Shaggy, I see you on Marine traffic just east of Mud. Bad new is wind is dropping, and coming from the NE and you are going to hit the incoming tide after mid night. I am actually just trying to convince myself that I am better off in my warm bed.??

Jode5 said..
Shaggy, I see you on Marine traffic just east of Mud. Bad new is wind is dropping, and coming from the NE and you are going to hit the incoming tide after mid night. I am actually just trying to convince myself that I am better off in my warm bed.??

Hi Jode,
Yes, you are better off mate. Mind you, your bed on that gorgeous boat of yours would be pretty comfy!
You soothsayer you, the wind dropped to 3-4 knots and went NE indeed.
Not much chance now of making it in the window of time allowable, the NW channel in light airs with opposing tide isn't much fun . I'll take a lazy option and head for Newport or QCYC methinks
I've managed to get a bit of breeze heading back in, up to a scintillating 9 knots. That's sailing!

Airlie Beach to Sydney. (Well, not in one day – over a month to be precise...) Distance sailed – 1,175 nautical miles, 235 hours at the helm. Sailing solo was “challenging” at times, and I had a few ‘oh bugger!’ moments! A furling headsail would have made things easier, but I have no regrets about using hanked-on sails. (Is this going to re-open the furler v hanked-on debate for short-handed sailing?) The trusty old Jarkan 10.5 was amazing – no problems or breakdowns at all.

(I would like to give some credit where it's due... The service I got at Port Macquarie Marina was amazing – much better than any of the other marinas I stopped at. Highly recommended! I have no affiliation with the marina.)

Last week I sailed from Pt Peron to Dawesville. Stayed away four nights. Penguin Island. Mandurah. Mandurah. Long Point. 24 hours actual sailing time. 62 nm all up.

LittleBoris said..
Yesterday was an exciting day, as after 12 months of boat hunting we completed the purchase of an S&S 30 Defiance last week. We had a lovely sunny 12-15 knots on Brisbane Waters as we set off on our first sail. The smiles were wide across all of our faces as the 30 has delightful manners and was happily getting along at 6 knots without being pushed.

A great arvo out.

Excellent choice. Well done.

Congratulations Little Boris.

I'm moored on the other side of the bay
and was out Sat & Sun for my twins birthday parties. Boy/Girl.
I think we passed by each other on Saturday.

Happy sailing.

Ahhh thanks Ramona & Cisco, we defiantly think we got the right boat. Chris we will be sailing again this Sunday give us a wave and say hello if you are around. Cheers HG

Curses.
Had all the crew, hasn't dropped below 25tws, and we were heading out to practice heavy air sailing technique. Lo and behold, we find a perfect L shaped 30cm tear in the gennaker near the luff (which is our go to sail in these conditions)
We had spinnaker tape at the ready, but the wiser part of me decided 30+ knots and a hastily repaired gennaker don't really go together.
Discretion at the better part of valour, we called it off and stayed at the bar.....
Edit: Packing up the boat, it's blowing solid 26-36 in the pen, would be another 5+ knots outside....sigh...

Planned a family outing to Peel Island today, but planning and children don't go together!
We didn't get off the dock till noon, but still managed to get to Peel Island and anchor up for an hour before beating most of the way back.
This was on the way home round the south of Peel, being lazy under main and headsail.

Hi Dr Rog,
Thx for letting me know, it turns out there was a song playing in the background on the radio, and youtube banned the video!
I didn't know you had to remove all the background noise...sigh...

shaggybaxter said..
Try again!
Well, there is a lesson in that, make sure you have your radio turned down before filming any video you want to put on Youtube... ..that seems kinda wrong to me. The corrective process from Youtube removes all audio from the track not just the song, even though they say it doesn't.

That is unbelievable!! Does that mean that Youtube picks up on what song is playing on the radio and determines if it is under copy right??

Fusion was hoofing along as usual.

I shall try next time and see what I can do. Sigh....9.3 in 12kn TWS..
Enjoy your trip Jode, sounds like a lot of fun!
My True numbers are a bit out, the speed log is not reading accurately (sog ok). Seems to happen when I let her get a dirty bum, but the speed log has zero moving parts, go figure.
You might see a few Imocas in your travels.

Yesterday got back from 6 days in Broken Bay. Dinner at Q Station on 23rd with family. Sailed up to BB on 24th with the missus and we had some really nice dolphins but had to motor sail most of the way. Arrived in Refuge Bay in teaming rain and lots of lightning activity. Lazed around for days there swimming, eating, drinking, sleeping then a night in Little Pittwater then another in Coal and Candle. Wish we'd gone up river sooner but we had kind of fallen over the line on the 23rd and needed to just laze.

It always blows me away sitting on the boat, anchored in 13 metres of water, 10 metres from oyster-covered rocks, watching sea eagles and brahminy kites soar and hunt, swimming in the dark water or the shallow, sandy patches, Aboriginal rock art and middens viewable at water level, a cappuccino / ice boat plying his trade amongst millions of floating dollars. We're inevitably the smelliest and poorest on the daggiest boat but seem to appreciate the surroundings at least as much as those in the multi-story, leather-lined liners. Perhaps it is because we have no TV, no internet, and barely a mobile signal that we got the up-close and personal with the goanna and got to watch for 30 minutes an octopus hunting in the same air-clear rock pool in which we sat.

What a cruising paradise. If only I knew how to catch fish up river.

GKandCC said..

Ask that octopus! But seriously...fresh bait (Hawkesbury River prawns) is the way to go. Get a few witches-hat traps for Blue Swimmer crabs and bait them with a few old fish heads or little fish you already caught. Australian summer holidays on the Hawksbury…tell the rest of the world to stay at home, we'll see you later!

Thanks GK - I had meant to buy some bait but forgot in the rush. I have a couple of traps but caught nothing with the vibes to put in them.

And yes, I probably shouldn't tell anyone.

But... obligatory photo (protected shallow anchorage + waterfall + beach = paradise = crowded after xmas)

Went up to Broughton Island, from Lake Macquarie, for a few days.

Hard work going up into a strong Nor-Easter but a nice downwind run home.


Swansea Bridge






Esmeralda Cove - Broughton Island


Newcastle dead ahead