There goes Sydney

A view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge that you don't usually see.

 Finally the headsail furler was fixed the wind was right and it was 01:15am. I didn't care how extreme our departure time was, we were on our way again!

It was a quick hello/goodbye Port Stephens and on to Broken Bay which is just north of Sydney near the mouth of the Hawksbury River. 

As we were nearing our destination, we noticed a build up of menacing dark clouds approaching us from the south-west. Oh no, we were sick of thunderstorms and this one looked particularly savage. Forks of lightning stabbed at a distant headland. The thunder was so loud it was almost tangible. It got closer. We didn't want to be at the receiving end of that lightning. 

Ian reefed the sails to almost nothing. We grabbed our raincoats, ready for a soaking, couldn't do much about the lightning though. I looked to the south-east for the comfort of blue skies. I was disappointed. Another storm approaching from that direction. 

The wind built up, 30k, 40k, then a huge gust of 65k. Funny enough, when you are going with the wind, it's much more manageable than going against, hence, the strong winds we experienced with this storm didn't seem anywhere near as bad as the 25k on the nose, we had early in this trip.

We really needed luck, and instead of winning lotto, we managed to sail right between these two storms and out the other side. After the wind came the rain and there is a sailor's saying that goes 'wind before rain, don't worry, it'll soon be fine again. Rain before wind, better put another reef in'.

We were happy that the wind came first!

We entered Broken Bay and marvelled at the escarpment surrounding us. Towering heights clad in trees clinging impossibly to sandstone ledges. Stunning. 

We searched for a nice secluded spot and almost found one, except it was already claimed. Although hard to see in the photo, there was a small waterfall (just behind the front of the red canoe) and a small sandy beach. It would have been perfect but we didn't want to take on the bunch of guys playing beach cricket there. They had their shirts off and we could see they had bigger muscles than us.

Never mind, it was a large body of water with enough secluded beaches for everybody. Onto the next little beach and we had it to ourselves. It was called Little Pittwater Bay and it was home to us for the next couple of days.

It tasted better than it looked 

Since we had a bit of time here in a nice calm anchorage, I decided to bake a loaf of bread, which I hadn't done for a long time. I put the dough in the engine compartment which is just the right temperature for yeast to do its thing. 

Amazing, it rose so high it was scary!

Next I put it in the bread pan for next rising. Whoa, it was huge!
I then transferred it to our oven. Bad move in a flexible silicon bread tin. I thought it might fix itself up a bit in the oven - so much for thoughts.  

A more successful baking can be seen on a previous blog 
Baking Bread (seen as short movie at the end of this posting).




 We went ashore to get a closer look at the incredible rock sculptures. Layers of sedimentary rock of  varying hardness made these sandstone rocks look like they were wearing crazy hats and hairpieces. Other strange erosion had carved out lettering like 'I woz  here'.

Ian, gets hungry and feeds off the oysters. He shouldn't have refused that sandwich!

I still haven't got over my fascination with these jellyfish, commonly known as 'Blubberies'. These kept me and my camera occupied for days several years ago at Tin Can Bay. Click here to see.





Time to move on. Sydney landmarks glided by from a different angle than is usually seen.

Sydney Centrepoint Tower, surrounded by friends, greet us from behind the craggy coastline.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge playing peek-a-boo from behind towering cliffs.

Popular Bondi Beach needs to be included with these well known landmarks. 














We had been seeing multitudes of Short-tailed Shearwaters, commonly know as Muttonbirds. Between
the rocking of the boat and the swift flight of the birds, photography was difficult. However, persistence and plenty of time on hand, paid off and eventually, some acceptable photos emerged. 

A popular pastime around the Sydney coast is rock fishing. People seem to take it very seriously. You can see the dedication when you see a tent set up half way up the cliff.

Looking every bit as dangerous as the rock fishermen/women are the boat fishers. They've got to be kidding!

Maybe they were thinking the same thing about the mad yachties sailing past.

On we sailed, camera in one hand, helm in the other. Difficult to photograph Muttonbirds, harder to photograph Dolphins, easy to photograph Seagulls.

