Goodbye Toronto 16th to 25th October

For the last ten days we have been waiting for our first grandchild to make an appearance. In the meantime we have walked, taken train and bus trips, and generally had a fairly slack time. One day we walked the 3.5km to Fassifern Station and back along the old railway reserve. Most of the time the track winds under a canopy of shady trees and along the edge of Fennell Bay. It was a pleasant walk and kept us on our target of at least 6km per day.

There seems to be a pattern, in this part of NSW, that every five days or so the weather builds up to a really strong blow from the northwest. It is hot (36 degrees or more) with low humidity and as there has been little rain for several months the bush is very dry. Perfect for bushfires! Of course there has been many outbreaks around Lake Macquarie that have burned many hectares and people have lost houses as well. The atmosphere has been thick with smoke and even ash at times. Toronto has been lucky as no fires have been too close and there has only been smoke to put up with. We have watched the glow of the fires on the other side of the lake in the evening. Last Monday we decided to motor down to Crangan Bay to our sheltered little anchorage in the southern corner and see what damage had been done by recent fires. We had coffee at Murrays Beach and then motored around for a look. We would not have been in our little bolthole in the fires as the whole area had been burnt out. We even saw a scorched aluminium run-about that had been left beside the lake as someone had escaped. The trailer tyres had been burnt off.

 

One day we took the train to Newcastle as we wanted to go across the harbour by ferry to Stockton. We had  seen Stockton Beach from Rene as we sailed down from Port Stephens and it looked interesting. That day was quite warm and the train was held up for half an hour by grass fires along the track. An impatient Peter did not have a newspaper to entertain him so I had to listen to some huffing and puffing as the train waited for clearance to move on. It was a lovely day and we decided that Newcastle has some very nice beaches.

 

 

Newcastle overpass

Wednesday 23rd October.
Jessica Abigail Scott arrived at 4.09pm. Peter was out racing on one of the local yachts and I had to wait about four hours before I could tell him the fantastic news. He left his phone behind. Good one Pete! We have now had some photos of our little granddaughter - soooooo cute! Sydney here we come!

For the last two days we have been cleaning Rene so that there is no excuse for mould and mildew to invade while we are away and readying her for our six months away. Lily was given a thorough clean and packed away, the new canvas cover was fitted and a myriad of other jobs completed. This morning we motored back to the mooring, after being on the jetty overnight, and said goodbye to Rene. She has been our home for over six months and sailed us over some notoriously rough patches of sea. (The Great Australian Bight & Bass Strait) What a great little boat! Now she is tucked safely away and Roger and several other Toronto YC members are going to keep and eye on her for us. Greg and Leisha are also going to take advantage of Rene being in The Lake and will come up for weekends to explore this area.

We have met some very friendly, helpful people in Toronto. Carol and Roger have been fantastic. We have stayed at their house on numerous occasions, used their washing machine (there is no laundrette anywhere near Toronto) and been given heaps of help and advice about Lake Macquarie. Thank you very much Roger and Carol. Also thank you for keeping an eye on our girl while we are away. Mary and Rob and Rosalie have offered us the use of a car if we needed it. Thank you. Your offer was very much appreciated. We also had a beautiful meal with Greg and Pauline. You both made us feel very welcome. Thank you.  Peter and I both look forward to coming back to Toronto next April to catch up with our friends here and continue our journey north to Townsville.

Carol, Roger, Peter and Liz

Our favourite coffee shop by the lake

 

 



Ducky Driftwood

Mr & Mrs Seagull Episode 2 19th October

Peter said, 'I think the Seagulls have a chick'. Off we went in Lily to see the new baby. Of course the whole seagull population in Toronto Bay went into attack mode as we approached, screeching wildly and trying to put us off getting too close. There was one spotted, fluffy little chick and one egg in the nest. The baby desperately tried to disguise itself as a rope, but kept one beady eye on us the whole time.  After taking a few photos we decided to leave them alone to settle down to normality once again.

We really do not want this to happen on our boat so we have since gone to great pains to make Rene as unattractive as possible to the various birds that think that yachts on moorings are fair game for perches or nests.

