After leaving the misty Moruya River, we returned to Broulee to wait for the Northerlies, catching up again with Chris and Michelle, our boat building friends who were holidaying there.

When we finally left, Chris and Michelle hopped on Take It Easy with their boogie boards and we dropped them off on the other side of Broulee Island, to paddle back ashore, just for fun!  It was then a Big Red day, and we were able to test our new shackle, which makes jibing the spinnaker easier.  We still sock it to change tack, but it is much quicker to reset the lines and relaunch.

Montague Island Marine Sanctuary

On the way to the fishing harbour of Bermagui, we did a little detour via Montague Island, a Marine Sanctuary we are not allowed to anchor at, but well worth the “sail by”.  The  only way to get on to the island is to take a paid tour on a Charter boat from Narooma or Bermagui, which is a shame, but we guess it protects the island.  We were lucky to see Montague in the only bit of sunshine for the day.

Coming in to Bermagui in strong NE winds at low tide was a bit stressful: very narrow passage to get in as we were being tossed around, and little room to manoeuvre once inside the little fishing port.  A mooring spot was available alongside the wharf and this is where we stayed for two nights, as with a day of bucketing rain and thunder we were not keen on sailing anywhere.  The hot and very long showers at the Fishing Co-op  and unlimited power at the wharf were a welcome bit of luxury… the first in 7 weeks!

We left Bermagui on Thursday, bound for Merimbula, just next to the old Steamer Pier for the night, then onto Bittangabee Bay, one of our all time favourite anchorages, just South of Eden.  We are tucked in there for a few days, but since there is no internet coverage in our little bolt hole, we are scheduling this post ahead of time and you won’t hear from us until we come out – probably Tuesday.

This is our last bit of exploration along the NSW Coast. We are now keeping a close eye on the weather for our return to the Gippsland Lakes.  We have just completed the 7th week of our summer cruise – only a few more days left!

Here is a selection of pictures from our last few days.  As usual, click on the first image to display the gallery in full screen slide show.

Blue Pool at Bermagui

Beautiful cliffs at Bermagui

Pelicans feeding at Bermagui

Tied up to the wharf at Bermagui

Chris and Michelle paddle back to Broulee from TIE

Dolphins at our bow