Solo from Port Davey to Macquarie Harbour & the Gordon River
28 January 2026 · 10 min · 575 views · West Coast
What this video covers
Jeanne Socrates departs Bramble Cove in Port Davey solo, rounding Davy Head past offshore hazards — Coffee Pot, West Pyramid, and Shark's Reef — before approaching Hell's Gate, the narrow, shallow entrance to Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania's southwest coast.1:13 The passage through Hell's Gate demands full concentration to hold the deep channel among rocks and shallows, leaving no opportunity to film.2:18 She anchors at Strawn before dark, fuels up the next morning, and takes on water and provisions in the small fishing town, which exports crayfish and abalone to Hobart.2:47 Inside Macquarie Harbour — a large, open body of water with tea-brown, tannin-stained water — she anchors in Farm Cove with Mount Sorrel to the east, meets cruising friends, and walks the beach at sunset.5:32 The following day she motors up the Gordon River in near-calm conditions under a slight northwest wind, navigating red channel markers and a pronounced horseshoe bend where the river doubles back within 100 meters of itself; depth reaches 22 meters on the outside of bends.7:25 She anchors deep in the river, surrounded by dense forest, and plans to continue toward Sojourn Falls.8:15 The Australian tall ship Young Endeavour was anchored in Bramble Cove the day before departure.0:05
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