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Thistle Island Snug Cove

Thistle Island
Thistle Island Snug Cove

General Position:

34 56.5 S. 136 05.5 E

Note: approx. only. Do not use as an anchoring point on your GPS.

Shelter From:

Winds S through E to NE

Anchorage:

Snug Cove is on the north western corner of the island, formed by a north westerly projection of land at the southern end of a mile long beach starting at Observatory Point. It has a shallow and weedy bottom; hence the actual anchorage is outside the Cove with the cliffs in line to the SW. However, because of the shelter provided by the rocks off Observatory Point and its shallow depth, it is very calm in a stiff easterly Within the cove the bottom shoals gradually and in 2-3 metres one will still be some distance from the shore and not really feel as though one is in a cove, especially in strong summer sea breezes or developed southerly weather.

The bottom is sand with quite heavy weed patches and seems to make for good holding.

Comments:

Note that Aus 345 does not show the extent of rocks lying up to ¾ nm off Observatory Point One needs only to be mindful of the unlikely possibility of N to W winds. In W or NW weather Memory Cove or possibly Shag Cove on the mainland to the W offer good protection. The nearest protection from strong N winds is probably under Maclaren Point.

Flinders anchored here while sending his red cutter on the disastrous journey to seek a water source on the mainland, which resulted in the loss of all hands. He named the features in Thorny Passage after the victims or the event.

– May 2005

Other Comments:

June 2005
Bob Hogarth
Snug Cove is a small, shallow and often windswept area on the northwest coast of Thistle Island. The cove offers good shelter in NE, E, SE, S and SW winds although, due to the low lying nature of the N part of Thistle Island, provides little protection from the winds. Flinders anchored here while sending his red cutter on the disastrous journey to seek a water source on the mainland, which resulted in the loss of all hands. He named the features in Thorny Passage after the victims or the event.

The anchorage can be entered either from the NW, W or SW. A shallow sandbank with several rocky outcrops extends almost a mile W and NW from Observatory Point on Thistle Island. It precludes entry from the N for keelboats, makes it hazardous for shoal draft vessels but enhances protection from the NE. When sailing NW along the NE coast of Thistle Island we travel a full mile beyond Observatory Point before striking SW then SE to avoid this sandbank.   If rounding Cape Catastrophe, entry from the SW between Lewis and Hopkins Island is straightforward. From Memory Cove one can sail either well N of Little Island or S of Lewis Island (the Pilot advises against sailing between them) and thence direct to the anchorage. From Taylor Island one could sail either N or, preferably, S of Grindal Island and thence direct to the anchorage. From the S in all but the calmest weather the passage between Hopkins and Thistle Islands is somewhat forbidding as breaking water often occurs all the way between Nose Point and Hopkins Island. In calm weather this passage is impressive. All approaches need to take account of the strong tidal flows through Thorny Passage.

Within the cove the bottom shoals gradually and in 2-3 metres one will still be some distance from the shore and not really feel as though one is in a cove, especially in strong summer sea breezes or developed southerly weather. The bottom is sand with quite heavy weed patches and seems to make for good holding. One needs only to be mindful of the unlikely possibility of N to W winds. In W or NW weather Memory Cove or possibly Shag Cove on the mainland to the W offer good protection. The nearest protection from strong N winds is probably under Maclaren Point.