This is how real Seagulls feed. Off large schools of bait-chips in the ocean.

Incidentally, their real name is Silver Gulls. I made the mistake of calling them Seagulls once to an Ornithologist and was severely corrected.

Sydney slipped by. We were heading for Jervis Bay before the next southerly hit. Favourable northerlies turned furious several hours before our turnoff.

 I offered to take over the helm for a while so Ian could have a rest. No sooner had I taken over than a huge swell caused us to broach. With the wave breaking on us and the boat sideways, I thought we were gonners. Tough little Winkali didn't care though. She hung on and poor Ian didn't get a break. 

We entered Jervis Bay and now instead of having the northerlies behind us, we had to battle it head on.  Winds of 36k, waves whipped in a fury, it was man against the elements.

Dolphins which had been entertaining themselves at our bow, continued on with us. Ian was soaked, I was sheltering (well there was not much I could do at this stage apart from encouraging Ian) and the dolphins were having a wonderful time. The stronger the wind, the more furious the waves, the more the dolphins loved it. They would effortlessly glide along side the boat, roll to their side and fix us with their friendly eye and give us a happy smile. Then they would give a leap for joy. At one stage we almost had an extra passenger when one literally leaped over our bow.

Photography was out of the question, even for me at this point. The dolphins eventually left us as we battled our way into calmer waters.

Besides being a beautiful spot, Jervis Bay is a great haven for sheltering boats. We spent the first night on the north side, protected from the northerly wind. The following day, the weather forecast proved to be correct when it turned southerly.

Over to the other side for us. Lucky for us the wind didn't pick up too much at first. That gave us time to go ashore and replenish our food and water provisions as well as meeting up with Ian's daughter, Jessee who was visiting her friend, Gai. Gai lived in Woolongong but had grown up in Jervis Bay and was the perfect tour guide. Her Grandparents had owned the boatyard in Huskinson, and although it is no longer there, the site is of great historical importance to the area.

The wind picked up and we had to get back to the boat. There we sat out the weather and watched in dismay as the waves pounded the beach. Going ashore was out of the question. Only teenagers and dolphins can delight in these conditions and we watched the young ones (teenagers) surf near the boat ramp, where the best break was.

We watched as this little yacht
disappeared behind each swell, with the illusion of sinking.

Only to reappear against  a foaming backdrop of breaking waves.












As the winds died down somewhat, we were able to go ashore once again. While we waited for the ocean outside the bay to calm down enough for sailing, it was time to dust off the cameras.

I needed a subject and looked around. Now what could I photograph?  😊 

About 50 photos of foam and glassy waves later (I'll spare you the other 49) I found some more subjects.

Just what you always wanted to see - a fly. However, if you look closely, it appears to be feeding on a sand louse.

The beach is alive with these sand lice, which propel themselves with giant leaps. You have to be quick to photograph them because as soon as they land , they leap again. I soon outsmarted them by guessing where they were going to land, and then, 'snap', gotcha.

Eventually the swell died down and the winds turned favourable.
During our stay at Jervis Bay we had met Helene and Graham on Roo Bin Esque who were also on their way to Tassie and Steve on Aiko,  who was heading to Eden. 

With Eden being the last jump off point for us to Tas, we were all to meet up there. We have met some wonderful people while cruising and this trip is no exception. 

So, with kind winds and the promise of good company in Eden, we head off and say goodbye to the imposing Point Perpendicular at the entrance/ exit to Jervis Bay.

Storms and Delays

Another approaching storm blots out a sunset

Coffs Harbour is a pretty little town, which looks nothing like the last time I was here over 30 years ago. 

A safe sheltered beach nestles in the safe embrace of two breakwaters. A great spot enjoyed by many, from toddlers to adults, swimmers, kayakers and sun-bakers. It is also a great spot for mariners, seeking a sheltered anchorage.

There's an island called Muttonbird Is at the end of the northern breakwater. There is a popular walk up the steep slopes of this island for people wanting to see Muttonbirds - or to get fit. I prefer to think they are interested in the birds. The Muttonbirds (Shearwaters) fly over 15,000ks each year on their migration to breed. They use the same burrow to nest in and usually have the same mate. The young leave several weeks after the adults and only about half of them survive the first migration. 

