are many areas to enjoy the peace, tranquillity and sheer majesty of the area.  Well worth the visit!

On Tuesday we woke to a drizzly morning with a windy day forecast.  Di and John delivered a boat around to our marina and came aboard for morning tea and invited us to their home in Launceston for the weekend.  I took advantage of the breaking sunshine and wind to get some laundry done.  This is the first marina we've been in that provides a clothesline next to the laundry so we don't have to run our clothes through a hot dryer.  So good and so Tassie!  This seems very much an environmentally "green" state.  In the afternoon we escaped the wind by going to a movie .. we saw "The Water Diviner" and liked the film a lot.  See it if you get a chance.  I was so glad to see the cinema almost full for the film ... usually Australian audiences don't support Australian films like they should.

Wednesday was New Year's Eve.  The 6 of us - me & George + Ian & Sharon from 'Bogart' + Peter & Sue from 'Celay' - had purchased reserved seats for the "Taste of Tassie" NYE celebrations months ago.  After attending the first day of the "Taste", where the crowds were pretty thick, I wondered if we would enjoy the night or if it would be a huge crush of people all vying for the vendors inside.  But it turned out the party was just for ticket holders and the crowd was large but manageable which meant it was easy to sample all the wines on offer as well as try a lot of the food.  The theme for the night was Pirate and a lot of people dressed up.  We didn't ... with the exception of Sharon who donned a frightful black beard as well as an eye patch.  Great fun!

George and Sharon in the pirate guise!

Our table with the young couple that had reserved the last two seats on the end.  They were such nice people visiting from Arnamland in the Northern Territory where he teaches. 

One of the sample cheese boxes from a vendor.  The sample plates, boxes and dishes were delish!

A group selfie during the 9:30 fireworks!

The scene behind us - with the Sydney to Hobart yachts at the main wharf in the distance - as everyone settled back in to drinking and eating and waiting for the midnight fireworks.

We had a great night!  If you ever get a chance to come down to Hobart don't miss the "Taste of Tassie" event.  It is done so well.  The people running the stalls are so friendly plus the food and wine are excellent.

Yesterday 'Bogart' and 'Celay' left the marina to cruise around for awhile.  We're going up to Launceston to visit with Di and John for the weekend so we said goodbye in the morning.  I wanted to spend a lazy day reading but George wanted to take a drive down another section of the Huon trail road so off we went down the other side of the channel.

More spectacular scenery with lots to do and see along the way. 

Apologies for the length of this post ... there is so much to show and tell.  More later from Launceston.  We're still loving it down here!

Enjoying friends and Loving Hobart

Hobart from the top of Mt Wellington!

The past couple of days have been so much fun.  I'd like to say right now - without exception - I love Hobart!!!  Such a pleasing city.  So much to see and do ... and so good to be here with friends.

First off we celebrated boxing day with our little group of yachts here in the POW Bay marina.   One  of the key members of our group - Sharon - wasn't arriving until Christmas night due to family responsibilities.  Because of that we decided to have our CD celebration dinner on boxing day evening.  It was another special night with friends on boats.

Our group dinner on 'Bogart' .. complete with roast veggies, turkey and gravy.
Excellent!!!  Everyone did their part .. Ian and Sharon on Turkey and plum pudding, me on veggies and salad and Peter and Sue on roast veggies.  Great night and fun with great friends!

The whole gang celebrating Boxing Day in style!

Sharon and Me (with Ian doing the washing routine) ... dancing and singing along to "Happy" as we dry the dishes from the night's dinner.  Doesn't get much better! 

The next day we drove into town and walked around the waterfront.  We had been told the Mawson museum was worth a visit so we spent some time there. What an interesting exhibit and such a worthwhile memorial for so many men that spent hard times - some dying - opening up Antarctica to exploration and communication.  The exhibit is a replica of the hut they built for their base station between 1912 and 1913 to study weather, magnetics and geology.   In the 1950's there was a permanent base established there as a result of the work they started.

