Blue Water Sailing School

29/04/2026

I have a student looking for the Imray chart G35. Lucky guy's heading off to the Dodecanese. If you are in Australia and happen to have one you would like to sell, please PM me or comment here.

20/03/2026

One of our crew filmed the whole Prime Seal leg. This is what 10-knot winds, a three-sail reach, and the Bass Strait Islands look like from on board.
👉 https://youtu.be/jrx5-5y8Wng?si=kn7F2HmBOiVqLrXj
Still spaces on the 2026 Coastal Adventures program:
👉 https://bluewatersail.com.au/adventure/

Created with the App on my iPad.

20/03/2026

1am departure. Night watches. And then… this. To catch the tidal current through Banks Strait, we slipped the mooring at 1am.
Night sailing gets talked about with a mix of dread and romance. The reality? Our crew took to it brilliantly. Watch by watch, through the dark, navigating by instruments and instinct — it's one of those experiences that stays with you.
By morning the wind had settled to a perfect 10 knots. Two headsails, full main, Persephone moving beautifully through the Bass Strait.
And then Prime Seal Island appeared.
Remote. Wild. Uninhabited. The kind of place that stops you mid-sentence. Nobody on the beach. Nobody on the water. Just us, the seals, and the kind of silence you can't find anywhere near a city.
The Bass Strait Islands are genuinely one of Australia's great secrets. We could run an entire voyage just to this island group. One day, we will.
One of our crew was so taken with it he put together this video 👇
https://youtu.be/jrx5-5y8Wng?si=kn7F2HmBOiVqLrXj
And another pulled out a drone.

19/03/2026

Wineglass Bay is spectacular. But this crew had other priorities!
Leaving the magic of Maria Island behind, we headed north. Wineglass Bay is one of Australia's most famous anchorages — postcard perfect, on every bucket list. But, we didn't go there!
The crew looked at the chart. Then they looked at each other.
Bicheno had a bakery, a pub and an IGA.
The vote wasn't close.
And honestly? No regrets. The east coast of Tasmania is scattered with these beautiful little towns that most people drive past. Arriving by boat, dropping anchor, and going ashore on the tender is a completely different experience. You see the town the way it was meant to be seen.
We hit the IGA, explored the streets, found the patisserie, and ended the day exactly like this. 🍺
That flexibility — working to what the crew actually wants — is at the heart of how we run these voyages. The itinerary is a guide, not a contract.

15/03/2026

Different crew. Different coast. Same magic.
After a successful southbound voyage, Persephone welcomed a fresh crew and turned north — this time up Tasmania's east coast. And what a contrast.
Where the west coast delivers raw, remote wilderness and big Southern Ocean swells, the east is gentler — but no less spectacular.
We motor-sailed out of Hobart across Storm Bay and ducked into Port Arthur for the night. With the site to ourselves in the golden evening light, we took the tender ashore and wandered the historic settlement in near-silence. Haunting and beautiful in equal measure.
Next morning we rounded Tasman Island — one of Australia's great sea passages — past those cathedral dolerite columns that rise sheer from the ocean. Then the breeze filled in perfectly: full sail, 7 knots, and suddenly dolphins were everywhere. Leaping, racing, showing off. Persephone was clearly worthy of their attention.
For a 14-tonne yacht, she moves. We were all surprised.
The day ended at Maria Island — wombats wandering the foreshore, red wine on the hook, and nachos below. Not a bad life.

11/03/2026

Tasmania Southbound — done. 🎉⚓

We left Port Davey at first light, motor-sailed around South East Cape — the southernmost tip of Tasmania — and turned north for the last time. The D'Entrecasteaux Channel gave us everything the west coast didn't: flat water, calm air, and a chance to breathe.

We did make one overnight stop at Southport. I cooked homemade gnocchi. It was excellent. The red wine situation was... less so. We ran out. A genuine crisis.

The next morning we motored all the way up the channel into Hobart, where the wonderful Roger gifted us a berth in Constitution Dock. That pub celebration was one for the books.

Melbourne to Hobart. Bass Strait. The wild west coast. Hells Gate at 3am. The Gordon River. Bathurst Harbour. South East Cape.
What an extraordinary boat, crew, and adventure.

Till next time, Tasmania. 🏔️🌊

10/03/2026

After the Gordon River, we surfaced in Strahan for a rest day — rainforest walks, tree ferns, and the kind of lunch that reminds you why you sail with good people.

Then south again. Jib only, 20 knots of westerly, a 1.5 knot current pushing us along — we made Port Davey in record time. The SW corner of Tasmania. End of the road. No tracks in. No roads out. Just mountains, water, and silence.

Bathurst Harbour stopped us completely. We anchored, looked around, and nobody said a word for a while. A full day wasn't nearly enough.

One more leg to Hobart. Stay tuned. ⚓🏔️

04/03/2026

Then Tasmania showed us her other face.

From Strahan we explored a former convict settlement, then motored deep into the Gordon River — ancient rainforest, tannin-dark water, absolute silence. One of the most extraordinary places I've ever taken a yacht.

Yesterday's rainforest walk ended at a waterfall hidden in the moss. Nobody wanted to leave.

Tonight we're heading for Port Davey — one of the most remote anchorages in Australia. Five days in and this trip is already delivering beyond anything we expected.

More to come. 🌿⚓

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04/03/2026

Bass Strait to Hells Gate — the opening act of Tasmania Southbound didn't hold back. 2–4 metre swells crossing the Strait, then a screaming run down the wild West Coast at 42+ knots of breeze. We entered Macquarie Harbour through Hells Gate at 3am in the dark.

Three days in. Not a single regret. 😄⚓

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22/08/2025

HIRW Day 5: After a shocker yesterday we claimed 4th place in a tough race. 31 tacks! A few guys will need an early night. Starting to understand how to race a boat around these island courses. Hoping for more wind for the last race tomorrow.