vango

We sailed at 6 in the afternoon heading into the path of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Along with all the other things going is Hobart. The finish line for the yacht race was in downtown Hobart. Sailboats left Sydney harbor on Boxing Day sailing 628-nautical-miles to Tasmania.. We headed out as the first boat was headed to the finish. Here is what the Sydney Morning Hearld had to say:

The line honours battle in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race ended on Saturday night with the defending champions Wild Oats XI showcasing her trademark speed to win for a record equalling seventh time. The 100 foot super maxi, owned by Sydney winemaker Bob Oatley, crossed the finish line at 7.07 pm in a time of 2 days 6 hours 7 mins and 27 secs. outside The time was well her record of 1 day 18 hours 23 minutes and 12 seconds of last year when she also won on handicap, but her victory was nonetheless an impressive one. However, after two days of light winds, the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats XI revelled in the stiffening north easterly that blew Saturday. After taking back the race lead from  the heavier Perpetual Loyal on Friday, Wild Oats XI extended her advantage as the hours passed on a sun baked day at blistering speed. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/sailing/sydney-to-hobart-2013-wild-oats-xi-in-recordequalling-seventh-triumph-but-strong-winds-are-on-the-way-20131228-300os.html#ixzz2olZMz2tF

We passed the Wild Oats XI as she headed up the Derwent about half way up the 10 nautical mile connection from Hobart to the Sea. She was the leader with an entourage. There were a dozen small power boats and a couple of helicopters charting her progress. The sight was hard to photograph because it was a gray day and Wild Oats had a gray sail. She seem tiny compared to the 650 Odyssey that towered above her. The captain saluted her with a toot of the horn and we headed out into the night and the two day crossing to New Zealand across the Tasman Sea.

We finished with the wildlife and headed for the town of Richmond. It is a very old town with historic value. It is also picturesque which is a reason to go there. It has some features worth mentioning. Our first stop was to visit Australia's oldest bridge that is still in use. The Richmond bridge was built of stone in 1823. It is a graceful structure that arches over a small river. It is near the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Australia. The denomination is important since there were older Anglican churches. St. John's was built in 1832. There is an old Gaol (jail) and the old Richmond Court House. I wondered what the settlers from the past would think of the Court House being used for Jazzersize. We parked there for about an hour to wander around the town and visit the shops.

Ron and I stopped in the ice cream shop for some refreshment. They had ice cream flavors only available in Tasmania so, of course, Ron tried one. It was Pepperberry flavored. Pepperberry is a type of Laural tree also known as the white walnut that grows only on the mountainsides of Tasmania.

Near Richmond we saw several fields of Opium Poppies. Tasmania grows 50% of the legal Opium in the world. It is used to make medicines. Tasmania is a relatively secure place to grow these. We returned to the city via the Tasman Bridge. It gracefully arches over the Derwent River to a height that permits boat traffic without having to lift or swing a section of the bridge. It is nearly a mile long and rises 200 feet over the river. It was finished in 1964.

The road passed the Hobart Cenotaph commemorating the dead from wars and is the center of ANZAC day celebrations. On the day we pass by it was the location for overflow parking for the “Taste of Tasmania.” going in downtown. We arrived in time for lunch on the ship.

We arrived in Hobart sailing for a few miles up the Derwent River to Hobart Harbour. The dock was right in the center of town. We could see most of the town and the mountain behind it. To the East is a large bridge over the river. Hobart was a convict outpost so much of the buildings were constructed by convicts during the early 1800s. There is a couple of spots for cruise ships to the right of the city and a small marina in the center. Several long piers on the left that have now been converted to exhibit halls. There were several things happening in the in the city the day we were there. It was the start of “Taste of Tasmania.” It was the weekly street market along Salamanca Place. And it was the finish line for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. The city was hopping. Into that mix came our cruise ship. Admittedly, it was a small addition being only 400 people. There was plenty to do.

Ron and I had booked a tour called History, Heritage and Wildlife. It was to leave at 8:45 from in front of the pier building. It was a little late because we were a little late being released from the ship. At the last minute the crew decided to use the built in Gangway which took about 15 minutes extra to deploy. We boarded a bus with our tour guide David. We started our tour by driving through the city to see many of the convict built buildings. There were many find homes and buildings dating from the early 1800s. The Convicts were sent to Tasmania from England for a variety of crime. One such criminal was a sent up for forgery. He could draw very well and ended up creating designs for many of the buildings. One of his projects was a synagogue. He was not Jewish, had never been in a Jewish Temple an only had the Old Testament to work from but managed to design a passable place for the local Jewish population. The Island has tried to shake off its convict past by renaming itself. It was originally named "Anthony van Diemen's Land" after a Dutch East India Company official in 1642. It was officially renamed Tasmania in honour of its first European discoverer, Abel Tasman, on 1 January 1856

From downtown Hobart we drove north out of the city to the Bonorong Wildlife Preserve. We passed the MONA museum on the way. It stands for Modern Old and New Art. It was built totally by private funds. The building sits on a bluff overlooking the river. There is a Boat that runs from Hobart Harbor directly to the museum. It is a catamaran with a striking paint job. It is painted in Black and White Camouflage. We crossed the Bridgewater Bridge across the Derwent River. It is mostly causeway built in 1829 by British Convicts. At the east end is a lift span that allows boat traffic to get farther up the river.