Mr & Mrs Seagull 15th October

Peter and I have often wondered where seagulls nest. There are so many of them and we had not noticed any nest sites before this trip. They love boats. Several of the vessels in our mooring area are rarely visited and these all have their resident birds. At the moment any boat not visited for a few days will be graced by at least one pair of seagulls building a nest. Our favourite pair are on a motor boat next to us. Mr and Mrs Seagull are very conscientious. They had already built their seaweedy nest when we moved to our mooring and proceeded to dive bomb us every time we went ashore. It didn't take them long to get used to us and now they sit tight and merely screech loudly in our direction as we pass. We threw a 'cat among the seagulls' today as I wanted to see how many eggs there were and photograph them. As we drew close their screeching drew birds from all directions to help scare us off. What a racket!!

Angry insults from above

 



There are two nests on a large, navy blue yacht on the other side of us. I'm not sure if it's the girls who sit or not, but each time we pass it appears that the two girls are on the nest and the fellas sit on the stern locker having a good old gossip. At first they also dived us as we passed, but now only hurl a few insults in our direction. You can almost hear the boys on the back saying to the girls, 'See love, we scared 'em off.'

Our latest seagull incident was quite humorous. On the eastern edge of the moorings is a lovely 42' Oceanic yacht. She is beautiful and well loved, however the owners had not visited for a week or so. Two pairs of gulls decided that this was prime real estate and promptly moved in. I did tell them it was a bad idea and they would regret it, but they took no notice. Yesterday the owners pulled up in the dinghy and were immediately dive bombed incessantly. The lady couldn't understand what was going on and had quite a bit of trouble tying off. She scrambled on board and then realised what was happening. After a short conversation between the owners I heard her say, 'Well I'm not doing it! You get rid of them!' Then they disappeared down the hatch. A few minutes later out he came and stood for a while looking at the stern nest with his hands on his hips. The gulls were going crazy. Obviously a decision had been made and he bent down and the whole nest, eggs and all went over the side. Then it was the turn of the nest near the mast. I felt sorry for the birds, but Peter and I had a chuckle as we watched the whole performance.

We have carefully examined the boats in the mooring area that have devices on board that are designed to scare birds and deep them off. Some have CD's, flags, pretend owls or plastic bags hanging from the rigging. None of these work. Netting seems to do the best job by simply keeping them out and not allowing the birds to land. In Albany we had some success with a cargo net that you use to cover a loaded trailer. We have purchased another one and will stretch them over the cockpit and the foredeck along with a thin string or two tied above the boom. Hopefully this will discourage the gulls from using Rene as a nursery.

Toronto 7th to 15th October

 

Maiden Hair Fern in its element

 



Our adventure for 2013 is quickly coming to and end. Only three days until our first grandchild's due birth date. Once the baby is born we intend to spend a day or two in last minute preparations for leaving Rene, two days in Sydney admiring the new baby and then Peter flies to Townsville to visit his dad and I fly to Perth and then Albany for an extended holiday at home. Peter will spend two weeks in Townsville and then he too will fly home. From then on it will be gardening, house maintenance and brushing the cobwebs off the BMW's (motorbikes) for the summer.

I remember, it seems an age ago in Port Fairy, where we thought that trekking to the shower was an adventure. It was about a 1km walk around the river/harbour to the yacht club passing the early morning fishermen, birds, walkers and the view up and down the river ever changing. People are very friendly in the morning and greetings always exchanged. Here in Toronto the scene is altogether different, but still a time of the day to look forward to. We usually take the dinghy trip to the bathroom after dinner and at that time have the luxury of the showers to ourselves.

With the shower paraphernalia in the backpack we pile in Lily and motor across to the dinghy dock in front of the yacht club. The lights of Toronto on the hill above the moorings cast wiggly golden stripes over the glassy water. There is a long fluorescent blue light running down one side of the yacht club that throws a shimmering reflection across the bay. A fish jumps and plops back in. Perhaps the Great White Shark reportedly in the lake is chasing it in the inky depths. The marina is quiet now. Perfect! We tie Lily up and wander up to the yacht club for one of the best showers ever - no water saving devices here, and hot! Then we return to Rene in the darkness. Tom, our neighbour, has his cabin lights on glowing softly across the water and we easily find our way home. A party is in full swing in one of the houses on the hill above. They've got a trumpet!! The lights of Belmont and Warners Bay shine over the water from the east.