The cramped inside of the Mawson Hut replica.  Men lived, ate, slept and worked in this small wooden hut.  A feat of selflessness and endurance!  If you're ever in Hobart you should give this small memorial a look.

That afternoon, with an easing wind and no clouds in the sky we decided to try and reach the summit of Mt Wellington again.  For some reason I thought it would be an easy drive .. and not so steep.  Wrong.  It's a long way up to the top and a lot of the drive is more than steep .. it is precarious!  As we angled our way up and up the road got narrower and the edges dropped away into, well, nothing.  It's not all that bad (apparently) because there are a bloody lot of people doing the drive!   The view from the top is amazing!  Hobart and the waterways around it are laid out to see in, what seems like, tiny detail.  The most startling element of being on the top was the landscape .. it was like being on Mars.  Red rocks dotted the area creating an alien "moonscape".   Quite alluring .. but so high and wild it was - to me - a bit nauseating.  Beautiful - but "get me off this as soon please".   George insisted on driving the car down the mountain - no problem from me!

Some of the "alien" landscape with the breathtaking view behind it.  Quite a place!!!

Today was an even better day!!  The 'Taste of Tasmania' started down around the waterfront.  It is a 3 day celebration of wine and food from this fascinating Island.  We went down for day one and I must say - and George agrees with me - the event is done particularly well.  There is so much to experience and they have many many places where you can take your little tasting plate of food, with wine and beer and sit and enjoy.  Even with a large crowd it was easy to find a place in either the sun, by the pier side or in the shade of a tree to enjoy your foodie find and meet people.  The "Taste" runs for a couple more days and culminates with a New Year's Eve celebration at the water's edge.  We - the 6 of us from Southern Belle, Bogart and Celay - have reserved seats for the NYE experience which we booked months ago.  Looking forward to that!

And then!!! As if the day wasn't as good as it could have been already .... we watched the two lead boats from the Sydney to Hobart race reach the finish line.  We were there when Wild Oats XI won it's record breaking 8th line honours and we also witnessed the American challenger Comanche arrive about 42 minutes later with full spinnaker flying!  Today's sights were on my bucket list .. I always wanted to be here in Hobart when the boats arrived and I accomplished it today!  Yay!! 

Me and George in the crowd waiting for the first yacht to arrive.

Wild Oats XI arriving at the dock in Hobart and in the process of dropping the main ... with all the spectator boats milling around.  Great sight ...huge boat and such a great achievement.

The American boat Comanche arriving about 45 minutes after WOXI with spinnaker flying!  What a terrific sight! 

The whole of the Hobart dock area - with the Sydney to Hobart crowds - from the top of the car park we parked our car in.  Spectacular sights and exceptional day!

Enjoying Hobart in our new (?) car!



'Tree Hugging' one of the massive eucalyptus trees on Mt Wellington. 

There is so much to do in and around Hobart.  It's a lovely small city with a mixture of Australian history and the very, and in some cases very quirky, new.  There are natural wonders on land and sea most within a days drive of our little marina.  We've just started to explore the immediate surrounds and find our way around the city waterfront.

We're staying at the Prince of Wales Bay Marina which is a good place for the boat - peaceful and reasonably protected from the weather - but not such a good place for travelling yachties wanting to get around and see the sights.  Why?  Because it's smack in the middle of an industrial area with no public transport and Hobart central about 6 km away.

On Monday George wanted to change the engine oil.  After much research he found that we should be able to buy the brand/weight we needed in a little suburb that should be an OK walk from the marina.  So off we went.  Normally the need to walk places from a marina is a joy ... usually it's an enjoyable 20 minutes into town or to a bus stop.  Not here.  We walked and walked .. through the industrial area, across a main highway, and on through the next suburb.  Unfortunately my foot seemed to happily undertake the first 20 minutes but when it becomes 30, then 40 then 50 minutes it starts to really hurt.  We found the shop George thought he could purchase the right oil at but they didn't have the right stuff  (I did suggest we call first but was told that would not be necessary - Men!).  Of course they suggested we could find what we were looking for at another shop but it was at least another 20-45 minutes walk away.

