28 - 29 April 2012 – Enroute from Port Stephens to Forster 45 Nautical Miles with layover

Fame Cove Sunset - best anchorage

Warren Photographing the Sunset Fame Cove

More Fame Cover, Port Stephens great courtesy moorings

I have decided that I really love the staying in port part of sailing hehe.  Sleeping in until 8 am.  Cup of tea in bed, reading.  Then up to cook scrambled eggs, toast and tomato for breakfast.  Meeting other yatchies doing what we are, exchange emails and notes.  Using our onboard washing machine (thanks Pat and Al, we bought this with you at a Caravan and Camping Show years ago).   

Looking back to  Broughton Island

So today we look like real cruising yatchies with the washing hanging out.  All the walkers, talk to us and tell us they are jealous, especially when we were on the deck enjoying coffee, the sunshine  and doing the washing.

 

Exited Port Stephens at 7.15 am yesterday, 28 April.  The wind was not kind to us all day.  We sailed on a port tack almost all day.  Swells were not much more than a meter for most of the day, however the wind built up in the afternoon.  Dolphins escorted us out of the harbor, then at about 9 am we had a large pod playing in our bows and showing themselves very close to the surface.  Sited a couple of hammer head sharks to port, just showing their fins.  Then about lunchtime, a huge pod of dolphins played with us for quite a while. Warren hadn’t seen dolphins in the wild before, so was very exciting. 

Captain Chums checking on things

Not too rough today LOL

Was great to sail up the coast and see the landmarks we had been visiting and camping at or talking about for years.  Broughton Island,  Seal Rocks, (past Myall and Smith Lakes), Sugarloaf Point and then round Cape Hawke into Cape Hawke  Harbour and into the safe harbor of Tuncurry.  They have really good Visitors berths here, so we can jump onto the jetty and walk into town within a few minutes.

We ended up motoring the last one and a half hours so we would get here before dark and made it in at 5 pm.  The two novices were very tired, Captain although weary, was still sparking.  Nice quiet night other than those pesky little crustaceans who chat to each other all night (thank you so much Jaylene Medhurst for those great little ear plugs you gave me years ago).

Its about to rain, so a lazy afternoon reading in bed is on the cards.