Sailing around Australia; The Migration

Friday, 5 June 2015

Sailing around Australia; The Migration

Foster Tuncurry NSW

6/4/2015 – The Migration

Since we turned north from Wilsons Promontory we have noticed a subtle change in the types of people we have been meeting.

So far during our sailing around Australia adventures, we have met some outstanding people in each of the places we have visited, from the moment we left Mandurah in 2013 until now.

As we made our way east along the southern coast of Australia, Easy Tiger, as well as Urchin and Zofia tended to be an attraction for locals. They would often approach us and enquire about our journey and about our plans. Most of these people tended to be either non- boaties or aspiring boaties.

After we rounded Wilson’s Promontory back in March, we found that the people who we have come across have been boaties. Plus they are on their boat and in transit.

Quite a few are “migrating” north as we are, in search of warmer weather. There are certainly a number of boats now on the AIS, Skiprnet and Marine Traffic all on the same path as us.

Considering the fact that from Albany Western Australia, to Streaky Bay in South Australia, (a period of 3 months or more) we did not see any other boats other than those belonging to locals, sharing anchorages and seeing full marinas is something entirely new for us.

Sapphire, Shiraz, Madhatter2, Bossa Nova, Skellum, Easy Rider, San Souci, Phase Too, Sojourn, Island Home, Great Sandy, One White Tree, Euphoria and Promise Too are some of the boats, whose crew we have spent time with. Deserving of a special mention is 2 reunions with our sailing “family” Brian and Eva on Zofia.

A number of the boats we have met up with are heading north after being in Tasmania. Some are like Zofia and us, are circumnavigating Australia slowly, others are circumnavigating the world, while others just migrate like humpback whales up and down the East Coast of Australia.

There are all levels of experience among the crew too. Some like us had never sailed before, others have done a few years and again, others have had a lifetime of experience sailing and skippering all sorts of craft.

While it was very nice to be the star attraction among non-boaties, It has also been a really wonderful revelation to be accepted into a “community” of boaties who seem to accept each other no matter what boat you have, what experience you have or where you are headed.

While we make our own plans and our own route we are part of a great migration north, just like the Humpback whales, we have seen on our last two legs. They too are travelling in small groups of two or four, yet they all make up the migration. I am not sure however that they meet up at different stops along the way for sundowners.