SMOKEHOUSE BAY

The day opens fine, clear and glassy calm sea.  The wind died down early evening and calm prevailed all night, had a fantastic sleep.  After a bit of a lazy morning, we weighed anchor and headed around to Port Fitzroy where we picked up a convenient mooring just off the jetty.  The mooring belongings to a mate of a mate.

Off we went ashore and topped up some fresh water jerry cans.  We really didn’t need to top up with fresh water, but old habits die hard.  Then it was off to the store for some fresh provisions including more beer.  Now, I thought I had brought sufficient beer but the stocks seem to have been going down at an alarming rate.  Better have another case – just in case.  Another treat ashore was an ice cream, which we ate sitting on a grass bank looking across the harbour in lovely warm sunshine.

Late afternoon we let go from the mooring and headed across to Smokehouse Bay where we anchored just after sunset.  Sunset is at 17:30 in the afternoon, it gets dark early.   There are three other boats anchored here, it seems quite crowded. 

The anchorage in Smokehouse Bay gave us a beautiful calm night, the water was flat calm.  Even just warm enough to sit in the cockpit for half an hour finishing sundowners before retreating below to the cosy warmth of the salon.

The next morning was just as calm, we took the little pig ashore after breakfast.  There we met the two other couples from the other yachts.  They were busy doing their chores, laundry, chopping wood, making a fire for a hot water tub fire and planning how to use the Pizza oven.  Smokehouse Bay is a wonderful facility for boaties, this time of year its almost empty, in the summer months it must be jam packed.

Ngozi and I headed off for a walk ashore, beautiful weather and it really was quite warm, it almost felt like summer.  There was quite a bit of pig activity on the track, both large and small pigs.  Ahh Bacon.  After an hour or so we returned to Smokehouse Bay, sat in the sun and chatted.  Ngozi headed onto the rocks and picked a feed of mussels.  One of the guys was a self-opinionated know all and it became painful to listen to him, so we decided we should depart back to Truce.

Once back on board the anchor came up and we went fishing.  This proved very productive, we kept a couple of good snapper for dinner.  We returned once again to the anchorage at Smokehouse Bay and got settled before the sun set in time for sundowners.

Dinner was a grand affair, Mussels in white wine sauce for starters and snapper, mashed potatoes and broccoli for main course.  All washed down with pale ale for me and white wine for Ngozi.  All in all, a wonderful day and another calm night. Mid winter cruising is not bad.