Up and Away

We made it to Port Stephens from Newcastle in just on 3.5 hrs, but it was twice as hard as the 7.5hr trip from Pittwater to Newcastle. The forecast was 10-15 kts from the south east and 1 metre swell with 1 metre seas. What we got was 20-25kts, gusting to 30, 2 metre plus swell and seas that were all over the place on account of the thunderstorms that enveloped the Stockton Bight and Port Stephens. We fully reefed the main and the genoa, but that didn’t slow us down (managed 11 kts). After the second gybe (but no panic…just calm reaction from the skipper and crew) we pulled in the main and did the last hour on the half-out genoa. I thought about putting a preventer on the boom, but didn’t do it, thus breaking the cardinal rule…if you think it needs doing, it invariably does.

At least we reached our destination, unlike Peter and Chris from Tassie in a 39 foot boat called “Honey Bee” who had set off for New Caledonia about an hour before us, but who we ran into (not literally) seeking the shelter of Pt Stephens. It was cold, at times very wet, a wee bit spooky with the lightening and water spouts popping up, and hard work…but good experience and it’s the sort of stuff that lesser souls may question just what the hell are we doing (or so I keep telling the crew). I think we may have left it a bit late leaving Sydney by a week or so, but my lack of timing is not unique as we chatted with Ron at Newcastle, who is in a catamaran called “Easy Rider” and who is bunny hopping up the coast also.

We decided to have a look around Port Stephens after spending a crappy night on an exposed mooring and have found a place called North Cove which is a lot calmer…we’ll stay here and leave for Forster tomorrow (the 20th).

The trip to Newcastle at 7.5 hrs, while no endurance record, was long enough to start with. We left at sunrise and although the weather wasn’t great, the trip went without incident. We waved at Jo and Michelle at Wamberal, and Peter and Jeannette at Norah Head, and we assume that they were waving back. We stayed at the Newcastle Yacht Club for a couple of nights, who have a good set up,which allowed me to get over being crook. I managed to keep it together until we had just entered the harbor before I christened the back of the boat. The Medical Officer has put it down to food poisoning as the Captain doesn’t get sea sick.

Johnny (Steele) came to visit from the Allyn River,and our old neighbours (Jane and Maurice) took us to breakfast before we left for Pt Stephens – great catchup.¬

The boat is still going well, and, despite the lack of respect it was shown on this last leg, she has decided to leave that behind her and not to complain, allowing us to enjoy its comfort.

Some one asked for some pictures of the boat so in this slide show are some of her in and out of the water (getting new valves for the holding tank and her bottom cleaned and a wax) and of the trip to Pt Stephens.