Broken Bay to Port Stephens

10th May 2011.
The weather was not looking good with a strong wind warning forecast and 2-3 meter swell. I went to sleep last night and woke at 4 this morning to the howl of the wind in the rigging and halyards slapping on yachts around me. I lay in bed too and froing - shouldIi go or not. It was the right day to go as we needed to get the boat to Port Stephens and I had many things to complete around the house before our trip. So yes I should go but the wind sounded too strong. I decided to get up anyway and commence preparations for a departure. I figured if I got away by 5am I could be in Port Stephens by 4pm which would allow me a good hour to find the berth and clean up before the sun went down. I removed the mooring lines from the dock as I would be vacating this pen for 6 months and placed temporary lines to hold Billabong until departure. I secured the dinghy on the foredeck and got the life jacket and harness ready. I was sailing solo so only required one of each. I clipped the halyard on the main sail. It all took a lot longer than I planned and at 5.30am the wind calmed some what. It was expected to abate later in the day. Could it be early?
At 5.30 I decided I am going. I boiled the kettle for a coffee and I would have breakfast motoring the 5nm to Barenjoey Headland, the entrance to Broken Bay.
The mainsail was hoisted and I put the first reef in. Rounding Barenjoey the swell was a bit bigger than forecast although the wind was only 20 knots. Halfway across Broken Bay the first reef started to undo itself around the boom. Damn, the one thing I did not check. I turned back for the calmer waters of Pittwater to rectify and then commenced the journey again. Once Billabong settled down in the swell it was great going. Wind was South Sou West gusting up to 30 knots and it was easy sailing with just one reef and the auto pilot "George" doing the steering.
Off Newcastle the wind increased and went South and the seas increased. Gusts up to 35 knots and waves up to 5 meters. Billabong was often surfing down the waves at 10 knots plus with best speed 11.9knots.
We were averaging 8 knots with lots of rain squalls out to the east and we did not get caught by any of them until after rounding Point Stephens light house a squall came. There was a fair bit of rain as we reached into the entrance of Port Stephens between Mount Tomaree and Yaccaba which stand guard over the entrance.
Inside Port Stephens the wind was significantly quieter and the water smooth. After leaving Broken Bay the second time at approx 7-30am we arrived at Port Stephens at 4pm . What a great trip. Covered 80nm at an average of 8knots.
It is days like this that you love sailing!!

Preparing for Coral Coast Cruise 2011

Neil and Tamara are embarking on a journey north from Sydney along the east coast of Australia to a turnaround destination of Lizard Island in far north Queensland. Our yacht Billabong is a Bavaria 44 launched in July 2004. She was named "Billabong" as our "cool resting place" which is often said about the aboriginal billabongs. The aboriginal word Billabong is translated as "dead river" which describes the beautiful water holes in the rivers of Australia when they are not flowing. Billabong has been prepared over the past 6 years for this adventure. There have been many additions to make the sailing and the living aboard more comfortable. The battery bank has been increased along with a larger alternator and 3 step regulator to provide more efficient charging of the batterries. 2 x 125 watt solar panels were installed on the targa bar to assist with energy management. Other additions include chart plotter at the helm, VHF command mic at the helm, forward looking sonar, portable freezer, salt water intake at the galley to assist in conserving freshwater supplies, folding propeller, assymetrical spinnaker, furling no 3 headsail, 3rd reef in mainsail, external 3G antenae for internet and mobile coverage, digital tv antenae, rigid inflatable dinghy.
Billabong's home port is Broken Bay where she is berthed at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club - Newport.
The RPAYC has organised the Coral Coast Rendevouz Cruise and has approximatley 22 yachts will be joining the cruise at various dates. It was opportune for us to join the rendevouz cruise and fullfil our sailing ambitions of cruising the Great Barrier Reef
In preparation for the cruise the RPAYC has organised a number of seminars on important cruising topics such as provisioning, health care, diesel maintenance, seamanship and communication. These have been great seminars to attend and we picked up many tips from the presenters and others attending the seminar which will assist us on our journey. There is always a lot of preparation before undertaking a trip such as this as we will be away for approx 6 months. Big decisions on what is a must have, what is important and what is nice to have on the trip are constantly being made. We think we have it about right now after including a foldable bicycle.

The plan is to take the yacht to Port Stephens on the 12th May where we will complete the final food preparations. We are keen to join the other cruisers by departing around the 22nd May weather permitting.