 

RMYC Toronto Jetty

 This is such an easy place to park for a while. Crossing the bar (easy in the right conditions), organising a bridge opening, negotiating the shallow waters of the channel (touching the bottom not uncommon), is worth the effort for a couple of weeks engaging in happy exploration of this beautiful lake. We have discovered, by talking to the locals, that sand in the channel builds up in ridges due to the current and eventually gets high enough that keels scrape as yachts make their way through. By the time we noticed a slow down we had already taken the top off a ridge and were through. Whew!!

This week we motored around to Marmong Point Marina to fill up with fuel as the fuel dock there is easy to access. Also Peter wanted to purchase some good quality rope at the chandlery to attach our new canvas shelter that covers the main cabin and hopefully prevents any water leaking into the interior of the boat while we are away. We have been told that when it rains here it pours, summer having the highest rainfall. Being able to leave the vents open should help prevent mould and mildew to some extent.

 Today we have brought Rene alongside for our free night at the jetty in order to do some maintenance. While we were on the way to Marmong Point the echo sounder stopped working. After some examination Peter found that there was a loose connection in the sealed plug - corrosion had occurred!!!! All the minute wires are encased in an earth shield with the main wire about the thickness of a hair. It has taken two trips by bus to the Warners Bay light industrial area where there is a Jaycar outlet, a few hours of tinkering and swearing etc and Peter has successfully (it appears so far) fixed the problem by soldering the offending wires to a new plug. Most people would have chucked it out, but he has been persistent and we hope it will continue to work for a long time. By the way, the Jaycar people were very helpful and had a huge range of electronic equipment.

 

Concentration!!!

We continue to await the arrival of the new grandy and in the meantime make full use of our stay in Lake Macquarie.

 

Rene's summer home - the orange buoy in the centre

 

 

 

Old Toronto Railway Station & Toronto Hotel above our mooring



Fleet Review, Sydney 4th - 6th October

After our Dangar Island outing we caught the train to Sydney with the others and then made our way to Greg and Leisha's at Neutral Bay on the ferry from Circular Quay. Public transport in Sydney is so easy to use and makes travelling a breeze, especially on the Seniors Card. Leisha has only two weeks of her pregnancy to go and we enjoyed seeing all the preparations she and Greg have been making for our new grand baby.

The Fleet Review - 100 years since Australian Navy was formed. What a wonderful celebration! We couldn't believe our luck in being in Sydney for all the festivities. On Friday Peter and I walked to Cremorne Point and found a good vantage point to view the Naval Fleet entering the harbour. Chinese, Japanese, British, American and many other countries were represented with various naval ships already anchored or moored in the harbour. The harbour was full of ships, ferries, tourist boats, motor boats and yachts of all descriptions as well as some very brave (read crazy!) people in kayaks and canoes. Helicopters buzzing around with huge Aussie flags and Welcome to the Review flags and thousands of people lining the shore completed the scene. Sydney Harbour is the most amazing place to view such an event as there is so much public open space and parkland lining it that I don't think anyone would miss out on a good view of the proceedings.

After lunch we met up with Leisha and took the Neutral Bay ferry to Circular Quay and then walked to Darling Harbour to see the Tall Ships. They had arrived on Thursday. The place was crowded and we enjoyed the atmosphere and admired the beautiful old boats lined up along the quay. There is something very romantic about the sight and sound of an old sailing vessel.

On Saturday Greg and Leisha joined us on Kurraba Point this time to watch the Ceremonial Fleet Review and formation flypast by naval and military aircraft. There was a hundred gun salute which excited some of the kids nearby and we watched Prince Harry and the Governor General inspect the fleet. (Didn't actually see them, too far away, had to use the imagination here!) The spectacle on the harbour kept us entertained all morning.

