Your Short Stories

Tell us about your boating adventures.

These are your short stories: things that happened while cruising or interesting places you visited.

Further Adventures of Phil Adams & Dusty

Trailer Sailer on Bradys Lake

Story & photos by Phil Adams (RG369)

Phil and Dusty the Golden Bear spent three days in May sailing around at Brady's Lake on the Lyell Highway almost midway between Hobart's CBD and Queenstown on the West Coast.

Three Lakes Bradys, Binney and Tungatinah Lagoon are linked by canals that you can motor through. Contrary headwinds are at each end of the canal making sailing a bit dodgy

Sailing is hard work, out in all weathers, fighting the helm. The Captain pokes his head out of the hatch - barks a few orders - then goes back to his bunk!!

Forecast frosty nights meant we set up a base camp in our hot tent - a tent complete with a fitted wood stove for frosty night comfort

*GYDA at the Bradys Lake campsite pontoon*

Phil & Dusty went day sailing in tiny GYDA - a Cal 14, made up in Brisbane during the 80s. Lake levels are down (currently 3.3 metres below full supply level), but there is still plenty of deep water for centreboard down sailing. 10 to 15 knot northwest breezes made for good sailing, another great trip up there.

VHF coverage in the area is good (Tas Maritime has a base near Bradys Lake, another at Barren Tier near Miena). Phil only carries a little handheld radio and while he cannot pick up the regular skeds he has been able to call in to Tas Maritime for weather and to make a position report without any issues.

The Tungatinah Lagoon outlet marks the end of the navigable section of the three lakes which are connected by navigable canals which you can see in the satellite view of the lakes.

Scenic evening colour over the lake heralds a fine new day for tomorrow.

.... we'll be back!

All photos by Phil Adams.

Circumnavigation Moments

Experiencing Tasmania by boat

Story & photos by Fraser Duff RG1027

I took this beautiful photo of Mount Sorell while on the RYCT VDL Circumnavigation 22 Cruise.

The Adventures of Phil & Dusty

Camping and fishing in remote Tasmania

Phil Adams (RG369) has been a member of Tas Maritime Radio (TMR) since 2005. With his four-pawed crew Dusty the retriever, Phil regularly trailers his Stacer 4.55 metre dinghy to Lake King William where he camps and fishes in the Guelph Basin at the southern end of the lake.

Dusk at Lake King William — *Lake King William dusk*

Map showing LKW — *Where is Lake King William?*