Sea grapes at Trousers Point

Landing at Trousers Pt. on Flinders Island. Photo by David Lansing.

The early morning transfer to Flinders Island aboard Zodiacs necessitated a wet landing at Trousers Point beach, which meant wearing reef shoes or flip-flops in the boat and then switching to walking shoes once on shore. Beautiful spot, Trousers beach, a curvaceous bay with cerulean water and blond sand from which lichen-painted boulders, the color of dried oranges, hang out over the crystal clear water.

While I was sitting on a rock putting on my running shoes, Andrew Hood, our on-board wine expert (he started the winery now known as Frogmore Creek, near Hobart, that is considered one of the finest makers of cool weather wines, like Riesling and Pinot Noir, in all of Australia if not the world) walked up to me holding a clump of seaweed in his hand. I had no idea why he was giving it to me. “Eat it,” he said. “Sea grapes. They’re quite tasty.” And they were. Only a wine maker would think to forage for sea grapes.