Newcastle to Port Stephens

One of those memorable days.

After spending four relaxing nights in Newcastle marina, we decided that it was time to continue heading north and set off for Port Stephens. Newcastle is such a changed city. Its hard to believe the transformation, especially if you remember what it was like when the steelworks were here.

Sky Aquarium Newcastle Marina

The forecast was for a light westerly early on then dropping out later in the day. We decided to chance it and go. We hoped that the westerly would carry us all the way. Newcastle Harbour is one of the worlds busiest coal ports. It was all very interesting when we encountered this beast when we were leaving.

Sail giving way to power

When these vessels are fully laden they only have 1.5 metres under their keel in this harbour channel. Recreational vessels like Sea Trek III must give way. No argument from me on that one.

Now thats a rudder.

We had a great sail for about 2.5 hours. When the wind stopped we motored the rest of the way. Once again there was no seasickness onboard. Jen tried out her wrist bands with varying success. I had some great help from a sailing forum about lashing the dinghy to stop it swaying on the davitts.

Jen happy with the dinghy lashings

We saw so many whales on the way to Port Stephens but unfortunately they were too far away to get a decent photo. The two that popped up in front of us were as shocked as we were and dived away as quick as they had surfaced. The dolphins were different. Here's a video that Jen took while she sang to them from the bow.

Dolphin Video.

Almost at Port Stephens

Such still water in greeted us at Port Stephens.

At Anchor: "moon in the water" : a most restful night.

That was yesterday. Today it's been raining. I continually study the weather and wonder how bad this low pressure system is going to be.

Where we are today.?

http://skipr.net/where-is/boat-pages/?boatid=1122

 

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SURPRISING NEWCASTLE AND MAINTENANCE

BY JEN

Glenn is being creative. He is busy composing his " EPIC TRIBUTE TO NEWCASTLE 1969". Our visit has triggered a wave of nostalgia for his first car and surfing safaris. It is very funny if only he can finish it. ....I can't wait any longer and have barged in with my own blog.

What do we do with our selves when waiting for good sailing conditions to help us travel up north? We always have jobs to do to keep Sea Trek III afloat and ship shape. I have told most people that I felt that we left Sydney's electricity supply far too soon: I had lots of projects that required a power cord/source, and had no time to complete them. Newcastle Marina made me very happy: ST3 now has line bags, my own design of course, but with practical and simple features.

LINE BAGS THAT WON'T SNAG A SAILORS FOOT

AND The most amazing thing has happened to Glenn. He willingly attempted the traditional craft of sail mending, and I think he did really well. The stitches may not be pretty but they are very strong. This loop holds a cringle for the main sail.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT THIS REQUIRED A LOT OF MUSCLE

We finally started to clean the "out of sight, out of mind things". The photo below shows something that surprised us both. It is not a poor excuse for a flower arrangement. It 's our speed log that protrudes from the boat's hull and calculates our speed through the water. Could this explain a few of our miscalculations???

AND IT HAD SOMETHING LIVING IN IT

Lots of things have changed for us. We no longer have a car to help us gather food. We are getting used to the trolley, but sometimes Glenn forgets and as we walked past this popular fast food outlet...

GLENN TRYING TO DRIVE-THROUGH MacDonalds FOR A QUICK SNACK

I think that he may not have been the first sailor to have make this mistake. Newcastle is full of basic instructions on how to walk.

WHY WALK SMART?

Newcastle has been renovated since I last visited. It's extensive foreshores are now paved and the lights have beautiful black granite bases. The secure marina is really well presented and a walk to the bathrooms with my towel and shampoo involved passing several restaurants etc.

LIGHTING THE WAY TO THE UNISEX FACILITIES

FORESHORE RESTAURANT STRIP

Just to let you know that when in port I drink REAL COFFEE and there really is no substitute when at sea.

A HAPPY BREAKFAST FOR JEN on ST3

 

A big thank you to the winner of the "name the pesky duck" contest. I know that the Prince of Whales has been trying to find a way to use Glenn's surname for one of our vessels. LUV-A-DUCK for our inflatable dinghy /rubber duckie. Thanks. It's a gem.

Our latest location

http://skipr.net/where-is/boat-pages/?boatid=1122

 

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GENTLEMEN DON'T SAIL TO WINDWARD

BY JEN

Gentlemen don't sail to windward.

This is a "nautical wisdom" perpetuated by the retired gentlemen in the Yacht Club bars.....A fresh take on this is the practice view point of a female sailor. My reasons are very different.

