Refuge Cove Cruise, May 2, 2009

It was very dark, two hours before first light and no moon. The two Magnums battled huge seas and howling winds as they sought safety from the notorious waters of Bass Strait.
Now that I have got your attention ... Kingtide and Breakaway had left Refuge Cove on Wilsons Prom at 5am for the 25 mile sail back to Port Welshpool. It was very dark but we were protected by the Prom from the full effect of the 20-25 knot south westerly wind, so only the occasional bit of spray came over the boats.

The cruise to Refuge had been suggested by Saxil Tuxen, the President of the Magnum Association, and 5 boats participated. Mass-a-Tac crewed by Ian and Richard were the first to arrive at the Port Welshpool ramp at midday on Friday and we arrived with Breakaway a couple of hours later. After helping each other to launch, we left the two boats tied up on the floating pontoon and walked across the road to the Pub for a meal.

Magic turned up at about 9 pm and Andrew, Hamish and David rigged the boat but slept on the hard. Saxil and Jean with Velocity and Graeme and Geoff on Kingtide were late arrivals at 10:30pm and managed to find the best spot in the car park for a bit of mud wrestling before retiring to their boats for the night.

After an excellent briefing the following morning from Saxil the 5 Magnums left in convoy at 10 am for the 25nm trip to Refuge Cove.  Conditions were near perfect with blue skies and just enough wind to get us to the only tricky bit of the voyage. A narrow channel on the eastern side of the Prom's northern tip was our shortcut out into the ocean, but with the beach to starboard, and a sandbar to port, it was not surprising that a couple of boats made contact with the bottom trying to enter the channel. Once clear of the channel we had a great sail in protected ocean waters with 10 to 15 knots of wind. Mist and rain clouds on the mountains of the Prom made a great back-drop for photos of sunlit sails of our fleet.

Sailing into Refuge Cove is a memorable experience. The word idyllic is often used but it was more than apt for this beautiful anchorage. Velocity, Mass-a-Tac and Breakaway put stern anchors onto the beach while Magic and Kingtide anchored a little further out. We pulled our boat into the beach as we didn't have dinghy but the 2.6m tidal range made it impractical to leave it there unless we wanted it high and dry ... which may not have impressed the resident park ranger. The dinghies of Magic, Velocity and Mass-a-Tac did a great job ferrying people to and from the shore. The beach disappeared under the rising tide as the Magnum happy hour (or three) saw the day out.

Sunday morning arrived with blues skies and little wind so the debate between a sail around to the Prom lighthouse or a walk to Sealer's Cove was easily settled. This 6km each way walk took us through beautiful bushland and up to some stunning lookouts. Sealer's Cove itself is one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. The braver members of our party even went for a swim.

Once back at Refuge it was time to get the food and wine from the boats for our second beach party and once again, as the tide rose, we retreated to the wooden steps leading to the ranger's shack. Some very uncoordinated rowing in the dark was apparent as we were ferried back to our boats in the still waters of the Cove.

Due to commitments to be back in Melbourne, Kingtide and Breakaway left the other three Magnums in Refuge Cove at 5am on Monday in the dark. Navigation was made easy by following the incoming GPS track on the laptop. The sail was interesting with some gusty 'bullets' coming down from the Prom hills, but the waters were protected and at all times we felt safe. The other boats returned to Port Welshpool later in the day with lighter winds.

It was fantastic to have 5 Magnums participating in a cruise that had an adventure element to it. Refuge Cove is in Bass Strait and it is the real ocean but Magnums are probably the most capable trailerable yacht to undertake this sort of trip. I hope this becomes an annual Magnum cruise and I thank the crews of all 5 boats for making it happen.

John and Lyn
Breakaway