Dolphin Ballet

 

Finally … some easterly winds to take us further west in the Bass Strait. Our next port of call is King Island, known as KI to the locals. We planned an overnight passage to cover the ~160 nm. The forecast called for light easterlies to start, increasing to 15 kts towards afternoon. Hmm...we'd fallen for this type of forecast recently and it didn't work out as planned. There's always a quandary. If we leave early enough to make it by nightfall the next day, the winds will not have picked up enough to sail all the way. If we waited until later in the day, we'd arrive at night...not a prudent prospect for making our first foray into the reef-lined entrance to Grassy Harbour. King Island is the best known graveyard for ships in all of Australia. Hmm...let's contemplate that fact. If we waited until the following day, there was a chance we'd miss our window altogether. We left around 0900 and hoped for the best.

The day was spent holding on. We motored for awhile and then the easterlies finally arrived and so did the swell. The sunset was a fire-in-the-sky blaze that bode well for the rest of the passage (Red sky at night...sailor's delight). Though rolly to the point that neither of us could sleep a wink, it turned out to be a good passage.

The night was clear and crisp. Millions of Milky Way stars danced in the ink black sky. A yellow half moon played tricks in the clouds...now brilliant, now a shady silhouette. I tried to take photos, but the best I managed on a rolly boat at night was a Nike swoosh!

The night was spent alternately trying in vain to sleep on our off-watches scrunched into the lee cloths on the settee or holding on in the cockpit while watching out for the fast-moving Bass Strait ferry and well-lit oil rigs. Despite the roll, the weather was mild and being topside was quite pleasant.

Day broke and a thick gray wall of clouds stretched from sky to sea in the east and slowly receded like a heavy coverlet slipping off a bed. Shafts of sunlight cut through the thick blanket and were reminiscent of Hollywood movie aliens trying to beam people up from their boats. A pale blue, cloud-studded sky tinged with peaches and pinks appeared and promised a fine day ahead and so it was.

We spotted a pod of dolphins in the distance and they migrated toward us. Dolphins are always good luck for sailors, so we were glad when they stopped by. You don't even have to see them; you hear them first … a distinctive breath sound that we've come to recognize. Three or four of them greeted us by the cockpit, then swam by. Another three or four joined them and started swimming in the bow wake. Then more dolphins appeared … and more. We'd never seen quite so many all at one time, diving, surfing down waves, swimming under the boat, beside us, in front of us, behind us.

I was beside myself. I started photographing, but they were everywhere, all jumping and frolicking and apparently intent on giving us a good show. I hung over the bow and over the rails, clicking away into the clear blue water, then finally gave up with the camera and just enjoyed their presence. For over an hour, they swam with us.

After 13 years at sea, this is one of the many pleasures that always excite. Not to mention all that good luck.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Peppermint Patty Day

Have a refreshing York's peppermint patty.

White T-shirt Day

Honoring men and women who participated in a sitdown strike at General Motors in 1937. These autoworkers helped the United Auto Workers (UAW) union to become the sole bargaining agent for General Motors autoworkers. The strike ended on this day in 1937. Wear a white t-shirt, but do not get peppermint patty all over it.

Tasmanian Tiger

 

Everyone's heard of the Tasmanian devil, thanks to Looney Tunes, but if you're not from down under, you've probably never heard of the Tasmanian tiger. This is neither myth nor legend. The Tasmanian tiger really did exist and not so long ago. We'd never heard of this animal before coming to Tasmania. The thylacine, commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger because of its striped back, was the largest carnivorous marsupial. Think meat-eater that looks like a striped dog with a pouch for its young.

Originally thought to be widespread in Australia and New Guinea, they became extinct in those areas long before European settlement. Archeological evidence in the form of rock paintings indicates that they might have been hunted by the early humans that inhabited the continent. Thylacines did pretty well in Tasmania for awhile. In 1803 when Europeans first arrived here, they were quite common and it's thought the Aboriginals here used them for meat.

It didn't take long, however, until settlers decided the these critters were harmful to humans, attacked stock and needed to be killed off (sound familiar?). Government bounties were offered and contributed significantly to the hunting and eradication of the beast, but disease and human intrusion impacted them as well, not to mention the introduction of dogs.

By 1910, the animal was considered a rarity and zoos around the world sought them. They didn't fare well in zoos though. The last known thylacine killed in the wild was shot in 1930. The last known Tasmanian Tiger was captured in 1933 and the species became extinct when it died at the Beaumarais Zoo in Hobart in 1936. The last of its kind gone. An entire species became extinct at that moment. When I read this and shared it with David, it made both of our hearts heavy.