 

DEAD CLOSE HAUL. SAILING TO WINDWARD

Heading to Newcastle from Pittwater:

I sat in the cockpit clutching at anything stable. The lean made sitting or standing difficult. I was happy not to be overwhelmed by nausea, and tried hard to enjoy the experience. The blue ET pills were working for both of us. We were making really good speed under sail. Glenn was ecstatic, finally being able to experiment with the unique sailing abilities of Sea Trek III. We had longed to do this, and the day had finally come.

WASHING THE DECKS

I watched the decks awashed with water and worried about the free swinging of the dinghy. Would it be damaged by the frantic swaying and how best could I secure it to the davits in the future. Happy sailing continued, until I decided to go below decks.....

 

I saw a pond of water on the floor, and noticed that the lounge cushions were wet. One horrible moment ensued while I tried to make sense of the growing water quantity. There was no water coming in from the submerged sides of Sea Trek III, and the bilge pumps weren't activated. The cabinet under the navigation table was awash. I grabbed all of the boat documents and threw them elsewhere. Then I lifted up the lounge/lee berth cushions to find them heavy with water. The beautiful upholstery that I made!..Swearing and a flood to tears briefly drew Glenn's attention to our drama. I couldn't find enough towels on board to soak up the mess. ( I did put two aside for our hot showers In Newcastle Marina). We were still angled over as I started throwing dripping towels out into the cockpit and in Glenn's general direction. He looked a little surprised and tried to trim the sails without loosing momentum.

 

JUST PART OF THE FLOOD

What I observed when ST3 levelled again was that the starboard water tank was still leaking out of the inspection ports. This shouldn't happen at all because when refilling we always leave a few cms gap. We have two tanks under the saloon seating each holding 500 ltrs. My guess is that a connecting tap between the two tanks is open and gravity created a pressure force or syphoning? I'm now wondering if I close the air vents to each tanks in future if this will stop the flow? Obviously we will be closing the adjoining tap between the tanks as well.

 

Newcastle Marina has good facilities, including electricity. Glenn says that it has six ensuites: toilets with bathrooms, unisex. We have had the fan heater going to dry things out. I have inserted 500 sheets of toilet paper into the Land Rover engine manual to keep the pages apart while it dries out. Such exotic things to do while in port. Glenn is out looking for some Sourdough bread, and has been gone for ages. Could it be that Newcastle closes down for the June long week end?

THE PAGES OF THE MANUAL ARE SUPER ABSORBENT

Footnote:

Ah Jen you make it sound all so dramatic, I never once swore or burst into tears. Here's a brief video I took before the wind picked up.

 

 

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NAME THE DUCK

BY JEN
OUR FIRST COMPETITION...NAME THE DUCK ...
I thought that someone might be creative enough to suggest a name for our dinghy, in memory of our day with this very very persistent feathered friend.

               

                                    A FRIENDLY CHAT AT BREAKFAST TIME

THE SCHEMING EXPRESSION ON THIS DUCKS FACE WAS IGNORED

GLENN BLAMES THE DUCK FOR THE RUNAWAY KAYAK

Glenn announced to me that he was just going to check on my BOWLINE knot that was holding my kayak to the stern of Sea Trek III. This is a classic sailors knot that I have perfected easily. Glenn was heard asking the duck "what's this knot supposed to be". Sometime during their conversation and adjustments to my perfect knot a distraction occurred. Glenn blames the duck who was standing uninvited on his Stand Up Paddle Board asking about the whereabouts of the paddle. 15 minutes later the duck was still being spoken to and was still waiting for the paddle. Meanwhile the Kayak was a floating out of sight. Just as I came up to see who Glenn was talking to I saw him frantically paddling out to retrieve the kayak.

Coincidentally we were discussing a duck recipe this morning sent to us by a good friend. Could we try Duck L'orange this evening? Our dinner was ruined at the crucial point tonight when we ran out of cooking gas. I'm sure that I heard a sinister quacky laughing in the distance. If only Glenn had relented and had shared his toast with the duck this morning!

