Our migration south continues. It has been a purposeful time with nice sails, some overdue catch ups with friends and plotting for our break on land.
Port Macquarie
We stopped for a few days at Port Macquarie to reconnect with two sets of local friends we had not seen in several years, as well as our dear buddies on Roobi who stopped on their way to Sydney. Here are the two boats together on the public moorings!
And as we did in Yamba and Coffs, we had a chat with the marina manager. To our surprise, he was very keen to accommodate Anui when we enquired about the possibility of a yearly berth. We also confirmed Anui could be hauled out in the local shipyard on a trolley, which would mean we might not always have to go to the Boat Works on the Gold Coast for maintenance.
We had thought that the only option for us in Port Macquarie would be to find a place in the canals to park Anui but were not impressed with their suburban feel and thought it would not work for us. However if Anui can be berthed safely in the small marina, then it opens up opportunities. So Port Macquarie is back on the list for potential resettlement!
Fingal Bay – Port Stephens
A few days later, having reprovisioned and completed what we needed to do, we left Port Macquarie at dawn, in very light winds. But the breeze picked up and we had a good run. Twelve hours later we were anchored at Fingal Bay, just on the outside of Port Stephens. It was a nice 92nm sail, but with the forecast of strong westerlies and thunderstorms, we opted to stop there rather than to keep going overnight to the Pittwater.
It was a wise decision given the severe thunderstorms which struck during the night. No desire to house hunt here, as it is too far south, and too close to Sydney, which tends to inflate property prices. Instead, we enjoyed a rest and a beach walk.
It was a colourful pre-dawn departure again the next day with a steady breeze right away. Chris wanted to capture the hues in the sky and ocean, the headlands, the movement of the waves and the sea mist in a unique way and experimented with Intentional Camera Movement, having just studied an article about this photography technique. Here are a few shots as we left Fingal Bay. We like the painterly, creative feel of these images which cannot be copied or repeated. Let us know what you think of this ethereal style.
Coaster’s Retreat – Pittwater
We had some rather strong westerly winds for our 70 nm passage to Pittwater. We were initially flying under reefed main and rolled up jib, with well over 30 knots on our beam. For a while we thought that at the speed we were going we would skip Pittwater and keep going to Jibbon Beach, Port Hacking.
But our great breeze died off a couple of hours before reaching the Pittwater and ended up on our nose, forcing us to not only revert to the original plan but also motor! The good thing: we caught up again with Helene & Graham for dinner on board Roobi at Coasters Retreat!
And we had a morning get together on Anui the next day with our local friends Lindy and Phil who we had not seen for too long. The four of us have had a couple of demanding years so an in person catch up was overdue. Nothing beats real hugs and a good old natter face to face!
We send virtual hugs to our other Sydney friends we were not able to see this time.
Onto Jibbon Beach and Jervis Bay
Before noon on Thursday, we were on our way again. We sailed to Jibbon Beach – Port Hacking, an easy 30nm hop which made the next leg a bit easier.
Today as we publish this update we are using the last of the Northerly window to sail 70nm further to Jervis Bay. A southerly change is forecast for Saturday, so we are aiming to get there before the wind shifts.
And it is not just about the wind. After several unsuccessful prior attempts, we are on a mission to scuba dive at Jervis Bay and have booked two trips early next week. We hope to be able to share photos of our encounters with the local marine life in our next post.
We look back at this last week and feel good about having reconnected with a few of our friends who are at a similar stage of life and making changes. We have all gone through challenging times as we have been confronted with medical issues, major boat repairs, destructive weather events or other upsetting happenings. It is so comforting to be able to share our ups and downs, support one another and focus on the happier aspects of our adventurous lives.
We are also pleased to have used our time well, strategically stopping along the North Coast of New South Wales and confirming options for relocation and for berthing Anui. We are very fortunate to be able to contemplate a new phase in our life with so many options for resettlement. The choice of where we eventually live will depend first and foremost on how our return to Victoria feels, and the availability of suitable properties in Northern NSW when and if we opt to relocate. Although there is a degree of uncertainty, we are excited about what’s ahead and will let our feelings guide our decisions.
Sv-Anui 
Excellent post, guys! The photography is so beautiful!! I hope that the decision on where to relocate and berth Anui will not be too difficult. Hugs are a beautiful thing, I wish I got more hugs!! I love the intentional movement photos, they seem to have a pastel color which is lovely. I’m glad that you guys missed the severe thunderstorms, that could have been really bad! Have a great weekend!
Hi John, re the relocation, we’ll just see how we feel. It would be simpler not to move but we’d like a new start somewhere different…
The ICM photos were taken at dawn, hence the pastel colours. Glad you like them.
I see, and I sure do! Have a great weekend you two. 😎
And we thought we were leaving Plan A, Plan B, Plan C etc behind. 🤣 So many choices… we completely understand.
Hi Trish, yes we know you understand, given what you are doing! Now that Sengo is sold, you too have endless options. But you’ll know what feels right when you come across it! We all just have to trust the process and know things will fall into place.
