It’s a bit of a pejorative word, “rotten”. And to have a bay named “Rotten Bay” would strongly suggest that there is something less than desirable about its character. In fact, Rotten Bay on the south eastern end of Boston Island is a rather innocuous, inoffensive, I’d even go so far as to say pleasant bay!The story goes that South Australia’s first fisheries inspector seeded  razorfish in the bay many years ago and said razorfish thrived, becoming a hazard to vessels that sought anchor in the bay from northerlies. Those razorfish slashed many a vessels rope anchor line; it turned out to be a rotten place to anchor up!

Fast forward many decades to mid 2010. Port Lincoln’s Tuna industry is now legendary and  tourists visit, lured by tales of wealth and excess. One experience that can give the tourist some appreciation of piscatorial successes and indeed a guaranteed close encounter with the quarry of the local “piscator” is Adventure Bay Charter’s “Swim with the Tuna”! Matt Waller operates Adventure Bay Charters and his Tuna Feedlot is anchored just east of Fanny Point, in Rotten Bay. Well, as you might have guessed already, “Come swimming with Tuna in Rotten Bay” might be a little difficult to sell and so in mid 2010 Matt initiated a process to attempt a renaming to “Bluefin Bay” – a much nicer moniker. Seems like the Surveyor General was a man with a sense of humor though for he decided to preempt the process of nicification and had “Rotten Bay” officially gazetted as such in September of 2010.

And so it is that I now row across to “Rotten Bay” – just behind “Fanny Point”! A much more risque venture – you would have to agree!

So, it’s about six and a half miles to row from the Marina to Rotten Bay and return. Just a nice distance – perhaps two hours, allowing a bit of a spell half way. It’s a good one to do in an Easterly breeze and have a sail home or, if it’s a bit fresher, have a great time surfing home after a good workout getting to the Tuna feedlot. The route does follow the fishing boat traffic lane from the Marina to the feedlots beyond Boston Island so there is the added possibility of doing some leaping over or surfing with fishing boat wakes – gives the jaunt an extra sprinkling of spice!