A Very Short Start to Our Trip

Saturday 16^th May 2015

We were down at the marina at 4 am, loading the last few things onto the boat and are ready to go. Mark & Janet, on Koonya, are also up getting their boat ready.

The weather is not looking great, with heavy intermittent showers, and little wind. There is also little moonlight., and large seas are forecast although receding slowly, after yesterdays Southerly.

After waiting a while for the rain to pass, we gingerly left the marina at 5.45 am in pitch darkness, trying to find our way out between the moored boats with a torch. By the time we reached Barrenjoey there was enough light to see and we decided we would motor out and see what conditions were like out to sea.

The swell was large and confused, the rain continued and there was no wind.  The swell was reducing our boat speed to 5.5 to 6 knots, and it looked like a motor all of the way through sloppy seas and rain. It was quite unpleasant and with little chance of doing much sailing, and the prospect of 12 hrs + hand steering to Port Stephens, plus the likelihood of encountering bigger seas around Stockton bight, we decided to turn back to Coasters Retreat, and try again tomorrow. We are currently rafted up with Koonya and all decide to get a few hours sleep.

Back at Coasters before the sea mist settles in

First equipment damage on our trip, Mark had a blowout on his Ugg Boot

Not long after picking up a mooring visibility out to sea reduced considerably with a sea mist settling in. Glad we didn’t continue on and have to put up with that as well.

Slowly the weather improved after lunch and there are signs of blue sky and a bit of sun, so we are desperately drying out our wet weather gear, and everything else that got wet.

                                            By 2.30 pm the weather is looking a little better

At this stage tomorrow looks like a much better day to head North, so the current plan is an early start for Port Stephens in the morning.

Later in the afternoon, a couple from a nearby boat "Josida" came over and said hello and were on a RMYC mooring and were going ashore. They wanted to leave their mobile number with us in case a club member turned up and wanted the mooring. They were from Tasmania and had sailed/motored up across the Bass Strait during the East Coast low, and had sustained some damage falling off a wave, which they had repaired at Woolwich. They are also heading North and we will most likely catch up with them along the way.

                                                                          Josida

An hour or so later , a boat flying the CCCA Burgee (called "Kundu") motored into Coasters, and came alongside for a chat. They are also heading North after a very ordinary trip up from the Harbour this afternoon in horrible seas. They also plan to head North tomorrow, aiming for Newcastle. No doubt we will see them again.