We thought to make the most of Peter’s annual leave in April by sailing further afield to explore South Australia’s Spencer Gulf, checking out some of the islands and time permitting including a short stop over in Port Lincoln.
Thistle Island
We left early Saturday morning bound for Thistle Island, and with little to no wind in the initial stages we motor sailed throughout the day. Winds picked up in the evening and overnight, 10 – 19 knots, and we arrived around 10ish on Sunday morning (189 nautical miles travelled over 26 hours).
The island sits off the lower east coast of Eyre Peninsula and is an impressive size. As we were making our way to our planned anchorage we observed several houses dotted along the southern and south eastern hills. We also spotted a small plane near what appeared to be a tin shed. We were both tired from the overnight sail so crashed for a few hours. The island is lovely, peaceful and provides much opportunity for beach walks, hiking and fishing.
Anchoring and Mooring
There are no mooring facilities here. We anchored in Whaler’s Bay on the east side of the island which provided good holding in sand and protection from southerly winds.
Sir Joseph Banks Group
This chain of islands is located East to North East of Port Lincoln. There are numerous low lying islands which make up the group, many with associated shallow reefs.
We left Thistle Island around 9-ish, once again the wind wasn’t playing nice so with calm seas and light winds we motor sailed initially to Sibsey Island and then onto English Island. As these islands are a known spot for sea lions to rest, we got a bit excited as we assumed the movements we could see were seals, the binoculars told the true story …. lots and lots of cormorants flapping and carrying on. Just a tad disappointed! We continued north between Roxby and Hareby Islands with a view to anchor at Reevesby Island. Our preferred anchorage spot had already been nabbed, so we anchored in the unnamed bay south of McCoy Bay for the night.
We noted in our reading of the ‘Cruising Guide For South Australia’ that tiger snakes and death adders have been reported on the group islands, we weren’t sure how accurate there reports were but we decided not to put it to the test and stayed onboard during our time here.
Anchoring and Mooring
We can only talk about Reevesby Island, we didn’t drag and held well in sand. There were no moorings available in the vicinity of the islands we passed or where we anchored.
Going forward from Reevesby we had originally intended to head for Port Lincoln but Peter was concerned about predicted wind changes which would have made it difficult to get back to Adelaide. So we thought we would head up to Wallaroo which we hadn’t visited for many years. It would also provide an opportunity to top up on diesel. We knew there was a marina at Wallaroo and were hopeful of staying for a few days so we made a call regarding a berth. From our protracted internet search we finally got a mobile number which turned out to be a real estate agent. We were advised that all berths are privately owned and there are no public berths available. We were also advised that the fuel dock was not available for recreational vessels. So we scratched that idea and checked out the map of Spencer Gulf. Neither of us had ever been to Port Victoria and when we looked at the town map there was a service station where we could get fuel. So Port Victoria here we come!
Wardang Island & Port Victoria
We upped anchor at Reevesby Island and 10.5 hours later we were at Wardang Island. By this stage it was twilight so we decided to anchor here for the night. The next day we motored into Port Victoria and anchored north of the jetty. We plonked a couple of jerry cans in the dinghy and took off to have a look around and get some fuel. The main street extends from the jetty, with a combined general store/take away food shop/post office, pub, community hall and of specific interest to us a large tin shed with an old style bowser out front, directly on the kerb. Unlucky for us there wasn’t anyone around. So with jerry cans in hand we retraced our steps hoping to find a local that could give us some idea when the shed would be open for business. No luck there either. So we headed back towards the jetty, and decided to try our luck at the general store/take away shop.
The couple running the shop informed us that the guy who owns the petrol outlet doesn’t open on Wednesday’s, he’d be opening sometime the next day. However, Minlaton was about 100kms away and we could get fuel there. We thanked them and explained we were on a boat with no transportation so that wasn’t an option. So it was back to Sea Goddess with empty jerry cans. After dragging north of Port Victoria jetty due to strong winds, we moved back to the shelter of Wardang Island. Though it took us a few goes to set the anchor due to heavy weed. In these situations AnchorWatch is your best friend.
Anchoring and Mooring
There are no moorings available here. In terms of anchoring, poor holding with weed on sand.
The next day we were on our way to Edithburgh, joined by several pods of dolphins along the way. But with rough seas we changed plans and decided to sail direct to 35 South Marina North Haven, Adelaide. When we turned into Investigator Straight that night, we were hit by 25-30 knot South Easterly winds with a two metre chop resembling a washing machine. Sandra was sick as a dog, so Peter was on his own. This lasted all night and into the next morning. We had to tack up the straight and it took 15 hours to reach Marion Reef. Once we passed Marion Reef on the final leg home, the sea state dropped and we had a great sail, making up to 8 knots.
We arrived at the marina breakwater in the dark and had to navigate to our berth in the dark. This was a first for us at this marina, and the channel is poorly lit. The lights from surrounding houses made it all the more difficult. Sandra was on the foredeck keeping a lookout as the channel is not very wide. We made it to our berth without incident, other than for the frayed nerves.
Addendum
Port Victoria is a small seaside town with a rich maritime and fishing history, and this is a common thread across a number of coastal towns that are located on St Vincent and Spencer Gulfs. From our observation, we were saddened to observe the slow decline of these towns. For many the tourists who arrive on long weekends and school holidays are keeping them afloat. The towns folk we have met along the way are so helpful, interesting, and equally interested in us and what we are doing. We want to take this opportunity to encourage those reading our blog to visit and support our regional communities, their businesses, museums, pubs, cafes and shops. Let’s do our bit to sustain them into the future.