Yep I have done 4 or so trips mainly women but one Canadian guy that stands among the rest! Standing at 6ft and a god to women, ex freestyle bmx stunt rider,guitar player and descriptive writer. Met him at Con Dock Tassie making convo saying he was looking for a job....I said bluntly if you find one let me know! I invited him aboard for a beer and I discussed my plans about sailing to the bottom of tassie. The next morning we cast lines for a 2 week adventure south....story goes as from his diary the following ...............Hobart Harbor, Tasmania 10th of February 2010.

Awaking in an unknown place is always a strange feeling, staring at the ceiling, or in this case, at the underside of a boat´s deck. A slight movement is sensed, morning ripples awake the ¨Sea Princess¨ at rest in Hobart Harbor. In the works is a voyage, after the previous day of sailing in these easy conditions the bay provided, Matt, the captain is confident with my abilities and agreed to have me as crew on an mini adventure that would take us around the tip of some of the most rugged and desolate places on the planet, the end of Van Diemans land. The trip is to begin in the morning.

We crawl towards the the Royal Hobart Yacht club to stock up on provisions, a lovely Ketch is moored, the furthest out in the bay, -Four Winds-. ¨There is a story behind that one mate, once, the captain left to sea with his wife, than after some time gone called into port without her, he is still in court and his wife still missing.¨
Fuel and water tanks are topped off, provisions stowed. We rumble out onto a slick reflective sea that has been awaiting our arrival for some time, in a patient serenity and calmness. Thickening grey skies linger over the green housed hills of the city of Hobart, mount Wellington, the cities giant backdrop is invisible. Southerly breeze begins to funnel through the channel, ¨ Strong easterlys all day ya reckon? ¨, ¨Ha! Your funny ¨. Matt squints into the weather whilst rolling a smoke. ¨

Look at those houses on the hillside, each one with a car that goes to work each day to try and get it´s owner richer so that he can buy more houses and maybe cars.¨ What was once a solitary light house is now dwarfed by waterfront homes with many windows and fancy modern designs. Across Ithmus, we tack along close to the desolate sand lengths of Bruny island, the fishing line trails out the stern, seabirds track it´s flashing movement. Beating down D´Entrecasteux Channel, winds funnel against, but firm rigging and sail cleave the Sea Princess into the choppy waters in a smooth rhythmic advance. She runs along, now just under a main sail, into the port of Cygnet, dark gum forests with patches of farmers fields are revealed and then hidden behind points and outcrops as our passing is a slow but consistent one. Boats rest at anchor in the calm little bays and coves. The smooth running diesel engine is cranked, we cruise past the southern Tasmanian countryside content after a long day against the winds. The small farm houses still seem to just creep along as if we were entering a place where time had slowed, as if we were entering a place where hours passed through us with less power or intensity, things once again looked to pertain a down to earth simplicity.

Awesome trip and company!

I was a sea going hitch hicker.

I've sailed from port douglas to seisa (cape york) on a 50foot wharram catamaran in 3 weeks, I was paying 30$ per day, plus cost of food shared. there was 1 owner and we were 5 hitchhikers. so the owner had a crew to help him sail his boat and was earning 150$ a day to sail on the coral sea.


I've sailed from perth to coral bay in 2 weeks for free on a 30 foot homebuilt catamaran. and he offered me to go around the world with him but I couldn't because I was studying.

both trips were amazing!