Gone Cruising

24 December-Christmas Eve
Botany Bay

Left 9.30 on an overcast day, after a quick breakfast and cuppa tea. With the main up to stop the sloppy seas making us too ill we headed off to Botany Bay-5nm. Fancy sailing into Botany Bay where Captain Cook sailed before-anyway it is industrial and not as attractive or romantic as I thought. Never mind we are here with our middle daughter on Christmas Eve!! Sydney tomorrow.

23 December
Cronulla

High tide at 10.55, Dropped the mooring lines and headed back to Cronulla. We decided not to go up the other bays as tide was limiting us as we wanted to be back at Port Hacking to pick up Sam and do a little shopping before hand.

Tied up at the Club wharf and refilled with water, we went across to see Chris and Marylin on "Mutineer" to see how their new auto pilot installation was going. Had a lovely cuppa aboard before we went in to stock up on Christmas goodies. Fresh fruit, meat and booze. We had to carry it all back to the dingy. Returning we had a nap and headed up the club for a Christmas drink with Chris and Marylin (The club had lots of poker machines, TAB, TV screens, etc and very noisy) before heading off for dinner and to meet Sam.

Dinner was Chinese and we caught the train to the domestic airport where Sam had been waiting for us since she got off the plane. It was cold and wet, we got off the train donned out wet weather gear and took the dingy back to the boat. Sam was well and truly welcomed into our lifestyle. Hitting the sack about 11.30pm we slept well.
22 December
Gooseberry Bay

A quiet day, rained again last night, woke up to an overcast day but the sun has appeared. We may install the new saltwater pump today, but Tracy has her nose in a book so it may be difficult to get her to assist. We will spend the night here heading off on high tide tomorrow back to Cronulla ready to pick Sam up at 2100 Saturday night from the Airport.

21 December
Gooseberry Bay

This is the view from our boat.

Leaving at high tide we headed up river to the Royal National park, having to pass under electric cables and over shallow shoals. Paul negotiated all successfully and we are now on a mooring owed by the yacht club in this beautiful serene, forest with the noise of wind through the trees, cockatoos noisily chatting. It is a very popular spot with boats coming and going.
We spent the day relaxing and enjoying this beautiful sunny day.

20th December
Cronulla

We caught the train. We had to go to Whitworths to pick up parts for the new salt water pump.

On the way back-we called into the secondhand bookstore and exchanged some of our books before getting back to the yacht. The wind was still strong pushing us against the jetty. We waited until nearly 4pm before the wind abated and we could get off and re anchor.

It poured with rain during the night, so the boat has been rinsed well. The dingy had to be emptied as well as it was quite full.

19 December
Cronulla

We got one night free at the yacht club and $20 for each night thereafter.
This morning we took the dingy back to Cronulla and did some fresh fruit and vegi purchasing and posted our Christmas Card we also caught the Train into North Sydney to pickup our mail as this is being fowarded to a friends place, had a small walk around Sydney as well

18 December
Cronulla

Tied up at the Royal Motor Yacht Club and filled the tanks with water. Had a long warm shower and two loads of washing. Leaving the boat looking like a Chinese laundry we then we took the dingy over the other side and walked up the mall, down to Cronulla Beach which is beautiful and had lots of people swimming and sunbaking on the beach.

Taking a train trip up the rail line we got off to attend a physio for Tracy's sore neck.

The wind had increased to 30 knots on our return amking it a very wet trip back to the boat-another rinse off in the shower. Thankfully all the washing was still attached (maybe it was the ten pegs on every item that helped).

17 December
Jervis Bay to Port Hacking - 75 nm

We left Jervis bay at 5.30am and motor sailed for 12 hrs to Port Hacking, it was a lovely trip with large pod of bottle nose dolphins seeing us into the entrance of Port Hacking, the wind started off at 5 kts SW and slowly swung around to a NE at 15kts just as we arrived. Seas were calm and sun was out but there was still a cold wind. Anchored in suburbia (Gunamatta Bay which is the next bay up from Cronulla). The coast line had huge sheer cliffs on the way up and we could see the Sydney city skyline and the planes taking off from Sydney airport as we came up the coast.

16 December
Darling Road to Vincentia to Darling Road, Jervis Bay-6nm

Kookaburras woke us up the morning after a beautiful sound nights sleep. After a leisurely breakfast we took off to the town of Vincentia. We motor sailed as the wind was very light a southerly 5-10 knots. Vincentia is a holiday town with white sand, lots of holiday homes. We took the dingy to the beach and bought some provisions and the paper.

Motoring back as the wind was right on the nose, we took up the same mooring and will prepare for our 70nm trip tomorrow. A coast watch plane went over head, we listened to them radio back to base reporting that there was a 1.5 metre shark in the bay up from us.

15 December
Surfside Beach, Bateman's Bay-to Darling Road, Jervis Bay-53 nm

The Southerly came in late last night waking us up, and making further sleep difficult as the swell came through making the boat rock. We slept on and off rising at 3am to prepare for departure. The wind was gusting from 20-40 knots and the well was up to 4 meters, thankfully it was coming from the south and was behind us. The south wester never came in. The weather was overcast and it rained (good for the bushfires and the water table). We were wet and cold with waves crashing over the deck and over us occasionally. Dolphins were on our bow and surfing the waves near by, coming leaping up out of the water. We pulled into Jervis Bay which is very well sheltered from the southerly and took a mooring at Darling Road, near the Naval Academy. The trip taking 8 hours.

Jervis Bay is a Marine Park so they do not like one using the anchor due to damage it can cause to the sea grass. Beautiful white sand, blue crystal clear water and forest down to the beach. We are moored near the Hole in the Wall. We took a stroll along the beach this afternoon and walked upto the Hole in the Wall and also walked up the main road through the forest.

14 December
Chain Bay to Surfside Beach -Bateman's Bay -1nm

Thinking that the NE has passed us by we poked out nose out of the headland only to be greeted with a NE gusting to 30 knots. Decided the wise thing would be to reanchor so sailed at 3 knots to this beautiful beach. It is a very hot day temp is meant to be 30 degrees and feels every bit of it.

13 December
Broulee Island to Bateman's Bay/Chain Bay-10 nm

Leaving Broulee Island at a respectable 7am we headed up to Bateman's Bay before the NE was due in. We wanted to get to Jervis Bay but also wanted to be at anchor before the NE came in at the expected 30 knots. There was no swell and no wind so we motored, anchoring in the beautiful Bateman's Bay off Chain Bay.

We took the dingy into the town and posted items and bought a loaf of bread. It is a very beautiful clean town and very much a holiday town. Taking the dingy up the river we went under the bridge and saw the electrical wires across the river further up at a Height of 15 metres, to low for us to get under. On our way back the swell rose to about 1 metre making the ride back very bumpy. We met a couple Bev and Graham on "Prince of Tides" who are planning to head of next year when they sell their farm.

12 December
Eden to Broulee Island-75nm

Arose early morning 4am after a restless night with winds. Made breakfast and a cuppa before heading off at 5am on a SW change. Dolphins led us out of Twofold Bay and followed us up the coast. We stayed coastal so as to avoid the currents, with the winds at 20-25 knots we sailed at 7 knots. Paul put the fishing lines in but did not catch anything. The wind dropped out later so we motored the rest of the way anchoring off Broulee Island at 5.30pm. The trip taking 12.30 hours.