November – Cairns to Whitsundays -some well earned R&R so the story is still coming!!
11th September – 18th October – Our Louisiade Adventure- Get the full story on the Blog page- Pictures are under Photo Album Both sections are still under going changes to update them.
May to September– Have a look on the ‘Blog’ page for details of our trip north to Cairns!!
March
Whilst on our way north along the NSW coast, we stopped at Port Hacking to visit fellow Nordhavn owner, Jack Felgate, N57 Speedbird . His Burraneer Bay Marina is in a beautiful location, close to Sydney Airport and is surrounded by some very prestigious homes built on the steep foreshore. The story resulting from our meeting and the Happy Hour is featured in the link below –
http://www.nordhavn.com/newsletter/e_newsletter/may10/spotlight_australia/rendezvous.php
On the Sunday afternoon of the Rendezvous, friends Mike and Leonie, yachties from Lake Macquarie caught a train down to join us for the trip back to the Lake the following day.
We sneaked out of Castle Lagoon at 4am whilst everyone was warm in their bunk and we began our trip to the heads of Broken Bay, which is the entrance to Pittwater and the Hawkesbury River. As we turned to port and went north the seas got very lumpy as they tend to do each time we have gone this way in any boat!!!
Thankfully this didn’t last the whole trip and by 1pm we were heading down the Swansea Channel. We had booked a 2pm bridge as I didn’t think we would make it, and the bridge keeper is known not to bend the rules, but!! Surprise Surprise! Just as we were going to pick up one of the courtesy moorings and have lunch he called us to come through and he proceeded to stop the traffic by closing the gates on the bridge. A mile along the channel and we only just touched the bottom once, we passed the dredge that is currently trying to keep the channel open and then we crossed the dropover and into the lake.
We both had a big smile as it was another milestone. . . returning to our home port after 14 months.
We had a warm welcome back at the LMYC by Mum and Dad as well as Karen and Robert Black, SV KRACKT and many others that joined us at the Cruising Division AGM that night.
Three weeks went all too quick, filled with family dinners and our annual doctor and dental checkups. Our final weekend on the lake we had a full weekend with my 3 sons. . .I was one happy mummy!!
January
We saw the New Year in at Canoe Bay, a small inlet on the NW corner of Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsular, Tasmania. Over the calm waters of the protected bay, with Nathan and Nicole aboard we watched the fireworks, a natural display of thunder and lightening moving over the peninsular. Nathan spent the evening catching an assortment of fish, at first from the stern and then when he heard the fish splashing in the distance he quickly jumped into the dinghy and rowed further out into the bay. Half an esky full of fish came back with him only 1/2 an hour later. As these were important bait for our cray fishing, he emptied a bucket full of ice over them until the following day when they were to be put in the craypots. Still not content with this and in search of something bigger, he baited up a hook with a live fish on an Alvey reel that belonged to my Grandfather many years ago. Back in the saloon we bought out the party hats and whistles and glow sticks. Suddenly the line went whirring out and the fight was on, Nathan spent the next hour fighting it with all of us helping pass the rod up and around all the obstacles on the side decks until the fish, a huge stingray broke the surface and then flicked its tail and severed the line.
The New Year has started the way we expect it to continue the remainder of the year …. with a feed of crayfish! After picking up the pots and finding one we headed east around the Hippolyte Rocks where the seals live and play. Approximately 3nm north and the line went humming out and all hands were on deck again
The quicker passage back to Hobart is through the Denison Canal. We have used this way on numerous occasions now. The tradition is to place a coin in the bucket of the bridge keeper, but as I had just baked a fresh batch of Scones, i plated up some with jam and cream and placed those in the bucket as we passed. We anchored in Ironstone Bay after several hours drifting across Norfolk Bay for Nicole and Nathan to catch a few feeds of flathead whilst Alan enjoyed watching Australia play Pakistan in the Test match.