We have been lucky to ride the long window of light northerlies on our passage south. For our second post in the series, we take you just South of Wollongong, while dodging a few mighty thunderstorms.
Here is our track this week, with five main stops: Port Macquarie, Port Stephens, Barrenjoey, Port Hacking and Gerroa Headland.
Port Macquarie to Port Stephens
We had planned to be in Port Macquarie for only two nights, so it was always going to be busy! We have two sets of local friends we like to catch up with and there is no sneaking in and out undetected when Anui is in town. She is a bit conspicuous!
As it turned out, one couple had COVID and was out of action, but we managed to have sundowners on board with the other; we re-provisioned the boat, refueled, did some laundry and checked out the canals – too suburban for our taste. And just like that it was time to go again!
However we ended up waiting an extra day in Port before we left our comfy mooring and headed to Port Stephens. When the skipper checked the forecast in the middle of the night he found the BOM was predicting 90% chance of rain and thunderstorms, so it was obvious we were not going to move at dawn. We hate sailing in the rain, it’s depressing! Instead, we slept in, then had a lazy day watching Netflix while Anui was getting a good soaking of fresh water… And we are happy to report that we have had no leaks through any of the hatches… truly amazing!
The next morning, first day of Summer, the conditions were much more acceptable, with no rain and light winds most of the day, despite the strong wind warning. We had a long 95nm passage, and ended up motor sailing a lot of the way.
During the day, clouds started building with a front forming as we were going past Hat Head.
Then later in the afternoon a monster thunderstorm developed as we were passing Broughton Island. The last two hours of our passage were spectacular but soggy and tense. We like storms and lightning at sea even less than sailing in the rain! Zoom in to each photo for a good look.
We were relieved to get into Fingal Bay just outside Port Stephens by 7pm, unscathed. We were in good company as we shared this confortable anchorage with Young Endeavour, the square-rigged tall ship, purpose built for sail training.
Port Stephens to Barrenjoey
On the very next day, we were off to Barrenjoey at the entrance to Pittwater, a drowned valley estuary north of Sydney Harbour. Bright day, light winds, another motor sail! After an uneventful 70nm passage, we picked up a club mooring in the shelter of the Barrenjoey Headland. In past years there were two public moorings but they seem to have disappeared.
Although we have a few friends in the area, we were on a mission to get south quickly so did not catch up with anybody in person that night. It will have to be for the return trip.
Barrenjoey to Port Hacking
We bypassed Sydney harbour and continued the next day to the Entrance of Port Hacking, a shorter hop of 34nm. The day was grey, the ocean lumpy, the breeze very light… you guessed it, more motor sailing!
The shearwaters were actively fishing and rafting together. Seeing so many is a sign we are now in a more temperate region. We can’t wait to spot our first albatross as we reach Southern waters.
We picked up a public mooring at Jibbon Beach, a bay we like for its shelter and nice walks, especially when you get there mid week. A few hours after we arrived the wind picked up and another storm was upon us, then a rainbow! And the next day we had southerlies.
This stop was always going to be social. We got together with our dear friend Sue who has accompanied us during a few memorable trips on our various catamarans over the years, not the least to Lord Howe Island, but also many to the Reef. These days, age and ill health take their toll, and we have to be happy with brief catch ups as we sail past her home town! Between her ailments and ours, we had not seen each other for three years, so it did not matter what the weather was doing, we were always going to stop and enjoy a meal on board together. Sue ended up staying overnight, much to our delight.
Jibbon Beach is known for its aboriginal stone engravings which date back over thousands of years. The Dharawal people are charged with looking after these sites around Sydney, but the engravings have become very eroded over the years and the build up of lichen and debris now makes it hard to make out what they depict. It is disappointing.
Port Hacking to Gerroa Headland
On Thursday the northerlies had returned – a day early. We dropped Sue off and readied the boat to depart! With less than two days before a SW change, we needed to get moving and end up somewhere suitable by Saturday morning, knowing we’d be there for several days.
We slipped the mooring and headed out by noon, bound for Gerroa Headland, also known as Black Head, 48nm further south. During that passage we also changed our plan for the next destination. We would sail the next day and night, bypass Jervis Bay and Broulee, to reach Eden early on Saturday morning before the SW change.
This week has been a week for gnarly storm fronts. As we neared Gerroa, we were thinking “I wonder whether there is any wind coming with that wave cloud over the hills?” Well the answer is yes! All of a sudden, 38 knots and choppy seas were unleashed! We swooshed into the bay, anchored and the wind eventually calmed down a bit, but it seemed very localised. Never mind, we were safe and had a comfortable night.
As we post this we have started our 150nm sail to Eden! Talk to you in a week’s time for the next instalment.
Sv-Anui 
Seeing friends and having a sleepover are fun treats! The clouds and the rainbow are wonderful to see from your perspective. The map you showed was really helpful to visualize your stops. Thanks and happy sailing, friends!
