For years crews in the Sydney to Hobart race have dreaded having to pull out of the race without finishing. Many of them have ended up in Eden, a busy port on the far south coast of NSW and the last safe haven before attempting a crossing of Bass Strait. Since the disastrous 1998 Sydney to Hobart in which 6 lives were lost in tragic circumstances, regulations have been introduced to make it compulsory for skippers to guarantee the seaworthiness of their yacht and the fitness of their crew to continue with the race before they pass Gabo Island and head into the often treacherous and unpredictable weather in the greatest of all blue water sailing classics.

This year for the first time the rules were changed to allow yachts in the cruising division to make a stopover in a port such as Eden, without being disqualified from the race. This is a relief for skippers and crews who are more interested in having an enjoyable cruise after Christmas, in the spirit of the first Sydney to Hobart sailed in 1945 by a group of friends to celebrate being back on the water in peacetime after six long years of war. The course they took had only a year or two before been the arena for Japanese submarines and Eden boats to do battle, when much of the fishing fleet was commandeered by the American Navy Small Ships operations.

So if the weather is forecast to be a bit too bumpy for some, a night or two in Eden can be well spent. The locals have long offered great hospitality to stranded yachties, many not only away from their family but missing the party at the end of the race in Hobart. In 1998 they especially opened their homes and hearts. Trawlers stood by for rescue, missing out on valuable catches for New Year trade. Fishermen away at the time left keys to their houses with family so that crews would have somewhere safe and dry to recuperate while their damaged yachts were sorted out and repairs arranged.

The Volunteer Coast Guard Patrol put in long hours during the emergency at sea, and offered the only shower available for several crews whose yachts in various stages of disarray were towed in early on the morning following the storm. The laundromat became a warm place to swap stories about the ordeal and work out ways to do better. And of course the Merimbula Airport and the local Pambula Hospital played vital roles in the rescue and treatment of injured crew.

Eden today is a busy industrial port for most of the year. During a recent visit I talked to local fishermen, and people from the timber industry and mill across the bay from the wharves. Nearby, the Navy has recently built a new wharf which, when not being used by them, is open to commercial ships and yachts alike. The Harbour Master is a busy man all year round, none more so than after Christmas when juggling the needs of yachties (either on the way down or calling in during more leisurely deliveries up the east coast) with those of commercial fishermen from as far away as Tasmania, local tugs, the water police and resupply vessels for the Bass Strait oil rigs.

As well as the large and often palatial motor cruisers which call in from time to time. I was lucky enough to be invited aboard the 'Gulf Mile' for a dinner of blue eye cod and ling, delivered fresh from a trawler unloading opposite them on the wharf that day. Nothing could have tasted better. The 'Gulf Mile' was built of solid mahogany in Turkey in 1998 and was going to her new home in Sandringham with a professional delivery crew as well as the new owner on board.

Also in port was the 'Weela', a retired tug which for the last few years has been used as backup, and is now no longer required. So an enterprising Fijian has bought her for his own use and she was awaiting a crew of tradesman from Sydney to get her into shape for the trip up to the Carrington Slip in Tomago, near Newcastle, where she will be refitted. She was under the watchful eye of an interesting character called Geoff Charles, who is nearing the end of his seafaring days and who normally operates island trading ships in the Pacific. After a long career, including running the Orpheus Marine Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef with his wife Sandy, Geoff is looking forward to a more settled life on his 300 acre farm near Bundaberg. But he'll still get around to visit his nine children in various parts of Australia in his own Cessna, which makes keeping up with the grandchildren and great grandchildren much easier. Geoff is typical of the characters you can meet any day of the week on the Eden wharf.

They of course also include the commercial fishermen, from owners and skippers on huge deep sea trawlers, to the smaller boats which only fish the bay. Big and small, they all know that the industry as they and their families have known it over many generations is changing and changing quite radically. The State and Federal governments are imposing strict 'quotas' to ensure the commercial fishery remains sustainable for generations to come. Unfortunately for those currently trying to make a living, this is mostly a case of 'hurry up and wait' while the scientists make the first long term studies of the east coast fishery ever done on this scale. Meanwhile locals such as Roger and Julie Fourter wonder if they will have a business by the end of the all the bureaucratic deliberations.

One of the recent developments has been the huge increase in the way the recreational fishing industry has got its act together to lobby government at all levels to prove it is a viable economic alternative to the commercial fishery. In fact they have done it so well in nearby Lakes Entrance in Victoria that all commercial fishing in this beautiful lake system has been banned.

The rich waters of Twofold Bay, once known so well for the whaling which was carried out there during the 1800s and early 1900s, now need to be shared with increasing numbers of recreational fishermen, supported by many local businesses catering for their needs. This business is becoming more important for the local economy and the debate is fierce on the trawlers and in the cafes and restaurants around the wharf.

Which brings me to another great reason to consider pulling into Eden on your way to Hobart this year. The three main wharf restaurants are the Wheelhouse (where the fish couldn't be fresher, because the owner is the wife of a local trawler owner, and of course gets the pick of the day's catch - she is also the chef and certainly adds some interesting flavours to make a great meal). The decoration includes a wonderful mural depicting a panorama of the local wharf on the ground floor and a collection of fishing and other nautical memorabilia in the restaurant proper which overlooks the bustling port, where the lights of the trawlers make a lovely picture on summer evenings.

There is also La Trattoria where a scrumptious breakfast can be had, or maybe best of all is the café right on the water's edge with large glass walls opened to the summer breeze and serving great meals from 8 in the morning. When you pay your bill a small pelican holds a sign advising that 'Tipping is sexy'! and with the great service you get here it is certainly well-deserved if you have some extra change.