This sailaway will be memorable for several reasons it was an extremely hot weekend the temperature getting to 40 degrees on Sunday. We were warned by the ABC not to walk in the National Parks because of the fire restrictions.

There were 9 boat in attendance and we were delighted to have one Pittwater boat ”Southern Belle”, arriving on Friday.

The last boat arrived after getting the 2.30pm Spit Bridge on Saturday.

Saturday was a very relaxed day, because it was quite hot, several members broke the rule of not swimming in Middle Harbour due to the warnings this area is a breeding grounds for bull sharks, lucky we did not have any dramas. This anchorage has a great little sandy beach nearby and we were entertained by some various activities on the beach during the afternoon.

The tide was low at about 6.45pm so there was lots of room for Happy Hour at 4.30pm.

At 7.30pm members arranged to have dinner on several boats, while some chose to have a quite night enjoying the cooler evening alone.

Early Sunday morning the coffee man Garry arrived and Shubumi & Emma enjoyed his yummy brew. (The others had not surfaced by this time.)

The prediction for the day was not great with 40 degrees & strong winds predicted, this encouraged most of the boats to get the 11.30am Bridge. There were three boats left (No Qualms, Gondwana & Emma) to tackle the Middle Harbour Creek dinghy safari, all was going well until Little Emma’s outboard decided to conk out every 5 minutes, regardless we kept going to the end of the creek. The further up the creek the prettier it gets. However on the return trip Little Emma’ motor was not behaving so No Qualms kindly towed us. When almost at the swimming area in Davidson Park Gondwana’s  motor ran out of fuel ( next time the crew will do as the Admiral said and take more fuel.)and No Qualms was left towing the two dinghies.  This excursion took about 2 hours to complete, it was  good to do when the tide was up because you can get further up the creek.

On our return to the yachts most of us had a swim as the heat was quite intense. We all went onboard No Qualms for morning tea.

Once again a very enjoyable time was had by all, good company good venue helps to make our sailaways GREAT.

BOATS PRESENT: Southern Belle, Gondwana, Emma, No Qualms, Salty Lady, Shubumi, Lucina, Legende,  Renada, & Reeflection visited briefly on Sunday.

PS. Little Emma’s motor is in having a service as this goes to print. 

 

 

 

Friday October 6^th.

 Leave Hardys Bay late afternoon and motor over to Yeomans Bay which has all moorings taken so I head around to Cowan Bay where Kahlua settles for the night on a spare mooring. Sit back with a bit of fishing and listening to music.

 Saturday October 7^th.

 Get up at 08:00am and head around to Yeomans again. Still all moorings are taken but I am able to set the anchor in a favorable spot. Issues with the GPS requires me to change the antenna cable. Sitting back waiting for club boats and decide to explore up the creek as the tide is high.

During the day club boats start arriving. Most have had a good run down Cowan Creek because of the prevailing NE wind.

I go aboard Swansong to check out Paola and Patrizia’s new motor and the other add-ons that have been made to Swansong.

Simon from Evening Star also comes over for visit and kindly offers Happy Hour onboard Evening Star. Very nice and both Simon and Julianne are gracious hosts for the 13 in total who attend.

By 18:30 people are heading back to their boats. I am going to try some more fishing (no luck).

 Sunday October 8^th.

 Planning a trip up the creek with the club in the morning - but the rain is hanging around and so it is cancelled.

By 10:40, I leave after some maintenance work on the galley water pump which had stopped for some reason. After removing and cleaning all is now working. Back to Hardys Bay, with full wet weather gear, in time to say hello and goodbye to Jim and Sue from Kate Kelly who have been on my mooring for the weekend. 

The turnout for the weekend was in total 7 boats – which is small but all enjoyed themselves. The weather was changeable but as usual the company was good and the time enjoyable. 

“It doesn’t get much better that this” – and we can now look forward to the holiday season activities. So – see you on the water again soon.

 Boats in attendance this weekend:

Kahlua, Oasis, Swansong, Evening Star, Bilyana, Mischief and Southern Belle

Harbour Sailaway Report Hen and Chicken Bay 17^th 18^th October 2009

Another good weather window for this sailaway. We had 13 members boat in attendance 5 visitors 4 members by land, 35 people.

