2 May 2012 - Camden Haven to north, maybe even Coffs Harbour

Hello everyone
Here I am sitting in bed in the captain's cabin beam of Port Macquarie writing this up.  We left at 5.45 am this morning as it is about 50 nautical miles to Trial Bay.  We can't seem to get a good wind.  It is lovely and relaxing just rock n rolling along at 3-4 knots but will take forever to get to QLD.  Ian thinks we will do an overnight sail tonight, as its moonlight and light winds and may not scare his novice crew too much.

I have been back in bed, after getting up to see us over the Camden Bar and take some photos of the sunrise.  Been reading Colin Thiele's book - Sun on the Stubble.  Good romp back into the past.  Colin came to Craigmore High School when I was teaching there and gave a talk to our students.  He was very inspiring, it was just as his Storm Boy was being made into a movie.

We had a great day yesterday.  Stayed in Camden Haven while Warren caught up with his half brother Ray.  I knitted, cleaned, cooked, fished and generally relaxed.  Young Sebastian may get his cardigan before winter and hopefully it won't be miles too big like the one I made for Hamish.  Hamish will probably wear it when he is five!

The guys are enjoying pottering around doing a few jobs here and there and watching the world go by. 

Its lovely sailing up the coast and watching the headlands move past.  The chart plotter is magic.  You can see where we are and work out how far to the next headland plus 100's of other features.  Not fun when you are in really rough weather as you watch the boat being turned this way and that. 

Hope you have a happy day rocking ' rolling too.

Hi there, am sitting in the Serviceman's Club recharging the batteries on the laptop while Warren chats to his brother and wife.

We sailed out of Forster at 8.30 yesterday morning, bound for Camden Haven - 9 hours if we did 4 knots on average.  Haven't had one day of good wind yet.  We are supposed to charm the wind aren't we?  Winds were not kind to us again, so had to work hard and had a very rolly day all the way up.  Finally motor sailed for the last four hours to get into Camden Haven right on sunset.  The bar was tricky with breaking surf, the captain made Warren and I hang on tight.  We had our life jackets on all day and Warren and Ian wore tethers every time they ventured out of the cockpit to adjust the sails.

I even made coffee twice yesterday as we sailed.  Jammed myself into the galley.  Jammed the coffee mugs between the fruit bowl in the sink and managed to get a few full cups with only spilling some of one. Haven't felt slightly sick or oomy which is amazing.

Captain enjoying breakfast

Looking up the river at Camden Haven

We chatted to another yacht next to us who is from Hervey Bay.  They spent the whole of last year in Lake Macquarie and now after doing a few jobs on their yacht here will sail straight up to Hervey Bay.

We should be on our way to Trial Bay or further north tomorrow.  Early start.   Lovely here on the river though, best sleep with no cockles or tide chatting to us all night.   One of the best anchorages yet.

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.

26 April 2010 – Destination Port Stephens – 7.30 am

Well, the weather reporter did say that seas would be THREE metres, they were at least FOUR – talk about being in a washing machine.  I understand now why some people climb Mt Everest – always thought they were idiots. 

 Well we went up Mt Everest every few minutes then down into the Grand Canyon the next minute.  Warren and I found it very tough, Ian wasn’t thrilled but very relaxed and calm and enjoyed himself, other than when we were helming and did the wrong thing.   Now that the adrenalin has left our bodies we feel like champions.

The Chart Plotter (GPS) is marvelous – great to see us getting closer to the destination even if we were screwing around everywhere most of the time.  I didn’t get sick – yeah!

Midgee being returned to windChalmer

 

 

after abandoning ship

We were anchored in Fame Cove (through the Port Stephens Heads at 1 pm) by 2.30.  Just as we were anchoring, Midgee decided to abandon ship.  Away she went swimming for shore – what a shock, a Catamaran coming in enjoyed the drama.   She had a nice swim and walk (probably in a National Park) and then the captain rowed her back – she is now sound asleep.

Think we might have a layover or not proceed until the swells die down a bit.  Haha

This was published while sailing from Fame Cove to Shoal Bay near Port Stephens.

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.

13 April 2011 - Preparing to leave our home for about five years

Flowers from our wonderful friend Chez

It’s incredible how the build-up of material possessions over 48 years takes so much time to sort.  Particularly when you have had a large house, garage and huge shed to store it all and the kids moved out years ago.  We are almost to the stage when we don’t want to set an ETD (Estimated time of Departure) as new  jobs keep popping up.

Our lounge, dining table, recliner chairs and lots of other assorted items have gone off to the op shop.  Oh yes, also the two spare room beds.  So Ian and I now live in one room plus the yacht!

We moved out to the windChalmer for two days and one night last week – emptied all the lockers.  Then sorted and filled them again, writing down in our book what is stored so we can find it quickly.  Once out on the yacht, I am going to key this into the laptop, so we can do a quick search and find.  We actually have lockers without stuff at the moment.  

We brought back to shore anything we didn’t need  as we don’t want to clutter the yacht.  

We have built the fence around our backyard with two gates for Kent and Kristin’s children, dog, cats and chooks!  Today I am the apprentice base mixer while Ian is gyprocking a section between Kent and Kristin’s cottage kitchen and family room.  Whoever built this had such a small space between the rooms – so we cut them out, inserted a large metal beam and opened up the kitchen.  Looks great now, just getting the gyprocking finished, also packing firewood into the trailer and cleaning.

Between all this I have been baby sitting and keeping up with other family commitments.  

Ian has about two days of things to make before we go, then we can really get sorted. Oh yes and we can't go yet as our lovely granddaughter Ameeka Mae turns 4 next week.

So this is retirement!

April 2012 - Sail Away - we are almost ready

It's amazing how many jobs seem to come up just as you need to get away.  The trouble is Ian is just too clever and makes everything himself so of course it takes so much longer.

We spent the whole day Friday, 23 March out on the windChalmer mooring sorting and packing books, clothes and food.

We are hoping that Midgee our Stumpy Tailed Australian Blue Puppy will cope with the life at sea.  Here she is in her boat boots.  Which reminds me better go make her another set of boat boots.  I can't believe that she was quite happy wearing the boots and made no attempt to rip them off.