“Hide-dash-hide”seems to be our rhythm these days! After our epic sail to Jervis Bay and a rest day while a weak southerly change passed, we did a dash to Moruya, 65 nautical miles further south when the northerly returned – only just for a day, mind you!
The tall cliffs of Jervis Bay
We had the most wonderful day sailing under Big Red in 15-20 knots NE, averaging 8 knots speed with a peak at 11.9. However what made the day special was not so much the speed, but the amount of wildlife we saw. It is a good day when you see dolphins. But when multiple large pods come and join us it is a very lucky day! At one stage we had over 20 dolphins at the bows. And further on, not far from the entrance of the Moruya River, it was a pod of mums and babies. It was just a delight to watch them weaving in between the hulls, racing ahead then jumping for joy.
Lots of dolphins
We also saw lots of petrels and shearwaters, and our first albatross for the trip. That is when you know you are getting south!
We were not sure we would make the bar crossing at Moruya at low tide: such a narrow passage between the breakwater and the crashing waves on the sandbanks. However there was no swell, just chop, so even though it was the wrong time to cross, we did it anyway and made it all the way to the jetty at the little township. Going up river, the depth sounder alarm was going beserk, chiming at 1.5m but with our 80cm draft, we still had some margin!
True to form, we have done the dash and it is time to hide. We are at Moruya for a few days since, you guessed it, another mean southerly change has come in. 30 knot winds, best to ‘hole in’.
Here are a few images of our passage. As you can tell, we loved the dolphins!
Sv-Anui 
You captured the lumpy entrance well, in both words and pictures! Great dolphin moments ….
Ah thanks Elgar. Lumpy is right😊, and awfully close to the breakwater! The dolphins were fantastic and the ocean clear and calm, and this time I had the polarising filter on, so it makes a difference to the clarity of the shots.
Love those Dolphins. Glad you made it into Moruya ok. What a journey it has been and there you are hiding again. It’s like you are playing peekaboo with the rest of the world
Hi Sue – yes this cruise has been difficult weather wise, but we are getting close now. Next stop likely to be Bermagui, on Monday night, then Eden or Bittangabee for a few days. After that it’s one big long jump to Port Albert. Two weeks to go, fingers crossed we’ll make it back on time.
The bar photos are dramatic. I am interested to know if it is possible to get a sense of the height and state of the bar break, from your vantage at sea level, as you approach the bar?
Hi Peter. It was just small chop where we came through – current going against wind and waves. Where it was breaking the waves were about 1/2 meter. When we approached the head of the river it was a bit messy but you could see a clear ‘path’ right next to the breakwater and even at low tide it was 2.5 to 3 meters deep, though the channel was very narrow. You can see all this before you are committed. Hope this helps. We were quite prepared to back out and anchor behind Broulee if the bar had looked ugly and if there had been swell. If you cross the bar on a rising tide it is obviously better.
Thanks for your reply. Very helpful.
beautiful captures and more adventures!! I love the dolphins – and the alabatross!
Thanks Cybele – the dolphins are always special. The albatross was waiting for the breeze!
PS arggh *albatross!!