On our sail from Coffs Harbour to Yamba on the Clarence River. I saw my first water spout! The sailing was down wind the entire way and Dwayne spent most of the day at the wheel. Crossing the bar into the Clarence River was not the most fun I’ve ever had. We crossed at low tide with a 2.5+ metre swell and blowing 25 knots. We found out later that day that the fishing boats had not gone out that day… and if the fishing boat don’t cross the bar, you shouldn’t. Oops!….
We anchored between the jetty and the breakwater in Coffs Harbour about 1630. As soon as we set the anchor we had to clean the Marlin we’d caught. A big messy job! Our bait board, on which we usually clean our fish, was just a little too small (2 metres too small) so we cut the marlin up on the cabin top…. Wait! Did you say Marlin? Yep… read on for more about our tasty catch!
At 0930 I got a hit. The rod started screaming as the fish started running my line out. I grabbed the rod and realised I had a pretty big fish on it. I screamed out for Kelly to wake up. Kelly came staggering out of the cabin all groggy from sleep and I started yelling instructions to her…”get me the gimble belt for the rod”, “motor the boat forward”, “get a photo”, “go to the port”, “go to the starboard!”, “are you getting photos?”, “reverse!”, “go to the starboard”, “get my gloves”, “forward.. to the port”, “take a photo”, “get the gaff”, “starboard! starboard!”, “tie a rope on to the gaff”, “reverse”, “here it comes, get a photo”, “I need a drink, get me water”, “reverse, to the starboard” …
We enjoyed Port Stephen in beautiful mild winter weather. We had some luck fishing and also caught an octopus. We saw a penguin and had a close up experience with a couple of humpback whales. Port Stephens is a wonderful sailing and cruising destination.
Broken Bay is a short trip north of Sydney. It is the mouth of the Hawkesbury River; picturesque and made up of so many nooks and crannies! So much to explore we spent three weeks there. Unfortunately we both got sick and the exploring the Ku-ring-Gai National Park was restricted to a minimum. We spent the first night at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Pittwater. They were very welcoming and it was a good opportunity to get all the washing done and fill up with water. Our next stop was Refuge Bay where we met some fellow live-aboard cruisers via the Ham radio…
We arrived at the heads of Sydney Harbour on a cold bleak wet day. The rain, driven hard into our unprotected faces, was painful to say the least. We anchored the first night in Blackwattle Bay, near the Sydney Fish Markets, and headed in to Darling Harbour for a look around. During our time here we had a visit from a couple of our boys and we were here at the right time to enjoy the Vivid Sydney light festival.
Jervis Bay is a travellers delight. Whether you are travelling on land or in your own sailboat, Jervis Bay is a place of abundant beautiful, natural attractions and things to do. A popular place for fishing, scuba diving, whale watching and bush walking; it is a place rich in maritime history and indigenous culture. With beaches of fine white sand, rugged cliffs and natural forest, Jervis bay was high on our list of places to explore.
By the time we arrived in Eden we were well and truly ready for a night on shore… well an evening anyway. So we did our chores and had a couple of drinks onboard before heading to the pub for dinner. The pub served great meals at a very reasonable price and we let loose a bit and partied into the night. Headaches in the morning, but more chores needed to be done so, while Dwayne slept, Katrina and I walked to town and did the washing, shopping…
As we were sailing through the Bass Strait Oil Fields there were oil rigs all around us. They appeared as huge monoliths that would have looked more at home in a Steven Spielberg movie! Into our second night sail we had eight oil rigs around us and, as the sun fell, they lit up like small cities in the night sky. The setting sun was a glorious ball of red and orange.
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