Peter set his phone alarm to wake us at 3.30am ready for a 4am start. It was absolutely calm, quiet and dark on the river. Luckily we were hanging towards the Tasmanians anchored on our tail so we could pull up the anchor with no fuss. They too were awake and ready to follow us out of the river for the trip south. We slowly chugged along using the iPad, iSailor charts to show us where to go in the dark. There are several channels that branch off into lakes from the main channel out and these also have lit channel markers. It was tricky to work out which light to aim for and navigate across the numerous sandbanks in the river. At about 2-3kts we made our way slowly down the river to the entrance and out into the Tasman Sea.
Most of the day was spent motor sailing in a light northerly wind. When the wind picked up in the afternoon we were able to sail for a while with just the headsail. South of Sugarloaf Rocks we spotted movement in the sea. Dolphins zoomed in and joined us for about 20 minutes. There must have been at least 20 of them, leaping, racing and frolicking in Olivia's bow wave. We could hear them clicking and squeaking to each other as they swam. They are much bigger than the ones we had seen further north and like the ones in southern WA love to swim along for a while. Frequently they put their heads on the side to try and see us better. They kept jostling for the prime spot at the bow and were so close that we wondered how they missed being hit as Olivia rose and dipped in the waves. They are obviously smart and quick.
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| Dolphins on the Bow |
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| Perfect weather in Shoal Bay |
The sun set as we passed the Broughton Islands and changed course slightly to make for the entrance to Port Stephens. By the time we anchored off Jimmy's Beach on the northern side of the bay it was dark. A 10-15kt northerly wind blew throughout the night and as we were tucked in behind the low sand hills we had a magnificently quiet night. No tide against wind antics, no bullets as the wind is squeezed around a mountain. Bliss!!
This morning Peter phoned us from Distant Drums, anchored just around the corner, and wished us a safe journey. They followed us down from Camden Haven and arrived half an hour after us. They live here so are now home. We have promised to keep in touch.
A southerly change began to assert itself so we pulled up the anchor at 8am and motored to Shoal Bay on the southern side of Port Stephens. The courtesy mooring was free so we hitched ourselves on to it and prepared the dinghy for a trip ashore. We had our usual coffee, then walked up Mt Tomaree to take in the amazing view from the top.
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| Shoal Bay Anchorage |
If the weather forecast is right, tomorrow will see us complete the last sea journey of our 2017 sailing season. Lake Macquarie is just 40nm away and we have organised with the Toronto Yacht Club to rent one of their moorings for the summer. I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks in The Lake exploring all those lovely bays and walks. The trouble is it is so nice in there that there is a danger that you never want to leave!
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| Peter packs Lily away on her perch on the foredeck |
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