Dunalley

[Kyle]Our sail from Maria Island to the Marion Narrows was an easy one. We started with barely enough wind to move, but then it slowly increased until we were reduced to bare poles to keep from arriving too early. The Marion Narrows, connecting the Pacific to Blackman’s Bay, is very shallow and should only be transited at high tide and in fair weather.

It's always fun when the dolphins join us

Just before high water, we started an engine and headed across the bar into the shallow bay. Blackman’s is only surveyed for the narrow strip between the Marion Narrows and the entrance to the Denison Canal at Dunalley, so it is usually not possible to sail the route unless the wind is just right.

Transiting the Marion Narrows

Most vessels seem to do the entire transit on one day, but we decided to stop in Dunalley for the night to have a look around.

Ashore at Dunalley

There isn’t much there, apart from the pub at the Dunalley Hotel and what we later learned was Tasmania’s largest gas station general store. We made a point of giving our custom to each, both of which we recommend, before making the long, upwind, up-current, row home.