Three club boats met in Blackwattle Bay on Friday evening then proceeded on Saturday Morning to Hen & Chicken Bay, after picking up goodies from the fish markets.(as you do)

Sailing along the Parramatta River is always interesting looking at the many changes made along this shore over the years. Cockotoo Island was packed with people attending “the Funniest Island” event this weekend. The tent city was very full.

During Saturday afternoon, while anchored in Quarantine Bay it was quite exciting watching the state championship of the Cherub class yachts race, they were flying so fast as the breeze had picked up in the afternoon. Jim Sinclair was an official for this event and told me that a young lady became the state champion.(well done girl)

Happy hour was on shore at 4pm in the covered shelter at Quarantine Bay Abbottsford.

Most attending stayed ashore and made use of the BBQs for dinner.

After dinner members returned to their boats and arranged supper on several host boats.

Sunday morning we went ashore at 9am for a walk around the area, conducted by Terry Sinclair (No Qualms). Terry knows this area as she has grew up here and she spoke about the history of this lovely part of Sydney. Thank you Terry from all who attended.

We stopped and had coffee on the way home. Kathy Dean joined us there.

Boats left at different times on Sunday, some early, others had lunch and meandered home through the small racing  boats after a great social weekend.

Boat attending Gondwana, Mystic, No Qualms, Seachange, Dream Weaver, Renada, Wave Dancer, Shadow Fax, Barefoot, Emma, Maroomba, Vivace by land Saltier, Salty Lady, Visitor Moonfire, Zenith, and Alan

 

Rain, Wind, Sun and Lightning - Joint Sailaway – Hardys Bay – Oct 09

 

Well it has been reported that the total rain over this long weekend was more than we have had in the previous three months.-  “Does it get any better than this ?”- read on.

 

Friday 2^nd Oct – I have the day off and so head over to Kahlua to prepare for the weekend ahead. Nick is already here on one of the public moorings on Aegean Spirit and Xebec with John and Natalie arrives later in the afternoon. I point them to one of the moorings that we have permission to use. Friday is pleasant enough but the BOM has forecast wind and rain right through the weekend.

Sure enough on Friday evening the rain starts with a big storm and big winds which last right through the night. I get a call for advice on the conditions and advise that I will head out to Little Box Head in the morning and report the conditions at 08:45.

 

Saturday 3^rd Oct – As it turns out there is a very big swell and high winds and the entry to Little Box Head is a little concerning with waves breaking on the red-buoy side of the channel.

I contact Ariitua and advise it is probably best to leave it till tomorrow with a more favorable tide and improved conditions forecast. I do a radio call at 10:00 and advise of the status of things and our hope to have a BBQ this afternoon. Should also catch-up with Richard and Beth Payne from Pretty Beach who are ex-members rejoining the club.

Jim from No Qualms rang at 11:40 and advises they have headed back into the Harbour after checking the conditions outside The Heads and will try again later this weekend. At 16:00, as we prepare to go ashore for Happy Hour and BBQ, the rain decides to pelt down and so any thought of going ashore is abandoned.

 

Sunday 4^th Oct – wake up to a very calm morning with the wind having dropped and the rain is abating. It is the start of daylight saving. Kate Kelly with Jim and Sue arrives early in the morning and plans are made to do the spectacular walk which overlooks Box Head and the ocean at various stages. Meanwhile I decide to head over to Coasters to check out the conditions and escort anybody who wishes to come back with me. Ariitua are still recovering from having dropped an outboard motor into 11 meters of water and having to get a diver in to recover it ( after a thorough clean it starts OK again and continues to work over the weekend – not bad after at least 12 hours under water!!). Gondwana with Trevor and Joyce is also at Coasters and they decide to follow me back to Hardys Bay. Back in plenty of time to avoid the worst of the tide. The weather has stayed mild and I have had a nice motor-sail back with the genoa set to help avoid the worst of a big swell.

Afternoon tea is at Richard and Beths on land at Pretty Beach – sheltered from the weather.