In the evening Maureen and John had invited us to a pizza and wine night with them at their accommodation in The Rocks. We probably had one of the best viewing platforms in the city, on the roof of their building for the Fireworks and Lightshow. It was fantastic. Barges and naval ships had been set out along the harbour from which the fireworks were launched. Images of historical significance to the navy were projected onto the Opera House sails and laser lights and search lights lit up the sky. As the show progressed fireworks sprouted from the rooves of city buildings. The noise that echoed from the city buildings down the harbour as the fireworks exploded was incredible. I loved it! The whole show was amazing. Something to remember for a very long time.

 

 

      

 

Friends and Rele's Visit Dangar Island 3rd October

We had been planning a catch up with friends John and Judy and cousin Maureen and her husband John since we had heard they were visiting Sydney for the school holidays. Peter and I decided that Dangar Island would be the best place to meet up, being approximately half way between Sydney and us in Lake Macquarie. Travelling there involved a scenic train journey of about an hour each. Judy and John arrived on the platform at Hawkesbury River at the same time we did from the opposite direction. Our detailed planning was paying off! As the next train was an hour away so we decided to adjourn to the Brooklyn Marina Café for morning coffee and chat while we waited for Maureen and John.

We watched the next train - no M & J, then we had a message to say they would be late. The four of us decided to take the ferry to Dangar and gave M & J directions to the ferry and they would catch us up later. The ferry ride was pleasant and took the scenic route via Little Wobby where the houses line the shore under the very high sandstone cliffs. This is not my idea of a safe place to live as the cliffs have some very unstable looking boulders on the steep rock faces. At Dangar we walked up the track, passed the bowling club and to the beach. We'd noticed that the weather was taking a turn for the worse and as we looked to the south we realised that dark clouds were gathering and it wouldn't be long before rain arrived. We hurried back to the Dangar Café just in time, before the squall hit.

It turned out to be quite a storm, thunder and lightening, hail and heavy rain. In the midst of this Maureen and John arrived on the ferry and dodged the hailstones to join us for lunch. The food was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed catching up with every one's news while the thunder crashed and lightening flashed and rain and hail hammered down. It was a pity we could not walk around the island as it is a lovely walk, but the rain was welcome as it has been a very dry winter in this area.

Crangan Bay Lake Macquarie 1st October

We are back in Bellbird territory. Their beautiful bell songs are ringing out in the forest over the bay. Yesterday we left Chain Valley Bay in the morning and motored around to Crangan Bay which is in the south east corner of Lake Macquarie. We found a sheltered, quiet little bay right down the southern end and are tucked in out of the strong winds from the north and west that we have had today. Gwandalan is the town nearby and has a small shopping centre with IGA, butcher, baker chemist and most importantly a bottle shop. The Gwandalan Bowling Club welcomes guests for meals, but we have not partaken.

Vales Point Power House - not all pretty bush around here!

There are walking tracks in the bush and access to the lake via the parkland in front of the houses, which extends for a couple of kms to the north of us. Very pleasant walking. This morning we discovered, listening to the ABC Morning Show, that the weather was going to be unpleasant. Strong winds, hot and gusting up to 40kns, thunder storms were forecast and a total fire ban in place, so we decided that walking in the bush around here would not be a good idea. The atmosphere was already thick with smoke from several bush fires in the vicinity. Instead we walked around the village of Gwandalan. There is a row of houses in the bay near us that back onto a patch of thick forest. Behind the back fences a wide strip of mown grass extends from the fences and some people have landscaped this area. It is lovely to walk along and admire their work. We got talking to a friendly man who told us that much of this area was earmarked for over 600 new houses. A pity really, but I suppose people have to live somewhere.

Tomorrow we are going back to Toronto as we will be Twilight Racing with Carol and Roger on their yacht.

Coffee break!

Lake Macquarie 24th to 30th September

We are beginning to feel that Toronto is our second home. Peter visited the RMYC Toronto and secured our six month lease of a mooring for Rene while we are back in WA. It will cost $224 per month which is considerably cheaper than Sydney. We feel she will be secure here for that time with Roger and Carol keeping an eye out to see she is still tethered and afloat and Greg and Leisha visiting occasionally.