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SEA SICKNESS AND COMPLETE MADNESS

BY JEN :
Most normal people consider the crew of Sea Trek III to be very optimistic or mad when they find out that both Glenn and I get sea sick.
As a child I had to sit in the front of the car between my parents because I was a reliable vomiter. I spent long car trips clutching an old green plastic salad bowl and was firmly draped in a striped beach towel for hours on end. I've never felt really good about car travel, buses on mountain passes, reading road maps or swinging on chaotic fun equipment. I told Glenn this right from the beginning of our "sailing dream."
Glenn is a water baby, and has been surfing for 49 years now. He gets restless if he travels west of Parramatta. He has always been fascinated by water games and the power of sails. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that when sailing as the sun goes down, his food comes up. The nausea and illness continue to escalate until land fall.
We've both tried various medications, most of which had us sleeping like twins. This is a helming nightmare. I favoured the concept of Ginger drops under my tongue but the taste is horrible. We have invested in a new technology in the form of nerve impulse wrist bands but we have yet to try them.
So today was a real product testing.

E.T's SEA SICK REMEDY

This medication is made by a compounding pharmacist called BOVA, and contains: Scopolamine, caffeine, ginger and other things. Glenn took one while in dock and reported no drowsiness. A notable unwanted side effect was his desire to do numerous handyman tasks on board. He was so frightened by this that he insisted that I be the first to put the ET's to the real test today. I actually stayed in the cockpit, and felt well. The trip was 5 hours, and by then I was beginning to feel the need for another dose. I'd call this a success because it is the first time that I have not been below and unwell. I used the binoculars, read things, considered doing a cross word and planned my next major project.

MY LIFE VEST

I am not a water baby. I grew up in a country town, that didn't have a river. (Something I'll never understand). It took me years to learn to swim at the Olympic pool. That's why I invested in The Deck Vest. It's amazing. What a shame that it's features are zippered away from view: It has a light on a stalk so that rescuers can see me, a clear face shield so that I don't inhale sea spray and drown while waiting for them to reach me and a special knife that will free me from tangles if I am submerged. I have no intension of needing any of these. It's just to reassure my adult children, and my aged mother, and aunties, and sisters and good friends, and also Glenn. And it fits perfectly over the seductive curves of my body.

GLENN DRESSED SENSIBLY

Glenn's vest is so boring and he has to self inflate it. He doesn't feel that he needs any special features. He knows that if he falls in the ocean that he can get back on board. He is a strong swimmer. That's why he has been in the "drink" a number of times. Even a strong tribal current can not dampen his frantic splashing and screams for assistance....."Did you hear that noise Bruce? I wonder where Glenn is".

THINGS BREAK CONTINUALLY ON PASSAGES

I wondered why the Boom Break line seemed loose and under performing. I have an annoying knack of observing inconvenient breakages. But this one was easily fixed and I'll attend to another round of replacements when we next dock. The exotic location for the next mending spree will be Newcastle. Rope bags will also multiply when I next have access to electricity.

A QUIET NIGHT AT COASTERS RETREAT: PITTWATER

Glenn's two cents worth.
We did have a great sail up from Sydney. The wind held all the way to Palm Beach where we had to hoist the iron sail.

It's almost tropical in Sydney.

Our latest position.

Set sail for Newcastle Friday.

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GLENN'S FIRST WEEK DAY NOT AT WORK

By Jen : Monday and we still haven't left Sydney Harbour. The weather has not been favourable. Looks like Tuesday will see us sailing up to PittWater.

I had been busy below decks this morning and hadn't heard any chatter from Glenn for a while.

It had rained heavily on Sunday afternoon and the dinghy was full of water.

An urgent bail out was required.

JOB DONE: A COMFY RELAX IN THE WARM MORNING SUN

The day hadn't started well for Glenn because he had burnt his fingers on the Tea Pot handle.

The stupid design of this expensive stainless steel pot had lead to much grumbling day after day.

The solution was obvious to me.

( I am, after all, the only qualified Coxswain on board.)

PERFECT CORDAGE BY JEN

Now it was time for me to learn how to handle the new ( new to us) dinghy.

I have never really got the knack of hand steering with the tiller, and had avoided it far too often. Its all that left going right and not too far stuff.

Weirdly I am the "crew member of choice" for helming Sea Trek III ( 46' in length) in close quarters, into and out of tight marinas.

Anyway we had a windy and wiggly trip around the anchorage as I tried to improve. Part of the problem was that the main ballast insisted on staying up front and centre, thus not counter balancing me. I'm pretty sure that the under inflated tubes didn't help either. Very brisk breeze but fun.

JUST LEARNING TO DRIVE THIS CRAZY THING

After lunch we left Sugar Loaf Bay and return through the Spit Bridge to eventually anchor in Rose Bay for the night. Yes I am spoilt: Glenn cooked a great Mexican dish (while motoring) accompanied by a loaf of steaming hot bread.

