The albatrosses fly in formation upwind parallel to us. They glide up about as high as the top of the mast (54 feet) then turn and turn downward towards the ocean, all without flapping their wings. They are followed by herds of shearwaters. The birds have changed as we approach shore. First more petrels then this evening a blindingly white Australasian gannet. Next to the albatross the gannet is a small inefficient flyer, continuously flapping its wings. No wonder it lives close to shore.

Our track is a regular path too. It goes in towards the shore then back towards the open sea. With the wind in our face we are zig zagging our way south. We also are planning our food flight path, trying to eat as much of the food that might be confiscated before we arrive. So veggie rich meals. Apple and yam curry, ratatouille, tomato omelets, snd peanut bow choy soup. We had shopped for a 7 day passage so the things we cannot eat we will try and explain we bought in Eden.

The landscape is somehow familiar, steep cliffs carved by the relentless pounding of the ocean swell. Claw marks of landslides when the rock had given up trying to fight against gravity. We are hoping to see the columns of rock at the point ahead . Spires of cooled lava with names like the totem pole and the spire are a magnet for climbers. These cliffs may be familiar because they are similar to the Palisades Sill. Tasmania rocks, dolerites, are part of the planetary scale burp of magma that happened when the supercontinent broke up. Rocks like the cliffs in front of us form Antarctic mountains and the African coastlines. We once found a mountain under the ice made of these rocks. It looks like the island we sailed next to today. No wonder the landscape is familiar.

Hoping for the clouds to clear and moonlight as we round Pillar Point. These dramatic rocks will mark our entrance into the embayment where Hobart is and our transition from sea creatures to urban dwellers.