As we were standing on the pavement "discussing" what to do next George noticed a tiny El-cheapo car yard on the corner.  "Let's have a quick look around", he said.  Actually buying a car had never crossed my mind but George was considering the possibility.  Ian, on 'Bogart', had tried to rent a car and most places were all rented out with the exception of one 'rent a wreck' place where he managed to get a car for 3 weeks.  Since we are planning on being down here until March - and use the POW Bay Marina for a base - we were going to need a car.  My foot said so.

Anyway, after negotiations were held and we - according to George - did the obligatory walk away .. we bought a car.  A 1995 Mitsubishi Magna in great shape and with well over 300,000 km on it!  The price tag was $1,695 and George got it for us for the reasonable sum of $1,500.  Plus, the guy at the yard said he would buy it back from us when we left ... bargain.

Our car.  We now have wheels!

Freedom!!!   A boat for exploring by sea and wheels to explore the land.  Excellent.

Yesterday Bruce was picking up the rental car he had booked to cruise around (smart to book) and he moved to the B & B he would be staying in until he went home to Canberra.  We drove him into town to find his new digs and decided to drive up to the top of Mt. Wellington to check out the view of Hobart from the top. 

Mt Wellington rises up behind Hobart and stands as an impressive stone citadel above the city.  It towers there, above all, and so massive it even affects the weather for those below.

The view of Mt Wellington from our boat in the marina. 
Often clouds obstruct the summit and it snows at the top even in summer.

On our way up to the summit of the mountain we stopped in the little hamlet of Fern Gully to have lunch at the tavern.  The sky was clear when we went in.

Cute and very welcoming tavern halfway up the mountain.

But by the time we came out from lunch the clouds had started to roll in and become quite thick.  It was clear we wouldn't be able to even see the road the rest of the way up the mountain much less the view once we got there.   We noticed across the street from the tavern there was a little park and the beginnings of a walking track .. we decided to have a closer look since we weren't going any further today.  It was a good find.  Up the track were, we both thought, the tallest trees we had ever seen ... their tops were hidden way up in the gathering mist. 

Ancient eucalyptus standing extremely tall on the mountain .. magnificent to see.

As we drove back to the marina the weather continued to close in and by the time we made it back to the boat the heavens were ready to open in an all afternoon grey and blustery downpour.

About 6pm Peter and Sue on Celay finally came around the bend and joined Bogart and Southern Belle here in the marina.  They left Sydney about a week after us and, after a wait for a good sailing weather window, they made great time to Hobart.  Me, George and Ian were there at their berth to welcome them and help with their mooring lines.  That's one of the absolute BEST experiences in this cruising thing!  To arrive tired, with a feeling of happiness & relief at being almost at your destination, and see friends there waiting to help get you that final few feet into the berth and secured.  Once all moored, with hugs and smiles and immediate stories all round the three of us went aboard for drinks and more tales of the crossing.  After showers Peter & Sue came to our boat for a quick dinner before a well earned rest.

Today we did food shopping for Christmas Day and Boxing Day .. although none of us feels particularly in a Chrissy mood.  We then went to a little restaurant deli in North Hobart with Peter, Sue and their son Robert and his girlfriend.  Tonight, for a change, it will be just George and me .. a quick dinner and then off to bed with a good book!

Surprise reunions, Fresh fish, Canals and ... finally, Hobart!

One of the many sea side suburbs of Hobart from the water .. on the way up the Derwent River towards our marina.

When I finished writing my last blog we were on our way to Maria Island to spend the night at Chinaman's Bay.  Maria Island is large and a national park ... people go there on ferries from the little town of Triabunna to camp and mountain bike around the tracks and the few roads/paths. 