I had loved your Intentional Camera Movement photos. You have inspired me to see if I can use that technique on my iPhone! Sorry I missed you in Port Macquarie, but glad to hear it’s on your list. Look out for small boat anchorages in Jervis Bay and I’ll be pestering you for more information 🙂
Hi Brian, hope you are feeling better… Don’t know that you can do ICM with a phone camera. You need to control the shutter speed. It’s a mix of long exposure, shutter speed and movement… fun to experiment. You don’t quite know what you are going to get but it has an otherworldly, painterly feel.
Am smiling at your fast journey and satisfactory achievements during the past week after having been ‘stuck’ for so long! An uneventful trip, huggy meetings with old friends, a chance to look at, think about and plan for the days, weeks and years to come and even trying out new photographic techniques . . . (I can feel the spray of water on my face looking 🙂 !) Yep, we landlubbers have been warned about a rather strong southerly coming also . . . oh, love your photo on leaving Port Hacking . . .beautiful hues . . .
You are in our thoughts, Eha, as we pass offshore of your neck of the woods. We thought we’d be flying, blown downwind by strong northerlies but no… the screecher is out struggling to fill and one engine is ticking along! We are pretending to be a sailboat. Such fickle weather! But yes dawn was a mass of pink…
I haven’t come across the ICM technique. I like it. Thankyou for bringing it to my attention. My digital SLR unfortunately is suffering from too many seasons of salt air I think, particularly its lens. Not surprising as it’s 12 years old & I have already replaced the lens. That is good news re adding Port Macquarie as a berthing option & a slipping option. Glad things are coming together for you. We are finally southward bound tomorrow. Way too super hot & humid up here this season!
Hi Amanda, ICM is a nice discovery. I will be experimenting more with it… not as easy as just moving the camera… but you get these creative, unexpected results. I particularly like that it transforms a familiar landscape or seascape in a way that cannot be repeated or copied.
I get what you say about your SLR! Same here… my Canon is in its like leg. I am nursing it , willing it to keep going as I am undecided about its replacement… a project for when we are back on land for a while!
You have had a great season up north… unlike us. Safe sailing back to the Gold Coast.
Looking forward to seeing the dive photos soon if dive goes ahead. And others your way south. Hope the wind picks up soon, but not too much 🙂
I think the ICM looks like a painting & could imagine it recreated in oils or acrylics. Great colours
Thank you for the excellent photo of our boat & again for making time for a cuppa & catch-up. So good to see you all.
Hugs to you both
Lindy & Phil & purrs from Ella Bleu to dear Bengie.
So glad we managed a couple of hours together, Lindy and Phil. We hope everything settles down for us all and we find peace and contentment.
There is something glorious and freeing about the ICM type of photography … a different way of capturing light, movement, mood, impressions without being bound by precision or accuracy. Lots to be learned and enjoyed.
Sounds like you had a brilliant sail down the east coast! You must have been really cranking some knots!
Good news re the possible Yamba set up, it’s a lovely part of the northern rivers and probably one of the sleepiest towns. We were looking at the idea of living there years ago, but Sawtell won out for us.
Hope you get good diving conditions at Jervis Bay …..
Bon voyage cobbers!
PS Getting damp and dark here in Glasgow, so I’m hooking in fitting out our gutted main bathroom, great fun!
PPS Built a French drain in our backyard, now I need a bilge pump to take the collected water away …. got a spare?
Hello Elgar & Claire, it’s been good to check out options while cruising south. Sawtell would work for us too! We’ll see what pops up on the real estate market when we are ready! It sounds like you are doing some serious work on your house… late in the year for Glasgow… cold and wet … just the conditions we want to avoid! We are already feeling the change as we come down the coast! What’s a French drain?
Surprised Chris that you don’t know what a french drain is 😉
In France it’s probably called an English drain. It’s a trench with an ag pipe and stone chips inserted in order to drain a wet area of land. I had never heard of this name in Oz.
We love Sawtell, nice surf beach, fish and chips with a glass of wine 🍷 on the headland and a good bunch of friends!
Trouble for you guys is your boat could only go in the marina. Expensive?
Enjoy your sail in the southern ocean!
A marina berth for 10 years is cheaper than the premium you pay for a place on the canals and with less risk… although it would be attractive to park Anui in front of our house! We’ll see how things turn out and where we end up. Time will tell. Thanks for the lesson in French drains.
Great that you have made good use of the northerlies and that alternative options are opening up Anuis relocation.
Hi Graham, yes a few more berth options is good. We’ll see how things develop on the house front!
At Jervis Bay now for a few days. Dives booked for Wednesday…fingers crossed it happens this time.
3 ports to choose??? A few options to think about.
We have always admired your photography.
Enjoy your dives in Husky are you on the courtesy moorings outside Huskisson.
We in Burnett Heads CP. Going to Mon Repos this afternoon to see turtles egg laying.
Cheers Mick & Lyn.
Hi guys, yes spoilt for choice along the north coast of NSW, each with its pros & cons. In the end once we decide we are moving, it will be a matter of seeing what houses are available then park the boat!
The dive is at Bowen Island, the Nursery. We go with the divemaster to one of the commercial moorings. We have alternated between the Boat Harbour and The Hole in the Wall as our anchorages for Anui, depending on the wind.
Hope you see lots of turtles! Have fun!