A storm front and 35 knots of wind drive Reykja aground in Pilots Bay. Flooding, repairs, and setbacks in Launceston. But also, discoveries in Tasmania’s wilderness and environmental history in the southwest. With the help of great people, Reykja finally returns to the water. But the circumnavigation is stalling.
Australia
Go South! 1700 miles sailing alone, from tropical Queensland to Tasmania’s Roaring Forties
1700 miles south, 3000 kilometres. Just one stop, Bundaberg. The trick is to catch the right wind. In the Coral Sea it blows from the front for 10 months as a trade wind. But now, in November, it’s not regular. In the Tasman Sea, from Bundaberg onwards, it can blow from bow or stern. Sometimes it changes directions within hours. And it’s almost always strong.