April 23, 2016
Torrent Bay is, without a doubt, the most popular place in Able Tasman National Park. It might be more accurate to call it a harbor since it encompasses three bays plus a rather large lagoon behind a sandspit. The stars of the show are the long curve of Brown’s Beach at the head of the bay, and an area known as The Anchorage just inside the protective arm of the peninsula that forms the east side of this harbor.
Since Torrent Bay is the only “all-weather anchorage” in Able Tasman National Park; everyone makes a beeline for it when easterly (or otherwise disagreeable) winds are forecast. This is where the problem comes in. The peninsula does create easterly and northerly protection, but only for those who get a spot right alongside it. By the time we arrived, boats were layers deep and so far towards the middle of the bay there was no longer northerly protection, not good in that strong northeasterly winds were forecast.
We motored around trying to see if we could find another place to tuck in, with no luck. We finally ended up anchoring outside the pack. We’d get the effect of the wind and some of the chop but hoped to be out of the way if anyone dragged. Then we went below, drowning out the sound of the escalating wind with a movie and a bottle of wine.
As the wind went west, some of the boats that had been protected were now getting the effect of the wind and chop. A catamaran anchored next to us, dragged, then decided to move elsewhere. Another boat came and anchored right on top of us, dragging after they did. We were now starting to drag a bit ourselves. We decided to move.
The wind was now gusting up near 30 knots. We went and moved away from the other boats to the middle of the bay, got our anchor well set, and now were just fine and out of the fray of boats moving around as the wind backed. If there’s one thing we learned about Torrent Bay, it’s that it is NOT an all-weather anchorage.
The wind finally eased up during the night, and we had some rain. In the morning it was blowing from the south but predicted to lighten as the day went on. As promised, the sun came out and the wind lightened, which would give us a day to explore this bay. -Cyndi
Below, some photos from The Anchorage, all showing various aspects of Brown’s Beach behind us. Click to enlarge/scroll.
