Sail away ... the Lady Eugenie.Credit: Tourism SA
On a trip around Kangaroo Island, Lance Richardson gets a better deal than seafarers of old.
SAILING the high seas has always presented a promise of discovery, even if, historically, it also presented a promise of dysentery and gout. For Samuel Coleridge, the romantic poet, sailing brought his fabled Mariner to a grim spiritual discovery, Death playing dice for the souls of his crew. Charles Darwin, sailing on HMS Beagle, discovered the seeds for his theory of evolution.
Matthew Flinders circumnavigated our continent (and called it its name), uncovering the entire mysterious coastline. And I discover that Kangaroo Island's native juniper makes for one hell of a mid-afternoon gin and tonic. Without sailing, one could argue, the world would be very dull indeed.
There are myriad opportunities to go sailing in Australia, from Sydney Harbour to the Whitsundays. South Australia, however, has tended to lag behind in luxury offerings. This changed in December, with the arrival of Kangaroo Island Sailing and Lady Eugenie, a 21-metre ketch rigged yacht and one of only 15 of its kind ever built. Moored an hour and a half east of Adelaide at Wirrina Cove Marina near the Fleurieu Peninsula, Eugenie's design is - according to the literature - reminiscent of an old "Yankee clipper", once used to transport cargoes of Australian wool around the world. One can be fairly sure this similarity of design does not extend to the four double-berth cabins, private bathrooms, fully equipped galley and generous saloon. It's also unlikely that old-time sailors, lugging Chinese tea to the Americas, had much time for three-day pleasure cruises where the most pressing concern is finding room for a chilled dessert of panna cotta.
Kangaroo Island Sailing is the brainchild of Renee and Ashley Newman, a young couple who have turned their passion for sailing into a career. Ashley is captain and a Master 5 commercial skipper. Renee is a qualified marine biologist, sailing instructor, dive master and first mate.
Together they have looked after seafaring families in the Caribbean and Bahamas ("We learnt to disappear into the background," Ashley says). They have also sailed from Spain to Adelaide, an epic adventure encompassing everything from Trinidad to Tonga - and Gibraltar, actually, where somebody fired at their sails with a shotgun. Kangaroo Island Sailing aims to combine the best of these experiences (minus the firearm): it is a high-service adventure where Kangaroo Island itself becomes a blank map for exploration from the sea. Joining this venture is Amelia Stone as second mate, as well as Simon Burr, an attentive chef with the enviable skill of being able to slice an onion in a squall.
Cooking up local produce on board.Credit: Tourism SA
Occasionally his previous life as a cheesemaker shines through, as when he tells me: "Cheddar is the man of cheeses; you've got to treat it hard but pay attention too." Then he serves up prawns wrapped in prosciutto, chicken pate and fillet steak - all the more amazing for having been prepared while I wobble in my cabin next door. Not for me is the old-school sailing fare of hardtack, salted beef or sea legs.
Though passengers can choose to pass their time by reclining on the bow, watching dolphins play under the yellow cliffs of the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island is the primary focus of the three-day voyage. Our first night of anchorage is at Emu Bay, a five-kilometre stretch of sand on the island's northern side. If that name sounds familiar then perhaps it's because scientists recently found a landmark fossil of the Anomalocaris ("abnormal shrimp") there, an ancient marine killer with 16,000 lenses in each eye. It seems a fitting place for a strange biological discovery - Australia's third-largest island has also been called its answer to the Galapagos Islands, a contained biosphere treasured for its seclusion from the mainland.
On our second day we step off Eugenie to scour for wildlife in quiet havens such as the Lathami Conservation Park, a sepia-toned wilderness where echidnas fossick in the undergrowth and black cockatoos circle overhead. At Seal Bay, fur seals sunbake on a white beach facing Antarctica.
One of the yacht's cosy cabins.
The absence of foxes, rabbits and dingoes means wildlife lives a relatively privileged existence here - like the people, for that matter. "Nobody on Kangaroo Island makes a fortune," says Craig Wickham, owner of Exceptional Kangaroo Island, which runs our tour. "But you have a bloody phenomenal lifestyle."
This is clear in a friendly farmers' market by the beach at Penneshaw. Indeed, Kangaroo Island seems to be just as notable for its produce as its wildlife, with vineyards, distilleries, cheese and prawns scattered around the landscape. A treasured species of Ligurian bee at the Hog Bay Apiary is even believed to be the last remaining pure stock in the world, producing honey from sugar gum and white mallee. The seasoned Australian traveller, familiar with the likes of wallabies and koalas, would be well advised to focus on the food scene here, collecting a treasure chest of spoils for the voyage home.
Not that it's possible to get hungry on the boat. Back on Lady Eugenie, our second anchorage at American River is a night of pure indulgence, with wine and vast wedges of chocolate cake under the stars. The romance of the ocean is irresistible; how tempting it is to hijack the boat and sail off into the darkness! Instead I retire to a cabin that has never seemed cosier in its compact density of pillows and blankets, the gentle rocking of the boat sending me to sleep like a baby in the belly of a plush whale.
The following morning, turning homewards to Wirrina Cove Marina, a shift in the wind makes the ocean swell in a strait called Backstairs Passage. The yacht lurches, mocking gravity. A plum rolls across the floor. While my own slowly gained sea legs are giving way beneath me, Renee and Ashley are beaming with the thrill of it, adjusting sails and smiling as water sloshes over the side. Things are rarely like this but since they are, why not make the best of the situation - would I like to steer?
"It's an old sailor's idea that every ship has a rope with one end made fast to her bows and the other held by the loved ones at home," wrote Bruce Chatwin. It occurs to me that Renee and Ashley have done away with that metaphorical rope by both going along for the ride. For a weekend you can too.
Lance Richardson travelled courtesy of South Australian Tourism and Kangaroo Island Sailing.
Trip notes
Getting there
Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar fly daily to Adelaide from all major cities. Wirrina Cove Marina is an hour and a half's drive towards the Fleurieu Peninsula. qantas.com.au.
Sailing there
A three-day adventure with Kangaroo Island Sailing will run with a minimum of two guests and a maximum of eight. Cost is $2500 a person, which includes all food, wine and a full-day island tour with luxury tour specialist Exceptional Kangaroo Island. KI Sailing also offers scenic day sails and twilight sailing. 0428 200 450, kangarooislandsailing.com.au.
More information
southaustralia.com, tourkangarooisland.com.au.
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