Hobart, Day 2

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We slept well at dock last night. Today is a completely different day in Hobart! The rain and wind swept in over Mt. Wellington between 8 and 9 am. The temperature is dropping  by about 10 degrees from sunrise to noon. We made a decision to not venture ashore again in the blowing rain. We spent the morning on the starboard side of the ship watching the last of the wooden ships trickle out of port for home. We watched as they dismantled the extra docks and floated them away. I know they were happy today's weather held off for their regatta yesterday. We are hopeful that the weather doesn't have a negative impact on us sailing towards Kangaroo Island at 1pm. The rain is predicted to stop in Hobart by 2pm. So, fingers crossed.

I believe when we sail away, we'll head west around the windward side of Tasmania. That is the direction that would be shortest to our next port, Kangaroo Island. Tomorrow's schedule is labeled Cruising the Bass Strait. We'd have no need to be in the strait, but as going south to get here, sailing north we'd have to cross the mouth and current of the strait. That being the case, I used the morning in a still ship to do my yoga routine. I don't remember if I said before but years ago, I bought some yoga DVDS. My favorite turned out to be Suzanne Deason's Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss. I can't use a DVD on most trips, but Clay gifted me audio recording my workout onto a tiny MP3 player. With a 4-four square of open floor I can workout almost anywhere.

We have no restaurant reservations today. Plans are for lunch at Marketplace and dinner at Waterside. We plan to attend tonight's Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle at 5:15pm tonight. Hopefully the seas will be calm enough that I'll feel comfortable doing that. They must have had a small guest list as it is being held in Pulse Nightclub. I am sure I haven't been in every public space onboard, but that is where they hold Magic Castle at Sea with a maximum crowd of less than 20 people in there. We'll see.

I will post this now in the hopes of a quiet day and evening.

I'm back. The captain gave an update as we prepare to cast off. He warned us that he was rerouting and instead of traveling north up Tasmania's east coast (the most direct route) that to avoid 20 - 30 foot swells the entire sail to Kangaroo Island that he would backtrack our route along the leeward or west coast of Tasmania. He advised we'd be in 4 to 18 foot swells until we reached the shelter of the island. He said when we got back to the Bass Strait about noon tomorrow that we'd be in for probably 30 foot swell all the way to Kangaroo. He thought for some reason we'd feel it less because he thought they'd be hitting from the side. He said he'd update us again tomorrow morning and to be careful this afternoon and early evening as moving about the ship. Stay tuned...

While we were out at lunch, someone came in our cabin and removed our balcony chairs' cushions and stacked them inside the balcony door. They never did that before! Now I'm really worried. It promises to be a long sail to Kangaroo Island.

At almost 5pm, the seas are not that bad and we are in open ocean, so fingers crossed. It is time to change clothes and go to Pulse for the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle and then dinner. Tonight we move the clocks back a half hour! This is our 3rd time crossing the south coast of Australia and neither of us had any recollection of fractional hour time zones but there you are.


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