Tawe Nunnugah 2023: a small boat view

This video is the view mostly from the deck of a 15 foot CLC Skerry taking part in the Living Boat Trust's 10 small boat expedition from Recherche Bay to Hobart. It is called "Tawe Nunnugah" which means "travelling by canoe" in the language of the Melurkerdee, who for millennia were the custodians and inhabitants of the land through which the raid passes. Tasmanian dinghy cruising is beautiful but challenging, and most of the time I was too busy hanging on to take video. But over the 100 nauical miles I sailed on the raid, I got a few clips which hopefully give some idea of the extraordinary experience. The next raid will be February 2025. Put it in your diaries! For more information see livingboattrust.org.au/tawe-n...

[@andybullock6848]

Thanks Gary, for making the video, allowing me to be an armchair raider. You were brave doing it in such a small boat, even with rescue boats on hand. It looks like you were fortunate with the weather.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou Andy. Yes, the weather was pretty good. The day from Dover to Simpsons Point was a bit hairy. I dropped sail for a while, and one of the other boats capsized. The rescue boat got to them in minutes. It was very reassuring to know the rescue boats were around. I really recommend the raid!

[@afloatinawoodenboat]

Fabulous. What an adventure!

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou Holly! EOI's are open for TN 2025. See you and your gallant crew there maybe? Hope so!

[@jeffings2696]

Great sail

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Jeff. A fantastic adventure alright. Well worth considering if you haven’t done it already.

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

Looks like a fun trip was had by all.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Tim, yes, tough at times but a wonderful experience. Really glad I got to do it.

[@grimbleahoy]

Great vid. Just preparing to start a CLC Skerry kit in Norfolk 🇬🇧 as soon as the chill gives way to spring; seeing this has given me extra impetus. 👍

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou! I really enjoyed building my Skerry, and I have found it a great all round boat, great to sail, great to row, light to move around. Good luck with your build!

[@sharondickson4134]

What a fantastic journey 👏 Gary, well done, your a legend, im proud to have you as my cousin.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Shaz! They say, the smaller the boat, the bigger the adventure, and it sure felt like an epic!

[@robkunzig5795]

just started watching - I've been WAITING for this - (after watching) Ah, the meaning of courage is once again rewritten. So many times I've turned away from trips like that - Gary you've given me no choice now. Thanks for showing how it is done! - R

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Rob. Like you, I have managed to get deflected many times in the past, but I am really glad I managed to commit and get organized for this one! I hope I have sufficient energy for the next one in two years, but meantime I plan on doing more multi day dinghy cruises. "Liberte"would love an event like Tawe Nunnugah. Good luck!!!

[@akwamarsunzal]

What a cute little boat! Similar to some of the old fishing boats you see in Aveiro, Portugal.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou! The boat is a CLC Skerry. That double ended broad beamed shape seems to have been popular all over for small working boats. I loved the maritime museum in Lisbon, a great collection of small boats, photos and models, some not too distant relatives of the Skerry.

[@DinghyCruisingKingfisher]

Awesome Gary. I must do this trip one day.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou Josh. Yes, you must! "Trim" would be just about the perfect boat for that trip. "One day" =2025!

[@Antipodean33]

Real nice little clip, i've got to get myself down to Tassie I'm embarrassed to say even though I'm 60 and have lived in South Oz for those years i've been all over Oz but have never got to Tassie

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou! It was a real eye opener for me. Logistics are a bit tricky but the pay-off in fantastic cruising grounds is well worth it. I am trying to work out how soon I can get back down there!

[@mikeu5380]

Hi from northern Japan, where we are anticipating ice breakup and a good sailing season. Wonderful to watch this, and quite a surprise: I've been watching the "SailingKateLouise" channel, where Paul has posted his footage from his time aboard the Duyfken. Thank you so much for posting this.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou Mike. Tasmania as a dinghy cruising destination was new to me too, and a revelation, it is a fantastic area, very different to the waters in NSw where Paul sails. I saw Duyfken in Hobart but missed meeting Paul unfortunately. Next raid. I highly recommend it, keep an eye on the Living Boat Trust site for expressions of interest for 2025. It would be worth escaping that ice to come over! Hope you have a good sailing season.

[@mikeu5380]

@@garyhardy3810 Thanks, Gary. I just subscribed to the Living Boat Trust (love all the mixed connotations of that name!)

[@darylfoster698]

Lovely video! I have just acquired a Skerry here in Devon UK but without the sailing rig, I'm enjoying seeing the evolution of your setup and pinching a few ideas for when I get the rig sorted! They are a great little boat, and very envious of the landscapes you are sailing in, just beautiful.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou Daryl, that'smighty kind of you, and congratulations on acquiring a Skerry, an excellent choice, they are indeed great little boats. I am a convert to the balanced lug. Tasmania is a beautiful place for dinghy cruising alright, I am resolved to return and explore more of it. Come on over for TN2025! Look forward to seeing some video of your Skerry in the not too distant future!

[@gerardpetervandrempt6335]

Good work Gary. Enjoyed watching and dreaming. To know a seafarer is to know life. And that's what adventuring is all about in my opinion.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Gerard!!! Let's get that Shimmy finished so the fleet can cast off for the next adventure!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks Gary, loved it and sorry we didn't catch up in Hobart..2025 you say😃

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Paul, that's very kind of you! Yes, Likewise, sorry not to meet you in Hobart. A busy place for those few days alright. I am trying to persuade Chris who owns Ysolde, our local Stornoway 18, to sign up for TN2025. Be great to see two Stornaways. Well done you on your Duyfken voyage ... the trailer is stunning, can't wait for the next instalments!

[@SailingKateLouise]

@@garyhardy3810 Thanks Gary, raiding next weekend at Jervis bay, then more editing, cheers Paul

[@dalesimonson]

Fantastic video, Gary, considering how busy you must've been most of the time! It's very cool to have the viewpoint from the smallest boat in the fleet... thanks for all your effort to put this together. I just arrived home in Vancouver yesterday (had a great trip around in NSW after the raid finished 30 days ago) and have been hard at work culling my still images. It'll be some time before I get an album online, but I'll let you know when it goes live.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Dale, I bet you and Chris must be glad to be home for a rest. I am still sleeping 10 hours a night trying to catch up. I am still waiting for the SCAMP plans to turn up, time to tidy the shed and earn some merit before I start the project. Look forward to seeing that album when you put it online, I bet it will be sensational!

[@dalesimonson]

Haha… maybe it’ll be a bit too long and involved for anyone that’s not a boat nerd…

[@garyhardy3810]

@@dalesimonson I am almost certainly a card carrying boat nerd, so there will be no complaints from here. The SCAMP plans have turned up btw, #645. An auspicious number I rekon.

[@okuboheavyindustries5758]

I’ve been looking forward to this video and it didn’t disappoint! What a wonderful adventure! Thanks for sharing your journey Gary. Inspiring!

[@garyhardy3810]

Thankyou Darren! It was well worth it, a fantastic experience. I did a capsize practice before I left, but luckily did not have to try that out on the raid. I hope that you will be getting "Swallow" back in the water soon, I am missing following along on your adventures.

[@okuboheavyindustries5758]

@@garyhardy3810 Still more than 2 meters of snow on the ground here at the moment and more falling today. It will be a while before I can dig out my shipping container and retrieve Swallow from winter storage. Much less snow down at Lake Toya though so hopefully I’ll be able to store her down there next year and get an earlier start to the season. Hope to see some more videos from you to keep me going until Spring finally arrives here!

[@garyhardy3810]

@@okuboheavyindustries5758 🙂 Golly. I forget how lucky we are here to be able to sail most of the year round. I had better get out there and get sailing again then!

[@chrisstockman904]

What a great journey, well done Gary and thanks for letting us share the memories.

[@garyhardy3810]

Thanks Chris. Look forward to seeing you and "Ysolde" on the next raid in 2025!

[@chrisstockman904]

I notice you took down the lazy jacks

[@garyhardy3810]

@@chrisstockman904 Hi Chris, yes, good spotting! I got the yard tangled on the wrong side of the lazy jacks on the shakedown cruise day over to Cockle Creek. Second time that has happened. I did not want a third, especially in those waters. I actually got on fine without them. Much simpler, less windage, one less thing to go wrong.

[@olivei2484]

@@garyhardy3810 I thought about adding a reefing line for my dinghy sail, just along the boom so I could reef easier. I sometimes carry a spinnaker, so I get all the additional tangles more lines assist in.

[@chrisstockman904]

I love just listening to the sounds but I have to say that the beautiful flute music does evoke 'Titanic' moods. 😄

[@SmallCraftTasmania-ms4sx]

Great stuff Gary! I recognise that bloke in the SCAMP from somewhere?? He goes on a bit.

[@garyhardy3810]

🙂 Thanks Matt. Nearly a year since I saw you and Salty Dog sail into that little bay behind Simsons Point! A great day, my first sighting of a SCAMP in the wild! Or anywhere else for that matter. And here I am a year later, putting the last coats of paint on my SCAMP. It was a fateful encounter alright!

[@SmallCraftTasmania-ms4sx]

hopefully we can get the girls together and get salty again soon. @@garyhardy3810 ⚓👍

[@olivei2484]

About how long where you on the trip? Looks like a grand time!

[@garyhardy3810]

It was indeed a grand time. The raid itself runs over 10 days. There are a couple of rest days allowed for in the planning, for bad weather and/or just giving everyone, land crew and sailors, a rest. A few days to get over to Tassie, a few days at the Wooden Boat Festival, a few days getting home. It was a fantastic holiday.

[@olivei2484]

@@garyhardy3810 Sounds like so much fun.

[@olivei2484]

@@garyhardy3810 The tiller rudder configuration is intriguing. A close up video would be very interesting.

[@garyhardy3810]

@@olivei2484 it is the "Norwegian" push pull type arrangement. The connection between the rudder and the tiller is a length of 3mm non stretch line. I remember thinking as I was zooming down some of those waves that I was very dependent on a couple of figure 8 knots and a bit of 3mm string. I will see if I have any good footage of the arrangement in action.

[@Digiphex]

Did you see a better kit boat out there?

[@garyhardy3810]

"Better" is always subjective and depends on lots of variables. The Skerry was built from plans, as were many of the fleet, and each owner would probably think their boat was better. I rekon the return on effort for a Skerry is pretty high, you get a lot of boat for your money. However, I was very impressed by the couple of SCAMPS i saw down there. More effort to build and move around, but maybe less effort to handle and more comfort. All boats are compromises. I have bought the plans tho, with luck a SCAMP will be my next project!