Later at anchor around 7pm we could hear voices and there were people swimming just off the shore in the kelp beds. One fellow swam over to our boat for a chat, they were bushwalkers who had just walked out to the coast from Bathurst Harbour and were camping nearby. You can imagine the water temperature and there was no hot shower to return to after their swim. Early the following morning they were back, diving for abalone – they certainly were keen. 
Just after we rounded South West Cape Patrick had his first dolphin experience of the trip when a large pod of dolphins which were feeding about 400 metres away came racing over to join us. Several of them were leaping right out of the water as they raced towards the boat to bow surf with us for a while. Unfortunately we didn't capture it with our camera (although we did try) so I've scanned an image from a tourist brochure which shows in part what we experienced in this very special encounter.
We have had some incredible encounters with dolphins on our trip around Australia. If we haven't sighted them coming in they will often leap out of the water beside the boat near our cockpit to get our attention then go to the bow. On occasions when it has been raining and we haven't ventured to the bow to watch them they have come back and swam behind the boat for a while where they can see us in the cockpit.From SW Cape we enjoyed a lively sail up to Port Davey where we anchored in Bond Bay for the night. Port Davey / Bathurst Harbour is located in the south west of Tasmania and experiences mainly cold strong winds and heavy rain along with the odd day of sunshine, blue skies and cold winds. We stayed in the area for 11 days and experienced heavy rain, misty rain, low clouds, strong winds, patches of blue and sunshine while exploring some of the more protected anchorages. Many books and magazines were read, cups of tea and coffee drunk along with the odd glass or two of red wine and cans of beer. We were able to capture on camera the many moods of this part of Australia.
On the fine days we did some shore based exploring, firstly the Davey River, taking our dinghy up the river through gorges and over gentle rapids, then drifted back down the river without the engine to enjoy the scenery and reflections. 
Another day we motored up Melaleuca Inlet to King’s Landing then took the dinghy up the creek to walk to the airstrip and then across to Denny King’s Bird Hide, the Parks and Wildlife Service camping area where the resident ranger Craig was in the process of building a new toilet for the bush walkers and day visitors.
On our third fine day we climbed the hills behind our anchorage at Schooner Cove to enjoy views back along the coast as well as up the Channel to Bathurst Harbour. 
A party of kayakers camped on the beach in our anchorage at Schooner Cove. A very adventurous group they paddled in strong winds and heavy rain and they also climbed mountains and walked over hills to the ocean beaches.
We also met Sam whose boat Schouten Pass was being used as a mother ship for university researchers, diving in the waters of Bathurst Harbour and Channel to observe and record the unique plant and animal life found in the tannin rich waters.A change in the weather enabled us to sail overnight north to Macquarie Harbour.
After a lumpy start the seas settled down around midnight and we made our way up the coast, rounding Cape Sorrel at breakfast time with its tall white lighthouse. We dropped the sails and motored through Hells’ Gate then around to Strahan. 
Fish and Chips, fresh bread rolls and a cold beer for lunch on the back of the boat – luxury!!
Luckily there was a spare berth at the fishing wharf however had to move later that afternoon as one of the local tour boats, the Eagle, was being fitted with the towing gear for the challenge to break the world water skiing record. On Sunday morning March 28 they succeeded. Pat and Cran took the dinghy to watch from the sidelines and I walked around the headland to watch from the shore. At 7am there was no wind or wake to break the water’s surface. The skiers entered the water and made their way through the early morning mist to take up their positions behind the boat. Air temp 10 deg, water temp 16 deg. In perfect conditions 126 skiers started and 114 made it over the 1 nautical mile that they had to cover in order to create the new world record, beating the Cairns effort of 20 plus years ago (100 skiers).
Strahan is a picturesque town on the shores of Macquarie Harbour with many of the older buildings restored and filled with restaurants, gift shops and accommodation for its thriving tourist industry. There are walking paths around the shores of the harbour connecting the main part of town with the Railway Station from which a scenic train journey to Queenstown departs. There is also an excellent pub at the point where we enjoyed some of the locally farmed trout.
At the far end of the wharf a working timber mill specializing in Huon Pine timber and products using logs salvaged from the local King and Gordon Rivers, washed down in the flood waters each year. The Huon Pine has an oil that makes it rot resistant and many logs lie beneath the cold tannin rich waters of the harbour and local rivers from the days when the loggers (Piners) cut down the trees for the commercial timber industry. Unfortunately the Huon was nearly wiped out with only a few of the 2000 + year old trees remaining in the wilderness areas. Many younger trees are growing along the shores of the rivers but it will be another 2000 years before they are ready for harvesting.
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