Story - Crasara Cruzin 2

After leaving Ballina finally, we headed North, Just as we left the bar in light westerly’s up went my light asymmetrical spinnaker (never flown before) so within 5 minutes doing 7kt on a reach, “POP” their goes the spinnaker when a gust came through and wind strengths increased so out came the Genoa for a pleasant night sail to South Port arriving at 1pm. Nice not to have to motor.

Until next time...

What joy it was to finally approach Sydney Heads on Saturday afternoon under spinnaker, we were trying to slow down so that we could enter after the race boats who had been circuit racing just out side and so that our inexperience didn’t show to much. As we passed through the heads for the first time amid all the race boats (some things don’t go as planned) we were gob smacked, shocked and quickly dropped spinnaker and sails due to the extreme congestion of the weekend sailors, full on bumper to bumper boating. We motored very cautiously to our destination of Farm Cove for the night. Nothing was going to make me sail in Sydney harbour that day!!

On our first evening a N/E wind came up and with that the chop, the theatre in the Botanical Gardens was on and we were well anchored with no other boats ( must be due to the lee shore), we enjoyed a good nights sleep all the same.

In the morning we woke to a wedding with a chamber orchestra, and the time for family and friends to start arriving to visit us. That night we took our guest for a sail under the bridge with a tour of The Opera House, Luna Park and Lady Macquarie’s Chair. The following day/night was at Concord up the Parramatta River and yet another wedding. Leaving early in the morning with the mist rising off the water, we encountered rowing squadrons out for their daily pace setting row’s (some you could nearly water ski behind). The next night was spent at Taronga Zoo Moorings and HMAS Sydney Memorial. Stay tuned for the Mermaid Story, Got a Grip (Easy) and the Nudist Beach & (Photo’s of our adventure’s).

Whilst in Blackwattle Bay Sydney we met Peter and Wally “La Paloma” (Perry 43 Passage Maker), Bruce and Toni - Grainger 52’ “Wilson” and world sailor’s from Holand Adri and Skisker on 43” “Marida”. We mett again in Port Macquarie with Peter from Papeta and had a boaties pot luck dinner on the river banks, We were please to share Allan Lucas’s company where autographed Cruising Guides were sort. We hope his shoulder get better soon. As always Peter from Papeta was an excellent host and tour guide in his home port, unfortunately Peter could not join us on our ventures North …just yet. The Vessel “Lemon” was being stripped down so bargains were had by all boaties to the extreme, hence the blue Spinnaker.

It was our ambition to cross every bar between Southport and Sydney ( that Lucas recommends) only Trial bay was too dangerous for entry in either direction, so we had a close sail near the Jail and headed to Coffs Harbour arriving 5 hours ahead of the other boats. ( there can be a first time for everything). So with a bit of sleep and a call from La Paloma as they passed we “”””Motored””” to Yamba. Whilst on route a vessel put out a May Day to VMR 5nm south of Yamba so we joined the search, when the orange flares were seen we accelerated out with boats coming from everywhere, just to find that the DUDE had run out of petrol, was on his own, with no GPS in a small glass fishing boat, What a goose!! When we all got the message from the first boat on the scene we all turned around and headed into Yamba. It was strange to have to physically point to the VMR Vessel which direction the stranded boat was in. VMR were not impressed. After one nights in Yamba we sailed to Evans Head ( One of our Home Ports), filled up our gas bottles, met Jamie and Lisa on “Lisa Dart” and John and Wanda Hitch in “X-it” who we last saw at Airlie Beach on the way up.

From there we again crossed the Ballina bar in calm conditions trying to hide from cyclone Larry and were stuck their for 10 days with VMR describing conditions as horrendous. We were again fortunate to catch up with Mark ,Sally and boy’s on the Great Green Easy Tameena up at Emmigrant Creek, sharing good food, wine and stories of our every brief stop-overs..