THE PERFECT ROSE BAY LOAF

I can hear Glenn snoring and it's only 8pm. Such a hectic day for the newly retired gent.

Tomorrow should be a great sailing day, and we can finally farewell Sydney. Perhaps by tomorrow night we will feel like real travelling cruisers.

 

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At the speed of rushing!

Day 2 Sea Trek III wet log:

We have finally left Woolwich marina, and have started our new sailing adventure.

It turned into an adventure almost immediately. Our plan to leave at slack tide turned out to be a wise decision indeed!

Beautiful sunrise Woolwich Marina on our departure day.

Checklists. You can never have enough checklists right?

Jen and I have been ticking off jobs on the checklists for months now. The trouble with checklists is that they need to be accurate in the first place.

The tide was right and we freed our lovely yacht Sea Trek III from the confines of her pen in the marina.

We engaged reverse and we SLOWLY backed out. I spun her to starboard put her into forward at the normal revs, buty nothing happened! Luckily there was no tide movement, because the boat stood still! After a few expletives, blaming everyone but myself, I accelerated to full throttle and slowly Sea Trek III crept forward.

I knew immediately what the problem was from past experience: barnacles on the propeller. I have experienced this once before and was dumbfounded then when I found out that a barnacle on the prop can stop propulsion or greatly inhibit it! So off we went at the maximum speed of 3.2knots full throttle, smoke spirting out the back. Sea Trek III will normally motor along at about 6.5knots half throttle. All I can say is luckily we left at slack tide!

I decided to motor sail to Manly where the water is much cleaner and could dive on the prop and clean it. I've got several wet suits onboard.

Goodbye Porpoise Spit

Arriving safely in Manly it was time to dive over the side and get cleaning. It was close to lunchtime and the plan was to sail to Pittwater and get there before dark.

Old Baldy prepares to dive!

In I went. When I saw the condition of the prop you could say I was flabbergasted. I wish I had brought that Go-Pro Camera I've been promising myself. Armed with my paint scrapper and googles, and just my strong lungs in I went. No weight belt. We had only had the boat anti-fouled just over 6 months ago. The Parramatta river is very healthy indeed. If you have ever dived under a boat in an attempted to clean something or untangle a rope etc, without a weight belt you'll understand the difficulties that I faced!

Can anyone guess what's been added to the bloody checklist by now?

Accustomed as I am to problem solving (some would say getting out of work) I decided to call in the professionals. Being in Manly I rang Pro Dive Manly. Not only could they help, they could come down and do it in a couple of hours, and this was Saturday! I arranged to pick up young Matt and his gear in the dinghy from the Manly sailing club.

Young Matt: good looking and fit, ready to dive!

Matt was a champion; he ended up spending over an hour under the boat cleaning the prop and then giving it a rub down! Jen agreed he was a champion as well. Matt is waiting to join the RAN seals and he will be a great asset to the Navy.

It was now too late to attempt to sail to Pittwater and bad weather was on the way. We decided to find a safe anchorage and spend a few days chilling out. (read winding down) I'd only left work the previous day and needed to ease myself back into cruising. I checked the charts and guides and decided on Sugarloaf bay. Its turned out to be a wise decision. For those that don't know it Sugarloaf Bay is around the MiddleCove area. To get here by yacht you must go through the Spit Bridge. It's opened at various times throughout the day stopping traffic so yachts can pass through. Jen and I had never been here before and were looking forward to it.

Going through the Spit Bridge.

So now we are anchored safely and its pouring rain and the wind is howling in the trees above us but for us it's like a mill pond.

Forget the East Coast Lows in Sugarloaf Bay.

So why the title "speed of rushing"?

The final irony of the day when we could barely motor at 3knots, was when we finally reached 4.5 knots in a no wash zone. A champagne sipping Seawind owner had the temerity to shake his fist at us telling to slow down, because we might create a wake.

We leave for Pittwater on Tuesday! Thanks to those who are thinking about us; we love your cryptic texts and best wishes.

One last thing ...we have removed the "where we are now" link from the site because it's too hard to get it to work from the ipad. In future we will be just using our skipr.net page to show our position, here is the link:

http://skipr.net/where-is/boat-pages/?boatid=1122

You can add it to favourites. I'll always post it at the end of a blog and on facebook.

I will update it most days: even if we are staying still.

 

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