The Bay we anchored in is along the eastern side of the island and approaching it for the first time we found it to be a huge curved expanse of white sand.  The bay is shallow but it was possible for us to move close in and around the corner to a place called Encampment Cove.  There were only 3 other boats in the Cove .. and since we're new here we certainly didn't expect to meet up with anyone we knew.  But, as we were coming in and positioning ourselves to drop the anchor, a voice came on the radio calling, "Southern Belle, Southern Belle".  Boy were we surprised.  It turned out to be a friend we met on the Louisiades Rally .. Ken.  He invited us over for a good catch up on his boat.  We had a great time and he put us in touch with another couple from the Rally who live here in Tassie as well.  George and Bruce enjoyed the fishing talk and got some pointers on catching Flathead around the bays here in Tasmania.  Then as we were leaving he went to his freezer and gave us 24 fresh, cleaned Flathead fillets for our dinner.  George was excited!  Flathead is a terrific eating fish .. very mild and flaky.  It was an excellent and completely unexpected evening!

It was getting late when we went back to our boat so we stuck the fish in the freezer and went to bed.  The next day we planned to go through the Dennison Canal.  We needed to get up at just after 0400 to make the tide and to travel the distance from our bay to the Marion Narrows. 

The Narrows start out with a small passage which looks almost creek like and open out into a very shallow Bay .. then you twist and turn through the channel markers before arriving at the canal.  Here's what it looked like in pictures....

Approaching the Marion Narrows .. from the port side it looks like the land comes out well into the opening.

And from the starboard side there is a sand bank.  It was very calm for our entry.
 I wouldn't like to try this with wind driving waves up on the beach!

It takes about half an hour to go through the Narrows and then across Blackman Bay.   When you're at the leads to the canal you call up the bridge keeper on Channel 16 - at this point he can't see you and you can't see the bridge ... and the canal looks like a narrow ditch. 

We still had a bit of current against us as we entered the canal proper.  For deeper keel boats like SB it is good to enter Marion Narrows and then the canal itself 1 hour after Hobart high tide.  We seemed to have plenty of water under the boat
in the shallowest part with almost (three quarters) a metre to spare.

And as we rounded the corner and started our approach to the swinging bridge over the canal the wind stopped and we had a smooth passage.  Again, because the opening is so narrow, I wouldn't like to do this in any wind!

From there we had an easy trip to Hobart .. we motored most of the way into head winds.  One thing we're learning about Tasmania - the wind is off and then on and then crazy!  We were sailing up the Derwent River - the river Hobart is situated on - and out of nowhere over 30 knots came in from over one of the mountains!  We only had the head sail up but the boat leaned over like it had all the sails in position.  And then it was gone.  The wind down here is certainly unpredictable.

Going up the Derwent River we passed sailing ships and the Tasman Bridge....

One of two replica ships we saw on the way into Hobart on the river.
 

Tasman Bridge

It was so good to finally be in a marina after 2 weeks living on the boat.  Just the security of being tied up to a dock with electricity and water and showers is a luxury. 

Shortly after we arrived Ian from "Bogart" came aboard to welcome us and we decided to cook our 24 fish fillets on his BBQ and have dinner on his boat.  Good night, great food and great company ensued!

So today we enjoyed our first day at our destination port.  The three of us started the day as usual when arriving after a long journey ... by cleaning!  Laundry, scrubbing toilets, cleaning floors, filling water tanks, washing down the boat  .. etc. etc.  It took most of the morning and was finished nearly at noon.  From there we went into Hobart's famous Salamanca area for a look around and lunch.  I can't wait to spend more time there .. the art & craft stores, Tasmanian goodies and shops are waiting for some quality time.  There is so much to see and do in Hobart alone, this is going to be a great vacation ... if the wind can be tamed!

Looking down the "strip" of Salamanca in Hobart.