Davenport Creek to Streaky Bay        19/3/15 – 21/3/15

The entrance to Thevenard is guarded to some extent by St Peter Island and its smaller companion, Goat Island, to the West. Both of these isles carry the profile of a cake that has been prematurely removed from the oven. Near here a bulk carrier lay at anchor awaiting berthing at Thevenard, while we sailed merrily past, to round Goat Island  bound for Franklin Island which lay only a couple of hours away. This passage took us near Flinders Reef, a nasty protrusion from below, which was white with spume and spray from the 3-4 metre swell that had been generated by the front that had recently passed to the south, bound for Tasmania.

It's swell to be back at Franklin Island

 

It was a different feeling making our way into the anchorage at ‘West Franklin” Island. Gone was the pinch of unease that is often felt when entering a new anchorage, alone. Soon we were lying easily on the chain, positioned both for the WSW currently blowing and the ESE that should arrive before our departure. We hoped to spend a little more time exploring the foreshore and coves on Franklin Island, plus revisiting the sandy isthmus and lagoon that separate “East” and “West” Franklin. On our first visit we were intrigued by the two sheds, one newer, and one dilapidated that were to be found just up from the shore. They apparently date from research in earlier years by National Parks and the SA Museum, into the biology of the Greater Stick Nest Rat and the evolution of the resident Black Tiger Snakes (Offshore Islands of SA, p167). The unique species on Franklin Island has seen this place listed as a protected area in recent years, and respecting this, our visitation has been confined to the beaches and granite platforms that comprise its shoreline. In any case there is one local creature that we would prefer to leave totally alone!

Looking across to eastern Franklin from the ocean side of the isthmus.

Revisiting the isthmus between the isles showed what a substantial swell running outside could do. The lagoon formed by the spit was in a degree of turmoil and the friendly spit walk of our earlier visitation was swept away by seas that met from both sides and crashed together as cymbals might at a dramatic moment in the orchestra pit. Coming from our long surf background, “crossing the isthmus” in these conditions looked like a fun and perfectly safe thing to do, dodging the waves as they approached, running when gaps appeared and getting very wet when they met in the middle. We set a course of crossing the bar as best we could, touching the rocks on the other side and returning as before, playing dodgem with the waves as they attacked from the sides. We both completed the “course,” arriving back dripping, breathless and exhilarated. It was great fun. A plunge in the lagoon, a light lunch and a return to our anchorage for some more beach exploration completed what had been an excellent revisit to Franklin Island.

Now you see him.......

Now you don't !

 

A walk in the park on our first visit !

 

We might have dallied some more at Franklin but for the forecast posted that gave one more day of kindly conditions before a trough of low pressure would bring strong winds to the Far West. We needed to leave Franklin Island for shelter in Streaky Bay, and next morning as an ESE produced an annoying slop in our anchorage we hoisted our pick and, keeping clear of the “bombie” offshore at East Franklin, made our way to the port side of Lilliput Island, before setting a course for Streaky Bay.



The "bombie "

As predicted, the long haul from Point Brown across the bay saw winds lighten, and we rounded the beacon at Point Gibson with the silos at Streaky Bay white and prominent across Blanche Port, as the sea breeze began to assert itself. We like Streaky Bay and as we anchored in good depth off the NE end of the jetty, it felt like we were in friendly and familiar waters. Whether the change due the next day would modify this view was another question. All we could do was to be prepared, and wait and see.
 

Light airs on approach to Streaky Bay