Peter helped Roger with his 'Man Pad' in the shed, putting down carpet and shifting a very heavy old desk in to place along with some other bits and pieces. We took a bus to Charleston Square Shopping Centre, a huge complex on the other side of the lake, where we wandered around, had lunch, but did not spend anything - Jeans West, Dusk and all the rest are the same where ever you go! A haircut was on the agenda and this has been accomplished. Having spent a few days at Toronto we then decided it was time to explore Kilaben Bay.

We motored around the corner and to the northern end of Kilaben Bay to find a sheltered anchorage as strong NW winds were forecast. We haven't sailed much because of the need for motoring to charge up the batteries. In the northern end of Kilaben Bay beyond Styles Point is a beautifully sheltered little bay. Ashore is Rathmines Park and Catalina Park and plenty of walking opportunities. Catalina Park was a former flying boat base during WW2 and some of the buildings and a huge ramp are still there. The strong wind warning did not eventuate this time.

We are now down in the very southern end of the lake in Chain Valley Bay. There is more bushland down here and the water is cloudy. On the western side of the bay is the Vales Point Power Station, a massive structure that is humming in the background. Today we will motor around to Crangan Bay and anchor off Gwandalan.

Back to Lake Macquarie 21st to 23rd September

Although the weather forecast said we should expect SW winds at 10-15kn and this was directly on the nose, we thought this was an opportunity to sail the 13nm back to Lake Macquarie. Motoring east down the harbour was much more pleasant than the way in and there were no ships to dodge. Once outside the channel we pulled up the main and set the jib and off we went. The light SW winds enabled us to glide past the surf beaches and see clearly some lovely views of Newcastle. It was an easy sail although we gradually found ourselves going further east than we liked. After tacking back towards the long Nine Mile Beach we began to point higher and finally, with a northerly change in the light breeze we made the Swansea Channel easily. The timing was perfect and the bar smooth with more than 3m depth. Peter rang the Marine Rescue and organised for the bridge to open for us in an hour. There was a small problem, a crash on the bridge, so we had to wait on the courtesy mooring while the authorities cleared the road and the resultant traffic jam also cleared.

The delay at the bridge made us an hour later than we wanted to negotiate the upper part of the Channel. We were anxious not to touch the bottom as we had on the way out. The tide was flowing strongly, but although the echo sounder once hit 1.9m and Peter thought he felt a brief slow down we made it back into this delightful lake. Where to go? After some thought we decided that Murray's Beach was a good idea and we'd treat ourselves to breakfast at the café on Sunday morning. What a treat! Gorgeous venue and yummy breakfast.

When Peter put the anchor light on the night before it would not work. He checked the wiring and came to the conclusion that a new globe was needed. Luckily we knew that there was a Bias Marine store at Belmont so we motored over there after breakfast to buy a new globe. LEDs do not necessarily last that long. With the new globe in hand it was my job to winch Peter up the mast. This is not an easy job and one that I never look forward to, partly because it is difficult and partly perched at the top of the mast in a canvas chair on the end of a rope is a vulnerable place to be. It seemed to take ages and I had instructions to flick various switches to test the job. Then swearing!!!! Lots of it!!! The nasty little Chinese globe fell apart in Peter's hands. Down he came and of course we had to repeat the whole exercise with a replacement. I will point out that this required a 200m row ashore and then a 2km walk to the shop and back. Not to mention the whole mast procedure all over again. This time it worked.

We are now anchored off Toronto for a day or two, relaxing and deciding what to do with the next couple of weeks. We have still not been down to the south end of the lake, Chain Valley Bay, Wyee Bay and others. Kilaben Bay is around the corner from Toronto Bay and we have not been there either. We're also looking forward to meeting up with Maureen and John and Judy and John at Hawkesbury River on the 3rd Oct. We are planning to take the ferry to Dangar Is for lunch - one of our favourite spots. The Tall Ships are coming to Sydney on the long weekend in October and we intend to take the train down for the weekend to check out the celebrations. Leisha will only have a couple of weeks to go by then. Exciting times!!