By 17:00, Ariitua has arrived off Little Box Head with Rob and Katrina and Lyn onboard from Mischief, and so I escort them in and they raft up to Kahlua which is great because I know that Katrina is preparing a “stunning” meal and I am invited!!!!!

A quick trip over to the Hardys Bay RSL to catch the 2^nd half of the NRL Grand Final and the CCCA club members who are here. – Mee Too with George on board has also arrived this afternoon and is rafted with Aegean Spirit.

 After the end of the game it is back to dinner onboard Ariitua. Well how good was that “A great meal with great company” by the way it is pouring rain again. – off to bed very satisfied – lets see what tomorrow brings.

 

Monday 5^th Oct – Aegean Spirit and Mee Too have left early – they are on their way to Port Stephens for some maintenance work and preparation for the Grafton Sailaway.

A good sleep in for all and at 10:00 we head ashore for morning tea. Richard and Beth come around with some freshly made pikelets – yummy!!!

Ariitua, Kate Kelly will be leaving soon and Gondwana will also leave – all taking advantage of the favorable tide.

Kahlua and Xebec go, under motor, up under the Rip Bridge through Paddys Channel and all the way to the Gosford Sailing Club where we pick up a public mooring for a nice sit back and lunch.(thanks Natalie). Then back to Hardys Bay and on the way we get to experience the run-out tide under the Rip Bridge.

No Qualms with Jim and Terry has arrived and is on the mooring vacated by Gondwana.

The weather has improved and the sun is out so the plan is for “Happy Hour” ashore at 16:30 under a picnic table permanent shelter. So at 16:30 we head ashore only to see the weather closing in again. Sure enough before long we witness an amazing lightning show with more heavy rain.

But the onshore activities continue with a huge selection of appetizers to choose from since this is the first opportunity we have had to have “Happy Hour” – but there are so few of us.( we manage to enjoy the offerings).

Once finished everyone heads back to their boats to bunker down for the night. But there is a promise of good weather tomorrow and so a walk is planned foe 10:00.

 

Tuesday 6^th Oct – Wake up to a “blue-sky” day and so look forward to today’s activities.

Unfortunately, a check on the BOM and the weather forecast is for the rain and big winds to return again with 30knots+ tomorrow. Xebec and No Qualms take the opportunity of the morning calm conditions and high tide to head off and so by 09:30 the bay is once again returned to the locals. I stay on board Kahlua for a further hour or so tidying up and by 11:00 I am back on shore.

 

I would have to say the “It could have been better than this – but……..” The feedback from those who were able to make it is that Hardys Bay is worth a revisit.

 

SAILAWAY REPORT

Blackwattle Bay September 19^th -20^th report.

Several boats arrived on Friday to take advantage of the near perfect Spring weather.

Happy Hour on Friday evening was on Gondwana.

On Saturday morning we walked around the waterfront to Bi-centennial Park in company of hundreds of dogs, walkers, joggers & bike riders. This area is a dogs paradise it is a one park where dogs are allowed to be unleased, these activities go on nonstop all day and into the night.

Happy Hour was on shore in the park near the BBQ area most of the crowd continued on and had dinner onshore. Some member got together for coffee onboard a few boats while the rest of us had a relaxing time back on our boats reading or sleeping.

Sunday morning  we gathered again at 9am and walked around the shore and up then up to Glebe Point Road some decided to have coffee there and the rest returned to the boats. Emma hosted a small group for coffee.

One of  the interesting parts of this sailaway was  we witnessed the closure of the Old Glebe Island Bridge from 5am to 12pm for the marathon of 32,000 people a rare site these days and we did wonder if they would get it opened again.

 

 

