Sailing Around Australia; A Different Aspect

The group inspecting conditions at Thistle Cove

20/1/2014 Location; Tied on to service jetty, Bandy Creek Boat Harbour, Esperance Western Australia

Today marks a week in Esperance and the 13^th week of our sailing Around Australia adventure. While it has been a normal port call for us all, with shopping, washing and provisioning foremost on the agenda, we have had a different aspect from the normal.

This started on arrival into Esperance, with Brian and Eva on Zofia finding a berth at the yacht club which is on the shore line of the town and Urchin and us coming right across Esperance Bay to stay at the Bandy Creek Boat harbour. So for the first time we are a little separated.

Another different aspect of our adventure came in the form of a tour by car of the bays that we were thinking would be our anchorage. Brian and Eva from Zofia had some friends drive down from Perth to stay a few days. They wanted to have a look around Esperance so the Urchin and Easy Tiger crews followed them around in our little hire car.

Most were keen to have a look at the full scale replica of Stonehenge. A local farmer has constructed this on his property. Apparently it is an exact replica, facing the same direction etc… as the original. Sounded like something worth having a look at. The value of having a look was quickly tested when we found the admission price was $10 per person. A majority was very quickly achieved and we turned around in the gateway. As it happened, we ended up seeing it from the road on our return trip to Esperance.

Next stop was into the Cape Le Grande National park where we were fleeced $12 per car for the pleasure of driving into the national park. I thought that the government of the people owned and operated these parks, and being one of the “people” I do object to having to pay to go in.

Next stop was at the place where the cruising guide said was a really good anchorage, named Lucky Bay. B2 was quite excited to stop here as the sign said there was a café and he was eyeing off another log in his sausage roll journal. Turns out the Café is a trailer on a ute with chairs scattered about on the windblown beach. Needless to say we didn’t stay, just bought a few takeaway Ice creams and got back into the car to escape the sandblasting.

From the on shore aspect the anchorage didn’t look at all hospitable in the 30 knots of wind, waves breaking on the shore and the thick, thick weed just waiting to get tangled in the anchor.

Around at Thistle Cove we saw great lines of swell entering the bay. It would be fair to say that we were all taken aback. It also looked very inhospitable and in fact quite scary from high up on the hill.

A drive around the Twilight beach side of Esperance on the great ocean drive revealed much the same. Very windy, big waves created by the wind and more bays though beautiful, very inhospitable to sail boats. The were a dozen or so kite surfers in each bay who were obviously the only people enjoying the conditions.

Further on we got a new aspect of the famous Pink Lake of Esperance. I say a new aspect because Pink Lake was actually blue. No sign of pink anywhere. I think they have had such good rainfall down here over the last winter that there is too much fresh water in the lake for the algae to do it’s thing.

That evening over some barbecued fresh fish and chips we talked about a change of plans. We may now bypass all these beautiful bays with the hazards they present and go to Duke Of Orleans bay where the best shelter is available and then launch across the bight from there.

Then again, the locals say that in the right weather and conditions, Lucky Bay, New Island Bay and O’brien’s beach are all lovely anchorages. It all depends on what day you are there and from what aspect you are looking at it.