The thylacine was an unusual critter. Both males and females had pouches: the female to nurture and protect the young joeys and the male to protect his external reproductive organs when he ran.

Observers noted that the animal ran awkwardly, wasn't very fast (more of a trot) and sometimes hopped on its rear feet, using its tail for balance, very much like a kangaroo. Though they were considered vicious predators, it was thought that their sense of smell and dogged persistence in running down and tiring their prey played a major role in their hunting ability. They were very shy and when captured, they rarely struggled, but rather just surrendered to their captors.

It's closest relative was thought to be the Tasmanian devil, but recent research indicates that the numbat, a striped anteater native to Western Australia, might be more closely related. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none have been conclusively proven. There are all sorts of rumors and stories associated with this shy guy which contributes to its mystery. In 1999, the Australian Museum began a project in an effort to bring life to an extinct species through cloning.

A bit of trivia: According to the Parks Tasmania website, mainland Australia has the worst record of mammalian extinctions of any country on Earth, with nearly 50% of its native mammals becoming extinct in the past 200 years. Of course, prior to that, who was really keeping track?

It took us awhile to figure out that the image on the Tasmanian coat of arms and car license plates is that of the elusive Tasmanian Tiger.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Chinese New Year's (1st Day)

Celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Snake. Wear red and go out for Chinese food.

Birdwatching

Whenever I used to think of “birdwatching”, I pictured a skinny-legged fellow in khaki shorts, probably wearing black socks and “sneakers”, a wide-brimmed hat, binoculars around his neck and a bird list in his hand, ready to tick off each bird he spotted. Birdwatching was a hobby for old people or nerds with nothing better to do with their time. It's not that I disliked birds. It's more that I saw them, but never took the time to really notice them. Oh, a bluebird. Gee whiz, there's a seagull. Hmm, the first spring robin. Not much enthusiasm. Boy, did I have it wrong.

When we moved aboard Nine of Cups and we were sailing, birds really started to get my attention. Sea birds, shore birds, passerines, non-passerines, big, little. Each new area had its own particular birdlife and that became even more apparent as we traveled from country to country and then from the Equator to the Antarctic. With nearly 10,000 bird species throughout the world, we'd be hard pressed not to find a new species wherever we went. What once seemed nerdy became absolutely fascinating.

Of course along with finally noticing birds, came the need to identify them. So I bought a big “Birds of the World” identification guide. Soon, this was not enough. I needed a less bulky book that I could throw in my backpack. I wanted one which included more identification photos and/or sketches, like seeing a bird in flight as well as sitting on a bough. I wanted more information about the bird and its call. I've ended up investing in a bird book for each major area we've visited and I don't regret it in the least. I usually find a used copy which helps the budget significantly. In fact, I even traded a bird photo of a Pitcairn warbler with a publisher one time in return for an Australian bird book. That's how I got my Simpson & Day Birds of Australia which is in constant use.

Now, I'm so totally enthralled with birds and photographing them, I've created separate pages on our website for them. Australia has ~800 bird species and though we'd seen and identified lots, it's not even close to what's out there. The best bird site and bird photography I've ever seen is Ian Montgomery's Birdway. When I can't find what I'm looking for in my bird book, I refer to his site for an answer and he never lets me down.

That brings us to our current location in Cygnet. Not far away from our anchorage at the head of the bay is the Port Cygnet Conservation area. It's a ~250 acre wetland reserve and wildlife sanctuary and an important feeding, nesting and roosting area for over 70 species of birds. A boardwalk and paths meander through the wetland area allowing close up views of its visitors and inhabitants without encroaching too much on their turf.

It's a pleasant and fascinating place to explore. Tasmanian native hens scurry around on the grass and disappear into the tall marsh reeds. Masked lapwings shriek and tromp around in the mud at low tide and white-faced herons wait stone-still, hoping for some breakfast to swim by. Sea eagles regularly frequent this area, but unfortunately we didn't see any. There was much less birdlife than we saw on our last visit and we wonder if the smoke and soot from the bushfires is keeping them away. Hopefully, it's just a temporary thing.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

World Nerd Day

Where would we be without them? We'd still be using tin cans and string while calculating on an abacus. High five a nerd today...they're easy to pick out in a crowd.