When George Bass and Matthew Flinders discovered the Tamar River 200 years ago today, Bass chased and caught four black swans, with Flinders noting ``we should not be in want of fresh provisions in this port''.
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Yesterday, all the modern-day crew tracing that historic voyage wanted was coffee. Just coffee.
The eight- man crew re-enacting the 1798 circumnavigation of Tasmania by Bass and Flinders was due to arrive at the Low Head pilot station last night in time for the 200th anniversary celebrations on the Tamar River today.
The men, led by hardy 74-year-old mariner Bern Cuthbertson, had left Sydney for Hobart just over three weeks ago and had been under sail for 12 days since leaving Eden on the NSW coast.
The crew was in high spirits as the beautiful Norfolk, a replica of Bass and Flinders' 35-foot sloop, drifted slowly towards the mouth of the Tamar River yesterday afternoon.
They were about 15 nautical miles from the Low Head pilot station and the scene was picture-perfect.
The Norfolk's chocolate- coloured sails and golden pine hull looked stunning against a clear blue sky.
Dolphins danced at its bow.
The hazy shapes of mainland Tasmania were a welcome sight for the eight men, just as they would have been for Bass and Flinders two centuries earlier.
``It's just marvellous,'' Mr Cuthbertson said. ``They're a good bunch of blokes. (But) I haven't passed too many compliments around. I'm not known as Captain Bligh for nothing.''
While the men were obviously pleased to be at this important point of their historic voyage, they were also hankering for the little pleasures of life on land. Like a shower and a beer _ and coffee.
Their supply of coffee ran out two days earlier and the crew let out a huge cheer when John Simmons on the George Town charter boat Agro handed over a rusty tin of International Roast he'd found stashed away somewhere in the cabin.
``Coffees for everyone,'' Terry Moran, an airline steward from Howrah, said with glee.
On the Norfolk, Mr Moran is the chef and like the other men is enjoying a life at sea, far and away from his day job.
The other crew members are Hobart restaurateur Rick McMahon, Hobart forester Brian Hodgson and his twin brother and civil engineer Tony Hodgson, Golden Valley fitter and turner Geoff Zwar, Sydney ABC-TV journalist Tom O'Byrne and Howrah computer consultant Michael Bird, who at 27 is the youngest on board.
``Only eight people get to do this in 200 years and I'm one of the eight. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity,'' Mr Bird said.
Mr Cuthbertson said that the biggest enemy of the Norfolk so far had been wind.
``There's either been too much or none at all, nothing in between. We ran out of wind on two or three occasions and drifted all over the place,'' he said.
``She's put up with a lot. It's incredible to hear the sound when she's breaking into the waves, you think she's going to fall to pieces. It's like hitting a brick wall.''
The men have been surviving mainly on freeze-dried food and two hours of sleep a night.
But it was easy to see they would not swap the experience for the world. They have been within spitting distance of whales and huge container ships and lived through listless days and wild nights.
And then there is each other.
Each day, edited versions of Matthew Flinders' diary will describe his voyage with George Bass in the Norfolk in 1798. Today marks the bicentenary of their discovery of the Tamar River.
MATTHEW FLINDERS, 1798: From our position inside the port there appeared to be three arms, or rivers, discharging themselves into an extensive basin. The arm which came from the westward, had its embouchure close to the sloop's anchorage and Mr Bass went off in the boat to look up it.
This week's programme TODAY: Norfolk arrives in Tamar and proceeds to Shag Rock and anchors overnight. TOMORROW: Re-enactment of Norfolk replenishing water supplies at Big Bay (named Watering Cove by Matthew Flinders ) subject to weather conditions.
FRIDAY: HMAS Fremantle arrives in George Town during the morning. Function hosted by Port of Launceston at Low Head Pilot Station. 7.30pm. Ceremonial sunset by Naval Reserve Cadets at 8pm.
SATURDAY: Norfolk departs Pilot Station at 11am and proceeds to Inspection Head. 2.30pm: Unveiling of memorial plaque by Governor and president of West Tamar Rotary Club. Evening entertainment on foreshore. A flare display by Volunteer Coastal Patrol will end the evening.
