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Hobart and the Derwent

A waterfront departure into cold, clear water and the gateway to the channel.

Operators here3of 44 in the directory
Vessels based here3monohull, tall ship
Charter formats5skippered day sail, private crewed and more
SailsHobart and River DerwentDecember–March for longer expeditions

Hobart's charter boats leave from the city waterfront — Kings Pier and the docks around it — which makes this one of the few bases you can walk to from a hotel.

From there the sailing splits. Day charters work the Derwent and the river reaches; anything longer heads south into the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and Bruny Island, which is the real cruising ground and a genuinely world-class one.

The season is the constraint. December to March is the window for longer trips, and the weather is frontal rather than tropical: what ends a day here is a cold front and a wind shift, not a cyclone. Layers, not sunscreen.

What leaves from here

Formats available at this base

All charter types
Skippered day sail2 operators · A professional skipper runs the boat for a few hoursPrivate crewed3 operators · The whole vessel and its crew for your group aloneShared overnight2 operators · A berth on a scheduled multi-day sailing trip alongside other…Learn to sail and race2 operators · Structured instruction, or a place on a racing crewHeritage and tall ship2 operators · Sailing aboard a working heritage vessel or a square-rigged replica,…
Checked 11 September 2026

3 operators depart from here

Hobart and River Derwent
Hobart Yachts logoHobart Yachts
Derwent; Channel; Tasmania coast; Port Davey · Kings Pier Marina, Hobart · Tasmania
Sharedprivateracemulti-day expedition
Helsal IV, 62 ft ocean racer/cruiser
20 harbour / smaller expedition groupsHarbour $170 adult; private $2,550 + catering; Port Davey from $6,500/day cited0438 399 477
5.0375 reviews
TripadvisorView profile
Lady Nelson Tasmania logoLady Nelson Tasmania
Derwent; SE Tasmania; east coast · Hobart waterfront · Tasmania
Short sailprivateschoolmulti-day
Lady Nelson, two-masted square-rigged brig replica
36 day / 10 multi-dayGroup charter from $165 per person per day, all inclusive, minimum 1003 6234 3348
4.9187 reviews
TripadvisorView profile
SV Rhona H / Heritage Sailing Tasmania
River Derwent · Hobart waterfront · Tasmania
Shared short sailprivateheritage
Rhona H, 1942 gaff-rigged ketch
Small group; confirm survey limitLive booking / quote0493 713 753
No exact review
match recordedView profile
Berthed here

Vessels you could be handed

All vessels
Helsal IVOcean racer/cruiser · 62 ft20 harbour; lower expedition limit guests
Rhona H1942 gaff-rigged ketch · Class-B traditional tall ship; under 40 mSmall group; confirm guests
Lady NelsonReplica two-masted square-rigged brig · Confirm LOA36 day / 10 multi-day guests
From this wharf

Routes that start here

All itineraries
Three days from Hobart to Bruny Island3 days · December to March
Ask before you book flights
  • Which wharf exactly, and what time is the handover or boarding?
  • Which airport does the operator expect you at, and is the transfer included?
  • Where do you leave a car for the duration, and at what cost?
  • Is there a berth charge, landing fee or marina levy on top of the daily rate?
  • If the boat cannot leave this base on the day, what is offered instead?
Full booking checklist
How this base page was builtClustered from the base each operator publishes on its own site, read together with the state it operates in, because two marinas in different states share a name. 3 of these 3 operators publish a rate; the rest quote. No facility here has been inspected and no operator was contacted for comment.Methodology

This base is in its window in January, February, March, December. The Hobart and River Derwent page covers the hazards and anchorages behind it.

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Compiled from public sources and able to be wrong. Checked 11 September 2026. See the disclaimer.