Sailing Through Bass Strait Oil Fields

We had a perfect night-sail from Refuge Cove. As the sun rose, it was apparent we would have a beautiful day. The skies were clear; however, there was no wind, so we were forced to motor-sail again. We had a lunchtime visit from a pod of dolphins. The water was crystal clear; we had a great time viewing them as they played in our bow wave.

Oil rigs loomed over the horizon as we were sailing through the Bass Strait Oil Fields. They appeared as huge monoliths that would have looked more at home in a Steven Spielberg movie!

We also had our first sighting of whales! We enjoyed the antics of a couple of humpbacks, and the seas were once again teaming with birdlife. We saw a few albatross we tried to identify (we think they were ‘shy albatross’).

As we moved towards our second night-sail, we had eight oil rigs around us. As the sun fell, they lit up like small cities in the night sky. The setting sun was a glorious ball of red and orange.

I am getting used to night sailing and don’t find it so daunting now. However, it is difficult to relax when the night is as dark as pitch, utterly devoid of the moon and stars. It feels like you are speeding into complete darkness at 6knots, blindly being propelled forward, hoping the GPS and radar are still working!

At about 0900 the next day, we crossed the Victorian/New South Wales border. Once again, we toasted the milestone with a nip. This time a small shot of Glayva. Another glorious day with lots of seals and more humpback whales to see as we neared Eden.

We moored at the wharf in Eden… read about Eden to Ulladulla here.

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