We spent several days here, waiting for the southerlies to pass us by. The arrival of the southerlies occurred in the middle of the night (natures sense of humour).

 Ian, being a light sleeper, was woken by the boat being buffeted by the violent rocking motion of the boat. 
I slept. 
Ian checked that all was well outside. 
It wasn't. 
Ian woke me up (brave man).

We were dragging anchor, drifting ever nearer to the pier, which was a lot more robust than our boat. It was time to relocate a safer distance and throw a bit of extra anchor chain out.

I went back to bed and slept.
Ian went back to bed and didn't.

This rusty old trawler wasn't deterred by the wind warnings issued, while others, much more flash, stayed in the marina. 

He was probably taking advantage of the fact that there would be a prawn shortage for Xmas and he would get a good price for his catch. We felt sorry for his crew. The departure was accompanied by rain and crashes of thunder. 

We waited, shopped, did laundry and read, waiting for the weather to settle. We watched in awe as two racing yachts emerged to race just as another thunderstorm was gathering force. Considering there was only two contenders, it must have been an important race between them.

After four days, it was almost, but not quite right to leave. No, the best time was 1:00am so we could catch the right tide. Ian woke me about an hour and a half before we had to leave. Ggrrr!

The wind picked up from the north during the night and sped us to Port Macquarie by midday the following day.

It was two days before Christmas and a glorious sunny day.
People dotted the beaches against a backdrop of .... units. Well, I suppose you could appreciate them more if you was inside looking out.

Christmas eve was a different matter. 

The clouds came rolling in, menacing thunder rumbled in the distance and rain began to fall. 

People abandoned their evening stroll, with many seeking refuge in their tents, caravans and cabins, dotted along the foreshore. Outdoor Christmas festivities came to an end.


Like Christmas festivities, the run of bad weather had to come to an end as well. Several days later, the sun emerged as if it had never gone. 

Early morning on the Hastings River with Oyster beds in the background.

The boat dried out and we waited. What for, you might ask.
Well, it had so happened that Ian noticed that the Headsail was feeling very stiff as he wound it in coming in to Port Macquarie.
On inspecting it on Christmas eve, he found that the bearings had ceased. They needed replacing and everything was closed. The bearing would have to come from Sydney and we wouldn't be able to order it till the 2nd Jan. 

Lucky for us to be in Port Macquarie. It's a beautiful spot with the convenience of shops in walking distance from the shore, and plentiful taps for fresh water which is always an issue when living on a yacht. It also has an airport which is handy if you need to order an item and have it delivered pronto.

As well as these conveniences, we have friends living here on the beautiful North Shore. 

As well as the pleasure of catching up, it was good to have somewhere to shower. Washing on the boat is limited to bucket and flannel baths in the cockpit. It was also great to have a look around on land as Rob and Henma took us on several outings.

A kayaker paddling past North Shore with a dolphin swimming past

 The North Shore is a secluded area on the north bank of the Hastings River, only accessible by ferry which runs 24/7.  
Many dolphins patrol the river. Residents with homes on the riverside are often treated to seeing them cruising by.

Well, almost two weeks went by before we had the new bearing and Ian was able to fix the sail. We had almost constant northerly winds after the storms had abated and were ready to go. Unfortunately, a southerly had developed and we had to wait two more days for departure.

As was becoming a habit, we left just after midnight to arrive at Port Stephens the following afternoon. A day of rest and we should be right to leave in the morning.

Of course, I had to make a short movie of the storms we went through. 

To leave on a more pleasant note, here's a few photos I took during our stay.

Pelicans, cormorants and seagulls kept us amused. The Pelican and Cormorant seemed to keep constant company. I think that they formed a team when catching fish. In this instance the seagulls were trying to get in on the act with one of the gulls using the pelican as a good perch.

A Lace Monitor patrols the beach in search of ???? 

Winkali basks in the setting sun prior to another thunderstorm.
See main photo at the top.

CHEERS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR