• Destination Focus – Deal Island and the Kent Group
• Health and Rebuilding our flood stricken house
• African Honeymoon

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Destination Focus – Bass Strait

Deal Island and the Kent Group

Situated midway across Bass Strait, the Kent Group provides a secure sanctuary of exceptional beauty with excellent fishing, historical relics, and the highest lighthouse above sea-level in the southern hemisphere – a must-see for its stunning panoramic views. All wrapped in such peaceful solitude, it creates the perfect hideaway connected to the internet.

Located to the north-west of Tasmania’s Furneaux Group, this complex of three large islands has a deep channel separating the larger Deal Island from Erith and Dover, the two western isles. Care must be exercised when approaching the islands in strong wind against tide conditions, when the passage can be rough at both ends. Our offline sailing guide notes that Murray Pass can have fast currents and dangerous blustery winds funnelling through it.

Further information:
Jack and Jude Blog of May 2016
Navigation information from MAST
An informative article in Forty South magazine by Craig Searle, an eighth-generation Tasmanian who became a Parks and Wildlife Service caretaker after being a teacher for 32 years.

HF coverage is available to Tamar Sea Rescue from Deal Island.

Our Winter Back in Our Shack

Jude’s health has had its ups and downs since a stroke in May 2023 left her left side paralysed. But thanks to Australia’s dedicated medical staff, she made an incredible recovery and was mobile and fit enough to return to life afloat in December last year. Remarkably, living on Banyandah brought even more improvement, restoring her to nearly full strength and mobility during her five months afloat. However, upon returning to our shack this last April, her energy levels dropped, leaving her feeling listless. Further tests revealed a rare blood disease was causing her body to produce far more platelets than needed, which drained her energy. This condition may have even contributed to her stroke. The good news is a daily pill can manage her platelet issue, and she’ll likely outlive us all!

Since the many tests and doctors’ visits took up a lot of our time, we threw ourselves into continuing repairs to our house damaged in the 2022 flood instead of continuing our work on African Honeymoon. As part of our plan, we are using this opportunity to add a downstairs bedroom convenient to the bathroom. We are also creating a new entertainment area on the ground floor. It’s become quite the project!

The new bedroom and entertainment area was once the heart of our joinery business, and as I worked where my saw bench used to be, a flood of memories overwhelmed me. For fifteen years, this space was a hive of activity where I crafted countless timber products before handing them over to Jude’s finishing shop located behind the house under a lean-to enclosed within clear siding for good natural light. We mostly created timber country kitchens, elegant libraries, and staircases in all shapes, plus the challenge of finishing a rather eloquent house built on the side of a sand hill. During the final five years of Jack and Jude Joinery, we constructed and installed all the joinery in a new private beachside estate. That saw the doors close on Jack and Jude Joinery, and once set free, we sailed away around Australia, the first time without our sons, aboard a refurbished Banyandah.

We encourage our grandkids to try their hand at everything, telling them, “You may not become an expert, but you will gain new skills that make future projects possible.”

Judith started out as a registered nurse, and I began my working life as a draughtsman. I’d always had a passion for machinery—gears and levers just made sense. Having those mechanical skills became invaluable when we took an old, dilapidated VW van through Africa on our honeymoon. And from what we learned by achieving that gave us enough confidence to take on building a sailboat in Australia—an enormous task. One that taught us so much more and doing it opened the door to a magical life where we learnt even more rewarding skills, like sailing and navigating by the sun and stars, and seeing the world, and staying alive.

Today, those accumulated skills have allowed us to think creatively about our new additions, especially our new bathroom. The old one was functional but quite plain. Here are results so far. All it needs is a toilet and shower enclosure, which is next.

African Honeymoon

Writing a True Life Story: A Journey Back in Time
Capturing a true life story, especially one that unfolded 55 years ago, requires meticulous research to establish reliable facts that add to our diary notes and letters home. Although it may be difficult and time-consuming, our aim is to immerse readers in the vibrant history of the individuals and locations that shaped our journey, allowing them to embark on the adventure with us. This process also reminded us of the youthful naivety we had while journeying through Africa in the decade following their liberation from colonial rule.

Last year, the internet served as an invaluable resource in our research, helping us uncover details of our journey. This year, however, our mission was to reconnect with the fellow travellers who shared our adventure. After five decades, tracing people who have scattered across the globe is nearly impossible, but we were determined.

Our journey took us through the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we travelled in company with three lads from Jersey Island in a Bedford delivery van. When our VW van broke apart on the Congo’s muddy jungle tracks, we transferred our belongings into their van. It turned out to be a perfect arrangement, as we shared the costs, cooking, driving, and setting up camp.

From there, the five of us climbed Mount Kenya to an impressive 13,000 feet and explored the newly established Masa Mara game park, where we got lost in the featureless open veld. Eventually, we emerged in a new country on the rim of the stunning Ngorongoro Crater. We continued our journey together until we reached the Victoria Falls Bridge, which led to Ian Smith’s UDI breakaway Rhodesia. Sadly, they only allowed entry to the van’s owner, while turning the rest of us away because of insufficient funds to return to our home countries. Eventually, Jude and I made it to South Africa after a month long adventure filled with death threats, pledging allegiance to a new country and the help of strangers.

Now, over five decades later, determined to find David, the van owner, along with Charles and Gerry from Jersey Island—I started by reaching out to the Jersey Island tourist bureau. They suggested contacting the local newspaper, so I wrote to the editor of the Jersey Evening Post. A small publication serving a population of 100,000 living on an island near the French Coast.

To my surprise, the editor found our search intriguing and published the story. The response was astounding. Soon, we began receiving emails from people who knew the lads. It was truly amazing, and so rewarding to learn of their youth and fate after our time together, and our replies during that enjoyable spell of emails gave them further details of our adventures with their loved ones.

Sadly, we learnt Gerry had recently passed away, as had David and Charles had disappeared somewhere in America. Despite this bittersweet news, there was a silver lining. David’s sister shared a few letters written in Africa. One was from Charles, who eloquently described the dramas we experienced. Another, from David, detailed our journey through the wilds of the Congo. While we learned nothing new, hearing their voices again made our story feel more complete.

In taking this action, we formed several new connections with people who knew our friends, and they were delighted to hear more about the adventure we shared with their loved ones.

Encouraged by our success inspired us to track down an exceptional Welshman named Peter Davies, who we encountered hitching a ride at the Moroccan-Algerian border. Our decision to offer him a lift proved to be a brilliant move, as it was Peter’s incredible strength that saved us when we found ourselves bogged in deep Saharan sand. During the tense drama, when our water supply was dangerously low, he consistently boosted our morale and used his sheer strength to push us out of trouble.

When our book gets published, you’ll be able to read what Charles and David wrote. Especially chilling, they’re recalling Congolese soldiers firing automatic weapons at our vans. Keep your fingers cross that we have success locating Peter Davies in Wales.

This summer, Jude and I will once again set sail aboard Banyandah, and it will be a great pleasure to leave behind the hectic, war-torn modern world to once again immerse ourselves in the memories of two young adventurers embarking on one of their greatest journeys.

Wishing you safe journeys and fond memories,

Jack and Jude