About the crossing
The plan:
The distance across Bass Strait is approximately 350km and the planned course will take the canoe island hopping from Wilsons Promontory in Victoria, the most southern tip on mainland Australia to the North Eastern tip of Tasmania.
The largest stretch of open ocean to cross is 65km with average distances of 50 kilometers per day. The canoes used will be Outrigger Connection’s Mirage OC6 paddled by a crew of 6 paddlers. A support boat will escort the canoe carrying all the supplies and a spare paddler in case of injury.
Participants will camp on the Bass Strait Islands. The crossing is planned for April 10th – April 27th 2009 and will allow 17 days to complete the crossing which will allow for bad weather and to explore some of the beautiful and remote coasts and islands in Bass Strait.
…in a little more detail:
Our group will gather on Good Friday at Port Welshpool where we will rig the canoes and practice safety drills, and load gear on to our escort boat the Furneaux Explorer. Although our group is comprised of very experienced paddlers from all around Australia, this will be our first time together as crews, Early on Saturday morning 11th April we will leave in the pre dawn, hitting out on a 60 kilometer leg to Refuge Cove. We will stay together at all times for safety and morale, and blend our two crews so they are a as even as possible and do not spread apart over the hours. We will arrive in Refuge Cove, spend the night and assess the weather. When the weather is suitable we will leave the Prom and Victoria behind and paddle toward the Bass Strait Islands, first destination Hogan Island.
As we leave Wilsons Promontory, Hogan Island will not be visible, 55 kilometers away. A low island, it will be obscured by the curvature of the earth and will not reveal herself for about two hours of paddling. This will give us the experience of paddling out into a vast ocean with nothing on the horizon.
After arriving at Hogan, the next leg is to the incredibly beautiful Kent Group of islands. They are a comparatively short hop of 40 kilometers from Hogan, and have massive cliffs, forests, grasslands and the highest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere.
After the Kent Group, we will paddle a 65 kilometer hop to Flinders Island, passing a number of small rocky outcrops on the way. This leg is a long haul, which will test the endurance of the group. We will arrive at Killecrankie Bay on Flinders Island for some rest and recovery. The group will then paddle approximately 60 kilometers down the side of Flinders, possibly stopping in at Lady Barron before heading across past Clarke Island and then on to make landfall on Tasmania at Little Musselroe Bay. This remote landfall may be the end of the trip, but if we have time we will then paddle another 50 kilometer final leg to Bridport, where the adventure will conclude.
Our group is looking forward to this adventure. The beauty of the Bass Strait Islands is renowned, with abundant wildlife such as sea eagles, mutton birds, albatross, dolphins, seal and penguin colonies and an amazing abundance of marine diversity. Some of the islands are spectacular, and we look forward to meeting the Bass Strait communities as we travel through.
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