3 May 2006

Sydney





After a long uneventful motor/sail from Wollongong we passed by Botany Bay and made our way into Sydney Harbour. I must admit the first glance of ‘The Bridge’ and ‘The Opera House’ from the water was a spectacular sight.



A first glimpse of 'The' bridge..




Our first port of call in Sydney Harbour was Rose Bay where we had planned to anchor for a day or two. We had to adjust our itinerary slightly though, as we needed to catch up with Gary on Somoya to deliver a phone and sun glasses which he had left in a taxi in Wollongong. He had headed over to CYCA in Rushcutters Bay so we decided to follow next day.

It took us a while to find a mooring in Rose Bay. We had been told by a friend of a friend that there were public moorings for the taking. After searching we decided that we would tie up to a mooring near the shore. In no time at all we spied a small boat making it’s way towards us from a building on shore. We figured that if we picked up a mooring that was a ‘no go’, someone would soon tell us and when they did we could then ask which moorings were free. Our plan had worked!!! We were directed to a mooring belonging to someone who had gone up North and wouldn’t be back for a while. We were set for the night at least!!

Meanwhile Ben was on shore waiting for us and after securing the boat we put the dinghy in the water and Mike rowed out to pick him up. He was a very welcome sight (and not just because he came armed with a nice bottle of red).

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is where we are as I write, and a very nice place it is too. This is the home of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The facilities here are great and the people very friendly (although don’t mention the women at the reception area to Mike). I always get a bit nervous when it comes time to tie up at or leave a berth, there are so many things that can go pear shaped (and they usually do!). In this case, the pear turned out to be a sudden wind gust just as we were about to enter a very tight pen. Happily, there were plenty of people on hand to help. The outcome of this particular pear was quite ironic, because we had made a mercy dash over to CYCA to deliver Gary’s phone to him, and while he was helping us not to bash into the very expensive yachts in the berths around us, he managed to fall in the water and -yes - his phone was in his pocket!

Jo






Mike and that bridge











Jo and that opera house




We ended up spending three nights at the Cruising Yacht Club as we had to wait for spare diesel filters and a fuel tank sender (the third!) to arrive. Today we sit in Balls Head Bay at anchor, just a hop skip and a (rather lengthy uphill) jump from Crows Nest and its shops and restaurants. We’ll be here a few days and then we’ll explore the delights of the Sydney waterways a bit further.

The new sender works. I must say it’s very nice to have an indication at last of how much fuel we have in the tank…

Mike