Hello from Renaissance from Airlie Beach.
Well after a rushed and busy time we managed to set sail from Sydney on 25th July with a short sail to Pittwater to make sure everything was working. Unfortunately Stephen Cooper who was to join us for the sail to Southport was struck down with a bad case of the flu and had to pull out.We sailed to Newcastle where we caught up with some old friends from Lake Macquarie, and managed to convince Richard that as he was semi-retired he should join us for a short hop up the coast. Apart from a terrible 5 hours off Ballina during the middle of the night in which we tore the leach of the genoa we arrived safely in Southport, dropped Richard at the SYC and proceeded to Jacobs Wells. Went through with no problems.VMR at Jacobs Wells suggested that there was an additional (approx) 800mm of water below LAT . Went through with min depth of 2.4m. Best to ring VMR for latest info before proceeding.
Spent a week at MBTBC (Morton bay trailer Boat Club Marina) at Manly boat Hbr seeing no. 2 son, new grandson, his new house.
MBTBC has  good berths, facilities. Much better than the other marina nearby.
Apart from the normal coastal hip hopping and some minor repairs -Moolooabah, Wide Bay Bar, Fraser island, Bundaberg, Pan Cake Creek, Great Keppel Is, Island Head Creek,Mackay we arrived in the Whitsundays and have caught up with other CCC members-While Ya Down There, Zest, Ard Righ. Too much socialising to keep track of everyhing apart from a very important and enjoyable evening in Tongue Bay in which we all celebrated the announcement by Peter Tylor and Kate (John & Pasty's son) of their engagement.
Will keep in touch and all the best to CCC.
Michael & Pip Kalajzich

Harbour Old Salts 9th of the 9^th 2009

A small group of 9 faithful Harbour Old Salts attended this event we missed several of our regulars who had good reasons for not  attending.  The weather as predicted was fine, warm & sunny. Gossip was caught up with and an enjoyable few hours were enjoyed by all.

 

The September, 1^st Wednesday walk  “The Spit to Manly”

Once again it was a beautiful spring day for 14 CCCA members and friends to enjoy this walk.   The wild flowers were a delight to see, the flannel flowers are just about to burst into flower. The view along this walk is breath taking.

August 22^nd 23^rd 2009 Harbour Sailaway, Sugarloaf Bay.

Beautiful weather and happy people make for a very successful sailaway.

We had 16 member boats and 2 visiting boats.

Boats arrived in the bay from Thursday on, the majority arrived on Saturday.

It was good to have “Location” sail down from Pittwater to join us.

“Monte Cristo” looked after the Club mooring until he did a swap to a public mooring,  so 4 lighter  boats could raft up and host Happy Hour.

Happy Hour was held at 4pm.

Terry was on hand to pass on the Cruising Officers burgee as Kathy was unable to attend due to family commitments.

Several boats volunteered as hosts for dinner and the dinghy traffic was very busy around 7pm.

Sunday morning at 9 am  a small energetic group went for a very pleasant walk on the northern side of the bay.

It was very difficult to catch up with everyone who attended this sailaway due to the fact we do not have anywhere to go on land,  it will be quite different at the September sailaway at Blackwattle Bay park.

The weather was perfect and I am so tempted to use our Pittwater Cruising Officers signature  “It doesn’t  get much .......” but I won’t be that cheeky Tom.

Most boat returned home on Sunday,  while the lucky ones were able to stay on and enjoy the peace and quiet . Boats enjoyed a gentle sail back down the harbour.

Attending boats:- SEACHANGE, AGEAN SEA, MONTE CRISTO, NO QUALMS, SEDUCTION OF MELBOURNE, LOCATION, MYSTIC, GONDWANA, RENADA, NIMROD, LUCINA, CIPRIANI, DEAMWEAVER, BONITO, ELECTRA, EMMA visiting boats JUSTINE ll,  and LIDIUS

 

With a strong wind warning current, many up north and others suffering the onslaught of winter colds numbers were a little down, with just 6 boats represented.

An early morning call from Evening Star assured us just how pleasant it all was at Coasters, tucked in out of the strong north westerly winds.

With Kai Rani on the slip, and Sinbad needing to return in the strong winds to the pen the next day, we opted to catch the Palm Beach ferry.

We all enjoyed a lunchtime bbq, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding at the other end of Pittwater, where several boats had caught fire, and burnt to the waterline. The black billowing smoke that eventuated was blown further south by the prevailing winds.

We all enjoyed the company of visitors and likely new members, Tony and Gayle from Millennium Falcon who have just started their cruise north, with no particular plans to return. They were pleased to discover the Coastal Cruising Club and the camaraderie of the group.

Boats/crews at the sailaway were Oasis, Evening Star, Kai Rani, Splash, SwanSong, Sinbad and visitors Millennium Falcon