Thanks Esther! It was good fun to have our friend stay for the night… a bit more time to chat!
Oh the chatting into the night can be so fun!!
Great storm photos from Port Stephens! Interesting that in all these years, we have never stopped inside Black Point, Gerroa. Looks like it should be good in NE winds if there is no SE swell. Chris & Suzanne. DII.
Hi Chris & Suzanne, we have stopped at Gerroa a few times, always comfortable. Could have done the overnighter and got to Eden tonight but hadn’t psyched ourselves for that so now underway after a good night sleep and should reach Eden before dawn tomorrow!
Rainbow photos are always inspiring and I love the storm clouds (from a visual pount of view). Travel safely and hopefully see you next year!
Thanks Trish! Yes a few spectacular shots of clouds, but not of the nice puffy ones! Enjoy your family visit then NZ tramps and see you somewhere next year.
Wow, those storms looked very angry! I’m glad you guys slipped past them and had no trouble. Beautiful photos! ❤️😎🇦🇺
Hi John, they were mesmerising but a little scary!
I’m sure you guys were! 😧
Those friendly Northerlies remind me of the yearly return voyages and stopping spots to Hammo in Glen’s boats. Keep coming, we may see you at Paynesville !
Hi Doug, the northerlies have been a little too gentle but at least we are making progress south.
Mixed bag of weather there Anui. While storms can mean a great photo, they are not what we want at sea! Speccy rainbow too. Hope it’s an uneventful passage to Eden.
Morning Amanda! Yes it has been a mixed bag but can’t complain too much. Guess you are back at home now. Enjoy land life for a while!
You HAVE been travelling! So fast I did not even get to the hilltop above Wollongong to madly wave ‘good luck’ :)! Well, at least good going! As far as thunderstorms are concerned – I am the one who locks myself in the windowless toilet so I cannot see . . . so! Love your photo and the ones near Pittwater – always one of my favourite parts around Sydney. What can I say – may it all go as smoothly as you would wish – ‘see’ you next Friday . . . . hugs to Bengie . . . .
You were in our thoughts, Eha, as we were passing offshore! The storms are always concerning but yet again we dodged any drama. Woke up this morning to thick fog, zero wind and totally flat seas after having close to 40 knots winds last night. Crazy! Off for a motor now! Just call us Anui the motorboat!
That does sound unreal! Fog at sea may be a little eerie but I just love it!!! Don’t think the Anui minds you motoring to get to ‘more interesting parts’ and, if I remember last night’s weather map, you have a wee bit of ‘space’ so go, you lot, go 🙂 !
Fog at sea is eerie- can’t see a thing! Better visibility now but still hazy. We have until Saturday night to make it to Eden and hide, so burning fuel until the wind picks up!
Hi Chris and Wade,
It was lovely to catch up with you in Port and fantastic photos as usual. Will try to find out what has happened to the moorings at Barrenjoey. And you are right about the Aboriginal carvings. There are ( were) hundreds of these around Broken Bay, which I have known since my childhood there in the fifties and sixties and they are definitely becoming much more difficult to see. Makes me think they were being renewed more recently than most people think.
Meredith
Hi Meredith, enjoyed our get together too!
The Aboriginal carvings were much harder to see than ever before…. Maybe the maintenance fell by the wayside during and after COVID!
Hi Wade and Chris,
The fading of the carvings is very noticeable over my 70 years and I have not heard of the maintenance program. I suspect this may be a very recent phenomenon, and that it is only being done at very accessible sites. The land around Broken Bay is full of carvings ( and some paintings), but NPWS has kept most locations secret ( or they don’t know they are there). The ones we used to see were relatively remote ie needed a boat to access then a lot of scrub bashing or climbing on areas without tracks. The local Aboriginal people were mostly early victims of disease ( or possibly worse) in the 19th century and by the twentieth century weren’t much in evidence, so I’m not sure who would be doing the “maintenance”.
We had heard that some engraving sites were maintained, and the council consults with aboriginal communities about conservation.
Whoooosh. Hang on to your hats as you race down the coast.
Not much racing, Annie, just a steady pace. Trying to stay ahead of the thunderstorms today… a few CuNimbs around! Spinnaker out while we still can.
Almost worth the stress for those amazing storm photos.
I say yes, absolutely, Wade says no!
Glad you’ve made it to Eden unscathed after a week of storms! Always a little heart stopping if a front is heading towards the boat… but great photos as always.
We’re hoping for a sunny calm day this week to clean the hulls before the barnacles get too comfy but the forecast keeps changing.
Enjoy Eden and hope you get a steady window to take you round to the Entrance ❤️
Hi Helene, the storms are always concerning, but we are sitting comfortably at Eden. Looks like we’ll move next weekend. We need a wipe along the waterline but a bit chilly to spend time in the water… we definitely have gone soft!