25 April 2012 – ANZAC DAY - Time to exit Lake Macquarie

Up very early today – maybe the stress or is that excitement woke us at 4 pm, we were tied up at Sunshine Wharf after Ryan, Nerrine and our beautiful four granddaughters came to give us a farewell dinner of soup, buns and pavlova.  How amazing, is that with their busy lives.

We had booked the Swansea Bridge to open at 10 am, so after waving goodbye to Kent, Kristin, Hamish and baby 7/8ths, and Kristin’s Mum and Dad we motored off to get to our appointment.   

Saying bye to family

Midgee Ready for sailing

First Meal cooked  aboard Lasanga

Sandbanks abound through the Channel out to sea, so all hands on deck checking the depth sounder and following the markers.  We motored through to a mooring, where we ate the heated lunch – my first attempt at cooking a meal on board!!   

The weather forecast wasn’t amazing, however we decided we needed to go, so had a very rough and windy, but not bad trip into Newcastle.    Warren – our cabin boy – self named, and myself downed Travel Calm tablets and off we went through the Bar which is also hazardous for a yacht with 6’8” draft.  Made it through the bar with a great send off by the airforce (ok, yeah, it was ANZAC DAY).

Warren and Midgee

Anchored inside the Newcastle Guide Wall  at Pirates Point,  Stockton side as Ian thought it would keep us out of the wind, which it did.  Great quiet night with an occasional fog horn and a few waves to ruffle our feathers by some of the larger ship traffic.