Newcastle 18th & 19th September

No coffees in bed this morning. We were up early and ready for the trip to Newcastle. Peter checked the weather forecast, which remained the same as the night before, at WNW winds, 10 to 15 kn. Sounded good! The day started well and we flew along with the sails full and Port Stephens disappeared quickly. Then the winds began to build.... and build..... At least we had a fuel free day! Peter says he loved it, was exciting in fact! I prefer things to be a little quieter and I am now putting in an order for Lazy Jacks. Folding the main off Newcastle in the strong winds, bouncing around on deck, dodging both ingoing and outward bound ships was a bit too exciting for me. Eventually we motored into the strong wind coming directly out of the harbour and finally into Throsby Basin and the Newcastle Marina.

Here comes another one!

We had already decided to spend two nights in the marina as we felt like pampering ourselves a bit. The facilities here are excellent. Two nights became three as the weather didn't improve. Newcastle turned out to be worth visiting and we were glad to have the extra time there. From the marina a path leads around the harbour and into the centre, past apartments, shops, cafes etc., and on out to the Nobbys Head breakwater, where we found some interesting concrete sculptured pictures. More ships came and went.

Another walk worth doing was through the city and over the hill to the surf beaches on the southern side of the harbour entrance. The beach was lined with surfers cars with surf music, boards and all the surfing paraphernalia and we spent some time watching them catching the waves curling and breaking over the reef. This area reminded me of some of the beaches in southern England - very scenic.

 Leading up to the weekend huge yachts began arriving at the marina. Eventually Peter asked what was happening and found out that there was a regatta at Port Stephens which they were participating in. Peter and I ogled these beautiful yachts, Hanse 41, 49, various Moodys and others. Rene sitting in her berth at the end of the pontoon looked like a dinghy in comparison. I bet they had not done the Bight tho'. We were not sure about calling in at Newcastle, but are very glad we did.

Back to Port Stephens 15th to 17th September

Adverse weather reports sent us scurrying back to Port Stephens. (Peter said it wasn't scurrying, we just sailed.) We had a good sail in a moderate NE breeze and decided to stop for a night or two in Fame Cove. It is so protected and several other boats were in there also. Finally the long awaited rain blew in from the NW on Monday and we spent the day reading, fishing (with no luck) and playing card games.

Waiting for the rain in Fame Cove

By Tuesday morning the worst of the weather had passed so we decided to motor out to Shoal Bay, which is just inside the southern entrance to Port Stephens. The long, white, sandy beach is backed by hotels and apartments and is very picturesque. We had seen an NPA pink mooring here on arrival, (courtesy moorings are pink beehive affairs) so Peter Googled NPA and found that it was the National Park Authority and the mooring was for the use of the public. It was ours for the night. While we were having lunch huge, black thunder clouds began to gather and head our way. Peter and I were sitting quietly waiting for a break in the weather to go ashore when there was an almighty flash and bang all at once that nearly sent us through the roof. The rain began and after a while the storm passed over and the sun came out and we took Lily into the beach.

 

 

Tomaree Head guards the southern entrance to Port Stephens and we had wanted to climb it if the chance arose. There is a well made walking track to the top and the views are spectacular over the whole waterway. We could see Rene like a little dot down in the bay. After purchasing gas, ice and a few fresh stores we were ready for the trip 27nm south to Newcastle the next day.

 

The unconcerned prickly fellow was half way up Tomaree Head.

Broughton Islands 13th & 14th September

The weather forecast looked good for us to make a trip to the Broughton Islands. Broughton is NSW's biggest mainland island. There are several islands in this group. The currents between Boondelbah, Little and Cabbage Tree Islands, as we left Port Stephens, made for a very bouncy ride. The swell rebounding from the cliffs added to the discomfort and we were glad to get past these off-lying islands. It is only an 8nm trip NE from Port Stephens entrance so two hours later we were rounding Providence Point on the northern end of Broughton Island and heading for the courtesy mooring at the eastern end of Providence Bay. It was close to the beach and behind an unforgiving looking patch of reef. The swells coming around the island from the SE were broken down on the reef and the light SW winds blowing across the island meant the anchorage turned out to be quite comfortable. There are another couple of anchorages on this island, but they are only useable when the wind is in the north.

