Lake Macquarie to Broughton Islands Monday 16th April to Thrusday 19th April 2018

A Shaggers Catch Up, Sunday 15th April

Anchorage at Kilaben Bay Lake Macquarie

Four years ago Peter and I joined the Shag Island Cruising Yacht Club. It is a fun institution where like minded boaties of all kinds get together, have some fun and help raise money for Prostate Cancer research. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised so far. Lake Macquarie is the home of a number of Shaggers so a get together was organised and we joined in for lunch at the Catalina Club at Rathmines in Kilaben Bay. Seven boats anchored with us off Styles Point near the club, so it was a sociable occasion and we met some lovely people. A cruise in company has been organised for the trip north to the Whitsundays where the annual get together is held at the Eco Resort in Gloucester Passage. We have decided to commit to join in for part of the celebrations and participate in a cruise in company up the Clarence River. That will suit us fine as Scooter (sail maker) at Yamba is going to make us a bimini, dodger and lee cloth (roof). He will be able to measure us up and hopefully complete the job while we are cruising up the river for a week. I am looking forward to exploring the Clarence again and maybe get as far as Grafton this time.

Goodbye Lake Macquarie 16th April

The Culprit is pulled on it's side by Marine Rescue so it can pass over the
shallows in the Swansea Channel

How many horror stories have we heard about the shallows at Pelican Flat as you exit the lake? 'Twenty four boats had to be pulled through at Easter!!! Blah! Blah!' It was now or never as the tides were the most favourable for some time, High tide in the morning, the highest for days. Plenty of time to sail to Port Stephens and as another boat had to be towed in by sea recue they offered to escort us out. As it turned out there were a dozen boats or so coming and going, so we were definitely not alone. We followed in the tracks of a racing yacht which would have had a much deeper keel than us. He had to be roped over on his side and pulled through by a Marine Rescue boat to allow the keel to pass over the ridges in the channel. There were two very shallow places. The first one was Ok although I think we felt a slowing down as we scraped the bottom. The next patch was more serious.

The water was so clear that it was easy to see where the troublesome patches were, but still it provides anxious moments as the keel ploughs through the sandy bottom. Peter gunned the motor and after a minute or so we broke through into deeper water. We touched three times in all, but we managed to exit with only a loss of some anti fouling on the keel. The Swansea Bridge was scheduled to open at 11am and we arrived with perfect timing. Out we went for a delightful sail all the way to Port Stephens in 10-15knots of westerly breeze. Shoal Bay, although rolly, provided a secure anchorage for the night.

Swansea Bridge. Phew! We are out!

Port Stephens !6th - 18th April

Stephens Peak, Fingal Bay Walk

On this visit to Shoal Bay we thought it would be a good idea to take a bus to Fingal Bay. It looks like a lovely enclosed bay when you look at it on the chart. It is pretty, but only any good for anchoring in northerly winds or calms. On the way we noticed a shady, picturesque walk/cycle way beside the road and decided to walk back to Shoal Bay, about 4kms. It was a delightful walk through huge gum trees full of Rainbow Lorikeets, screeching, chattering and arguing with each other. Halfway back a national park walk track veered off towards the beaches and steep hills at the southern entrance to Port Stephens. It had us puffing and we both thought we had earned our lunch at Aussie Bob's Fish and Chip Café. Good food and friendly staff.

A fresh southerly was forecast so we decided to motor further into the waterway to Salamander Bay and anchor near the moored boats on the southern side. No rolling, no splash, no sound - bliss!

Wednesday morning dawned clear and calm so we decided to take a walk before leaving for the Broughton Islands. It was a long dinghy ride to the beach and at about the halfway mark I noticed that the motor was smoking. 'Yikes!! Switch it off quick!' The impeller appears to have failed! Luckily we noticed it before damage was done and we completed the journey ashore by rowing.

Peter wanted to see if he could get this part in Nelson Bay, the main town, so we set off to find the bus stop. Of course the bus went past before we got to the next stop so we missed it. Then we discovered that they only departed every hour so we decided to walk. It took about an hour. The payoff was a beautiful walk along the bays and beaches of the southern shore to Nelson Bay. A community group was weeding, tidying, planting and watering the bush along the way and it is obvious that they keep it well tended. Another delightful walk. No luck with the impeller. More rowing! Oh well, I guess an upper body workout will not go astray.

Broughton Islands  18th-19th April

Olivia anchored in Providence Bay

After lunch we pulled up the anchor and motored the 16nm to Providence Bay on the north side of the Broughton Islands. Coal Shaft Bay looked like a possibility for anchoring for the night in the light NE winds. It wasn't! Breakers rolled around the reef of the southern side and sent a nasty, broken swell  into the bay. We could see another craft was anchored in Providence Bay, by noting his AIS signature on the chart plotter. Light winds were predicted and we thought we'd have a look. Young Endeavour was anchored in the bay and the courtesy mooring in the eastern corner was free. We grabbed it and spent a comfortable night there.

This morning we rowed ashore and walked all the tracks we could find on the island. There is only low scrub and mostly tall grass growing here along with many self sown garden renegades like prickly pear and morning glory. It is a scenic, rocky island interspersed with lovely beaches and pretty little bays. Fishermen's huts line the shore in Esmeralda Cove and here we attracted the attention of several primary school aged children who spend their holidays here. They took great delight in following us and like Meer cats, calling out, then hiding in the grass so we couldn't see them. We got talking and they spend their school holidays here, lucky kids. It is now mid afternoon and the wind is still light from the NE so we will stay the night and rise early to take advantage of a forecast light southerly to journey further north tomorrow. Our intentions are to go as far as Trial Bay or Coffs Harbour depending on how we feel. Both destinations involve an overnight sail.

Peter surveys the fishermen's huts in Esmeralda Cove