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Members Rob & Tricia Greenwell participated in a 5 week circumnavigation of Tasmania on the Van Diemen’s Land Cruise organised by the RYCT and Geelong Yacht clubs. Rob spoke about the great experience it was. He outlined the requirements to participate in the rally and how they prepared, where it took them and what worked well and what didn’t.

The cruise started in 1992 and occurs biannually in February/March, typically compromising of a fleet of 20-45 yachts. Past cruises demonstrate contrasting variable conditions you get in Tassie summer months resulting in:

• Delayed starts,
• Hold ups sheltering,
• Groundings,
• Dragging anchor,
• Capsizing tenders, drowning outboard motors
• Disappearing life rings and
• Cruises left sodden and scrambling into tenders from BBQs.

Cruisers are provided with information through the website, newsletters and a manual on how to prepare. See the presentation for more details; 

In Summary;

• Miles 905 Nm
• Max speed  15 kts
• Engine Hours  109 hrs
• Fuel  354 litres
• Broke - Anometer
  Other boats:
• Ripped sail West coast, was new
• Injury – finger caught in windlass
• Exploding heads
• Medical treatment for pneumonia.
  Other crews:
• Back strain X 2, one crew evacuated from Port Davey,
• Leg oedema.

Learnings

• Crew changes needs thought:
  • Not always where the schedule says you’ll be,
  • Transport to and from exchange ports.
• Passage planning, weather was very kind to us:
  • Do your own and then discuss with other boats, tend to group into boats with similar approaches to passages.
  • A lot more involved coming from Melbourne.
    On this cruise Melbourne fleet after 48 hrs had 1 night at 3 Hummock and then another overnight sail the next day to Strahan.
• Difficult if fitting cruise into holidays/long service leave.
• Depths, 10 boats reported groundings
  • Macquarie harbour – Sarah Is
  • Kermandie
• Lock out anchor wash fresh/salt water change over. Or salty coffee!!!
• Rafting - Learnt the importance of lines to the outer vessel.
• Etiquette
  • Ch 16 – Use of
  • Anchoring – Check fellow cruises are comfortable with your position.
  • Marina – Notify of arrival.
• Communication
  • Starlink is becoming popular. Cruisers were willing to share connections. I don’t like as can’t go in a grab bag.
  • WhatsApp – Popular to share and is becoming a communication tool.
  • IridiumGo suited us, but no WhatsApp. Pro’s; easy to use with Predictwind Offshore for weather and goes in my Grab Bag.
  • HF, lack of experience and need more practice. TMR could hear us everywhere, I couldn’t make out TMR.
  • VHF reception of TMR nearly everywhere.