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!!