Providence Beach

Peter and I thought this bay looked much like Turtle Bay, on the Abrolhos Islands in WA, except for a high hill on the eastern end. Instead of low scrub the island is covered in long grass and low wind swept trees. A path lead over the island to the southern side where we found a row of neat huts at Esmeralda Cove. The cove is full of empty moorings. It must be a hive of activity during the holiday season. We noticed that large patches of the sandy island were mined with active Mutton Bird nests. We walked as far as we could along the white sandy beaches until we were stopped in both directions by low cliffs.

Esmeralda Cove

During the night we began to hear the 'Boi-oi-oing!' of birds flying into our rigging. Not a nice sound reverberating through the hull. It was such a dark night with no moon at all. The mast light made no difference and so we had to lie there and listen to the Mutton Birds thumping into the boat. After a while things settled down as the birds made it home for the night, but before daylight they all flew out and began colliding with the boat again. I was glad when daylight arrived.

The forecast alerted us to the fact that a strong NE wind was due so we made a decision to sail back to Port Stephens. It would have been nice to spend another day or two here, but it is not a sensible place to be in adverse weather.

Any snakes here????

Soldiers Point Marina 10th & 11th September

Fame Cove turned out to be a beautifully quiet, secure anchorage in the blustery north westerly winds of yesterday. The first thing we did in the morning was check the weather forecast. Not good! Later in the day a strong wind warning from the NW was forecast. We had booked ourselves into Soldiers Point Marina for two nights so we decided to go early as the wind was already picking up at 7.30am. Soldiers Point is just over 1nm from Fame Cove so after a short motor we were there. This impressive little marina is easy to get into, plenty of room to manoeuvre and we were tied up and settled in just after 8am.

At $75 per night this is the most expensive marina we have stayed in so far, but what luxury! The people working here are very friendly and helpful and have made us feel most welcome. Nothing is too much trouble. The first thing we did was have a shower in one of the en-suite bathrooms. Wow! I think this is probably the most luxurious bathroom I have ever had the pleasure of using. We even had Cat Stevens playing softly in the background while we had a shower.  There is a lounge for marina patrons complete with TV, computer, complimentary wine and a borrow/swap library with some great books where we traded our old ones for some new titles. Along with trolleys there are courtesy bikes and a courtesy car available. We borrowed the car in the afternoon to do some serious food shopping.

It wasn't long before the wind picked up and howled in from the NW. There is a huge Weather Station screen outside the restaurant which details weather forecasts and displays current weather recordings. The strongest gust for the day was 32.2kn and the temperature 31 degrees. Boats and pontoons began to bounce about in the chop and we were glad to be on the inside of the pontoon. Peter had to adjust Rene's lines so that she did not snatch and jerk at the ropes. Walking along the pontoons was interesting as they rose up and down on the waves. During the day thick smoke blew in from hazard reduction burns that were fanned by the hot gusty winds. It made for a very colourful sunset.

On Wednesday we decided to take one of the local ferries from Nelson Bay to Tea Gardens, which is in the lower Myall River. This area is in the Myall River delta and is shallow with shoals, oyster beds and rocky outcrops up a winding channel. The ferry looked like a good idea as it would have been a bit tricky on Rene. Tea Gardens is an attractive community and we strolled up the river and through the town. At the Tourist Information Centre we collected a map and found an interesting looking walk on the other side of the river. Off we went, over the Singing Bridge and through the community of Hawks Nest, around Spiky Rush Swamp, on to Winda Woppa and finally, dear reader, to plain old Jimmy's Beach. Who thought of that name? After all the lovely romantic names of places in this area surely they could have come up with a more imaginative one for this gorgeous beach - maybe Seahorse Sands or Sandpiper Beach! (Actually Spiny Rush Swamp was one I made up, for the sake of a good story!! It did have Spiny Rushes in it.)

Beautiful BBQs at Tea Gardens

More streetscape art in Tea Gardens

 





Walking through Hawks Nest we could hear mournful music playing. We thought there must have been a church nearby, but no, a brass band was playing in someone's driveway. They were playing 'How Great Thou Art' and I managed to completely amaze Peter by singing along. I have not sung that hymn for nearly 50 years, since Elleker Sunday School days. I amazed myself!

The ferry trip back to Nelson Bay was interesting as Peter began chatting with the ferry skipper and found that he had spent his life fishing and sailing and  many years of them in this area. We now have some useful information about bays and anchorages in Port Stephens.

Someone Else 

 

A new crew member has joined our ranks. I'm not sure if they're male or female, but Someone causes a lot of mischief on our little vessel. Peter will say, 'Someone has left the seacock on again,' or,

'Someone has flicked the nav lights on.' This in the middle of the day. Someone also hides various items of our clothing or notes down the weather forecast on my shopping list and uses up all the room and worst of all puts dirty footprints on a freshly washed deck. It's very irritating and if Someone is discovered at their little antics, they may be made to walk the plank!!!!! 

 

 



Port Stephens 7th to 9th September

The sail from Lake Macquarie to Port Stephens on Saturday was the best sail we have had for a long time. The wind was generally in the west at 10-15kn for most of the day and as the swell and seas were less than 1m we flew along at an average of 6 knots. Stockton Bight behaved and warnings from various people about how lumpy this patch of sea was did not eventuate, this time at least. We rounded Tomaree Head at 1.30pm and motored along the southern coast of Port Stephens. There are two main commercial operations here, tourism and oyster farming. As we motored along the white sandy beaches multi storey hotels and apartments dominated the waterfront. Shoal Bay, the first opportunity for anchoring, was rejected as there were many people, especially children, on the beach and there appeared to be no place to secure Lily when we went ashore. (Children cannot help themselves and play in the dinghy - sand everywhere, and potential loss of oars!)

The next bay, Nelson Bay, is the main tourist centre along with a very expensive marina. We later found out that this marina costs $90 per night. Alan Lucas, 'Cruising the NSW Coast', informed us that there were courtesy moorings to the east side of the marina. There wasn't any. They must have been removed for some reason. We motored on. This southern shore generally has water that is too deep to anchor in close to the beach so we kept going until we finally found an area just east of the Anchorage Resort Marina that had suitable depth and was reasonably protected close to the marina wall. There are several moored boats here and we spent a pleasant night there.

On Sunday we motored around Salamander Bay, where we did find a courtesy mooring in the south east corner, and on to Soldiers Point and into the western part of Port Stephens waterway. Tanilba Bay looked good so we anchored there in 3m of water a long way out from the shore. This bay is quite shallow so we set the anchor outside the moored boats. After lunch we took Lily ashore and walked several kms to Lemon Tree Passage. There is a small marina here, but we decided it didn't look like a good choice for an overnight stay. The water is muddy and shallow and the marina piles made of steel. We had a coffee then walked around the shore back to Tanilba Bay.

Interesting!! As we rounded the last stony point we realised the tide had gone out a seriously long way. By now the feet and legs were protesting, but when we looked at where we left Lily we thought a walk to the local shopping centre was a good option, while we waited for the tide to come in a little. Finally we gave up and staggered, hauling the dinghy over the sandy mud, weed and black snail shells to the waters edge. A lesson well learned!! Check the tide tables!!

'Oh s@#!! Where has the sea gone?'

This morning, Monday, we motored to the northern side of the waterway and had a quick look at the Northern Arm, which is an interesting bay - but not for a stay. Just around the corner is Fame Cove, a beautiful little secure anchorage with 6 courtesy moorings available to the public. We chose one and then took Lily up the creek as far as we could go, a couple of kms. Once the mangroves closed in we turned around and decided to row most of the way back to listen to the birdsong and creek noises. Lovely!

Tomorrow we will motor over to Soldiers Point Marina where we have booked two nights stay. It is also expensive at $75 per night, but we need ice, a shower, water, laundry etc. There are a few extras thrown is here, a complimentary bottle of wine, a courtesy car or drop off and pick up along with one or two other things I have forgotten. We plan to have them drop us off at Nelson Bay Jetty on Wednesday to take a ferry to Tea Gardens for the day. Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest townships are up the Myall River and it is too shallow to get Rene up there. It sounds like a great day out!