Sydney Harbour Sep 12-15

DETAILS:

Set sail for Sydney waters and make it an extended break. Departure date and time subject to weather conditions and COVID-19 situation. Proposed itinerary is below.

  • Friday September 11

    • Depart Barrenjoey late morning

    • Overnight at Manly either on public mooring or on anchor 

    • Dinner ashore or on-board

    • BACK UP PLAN IF WEATHER UNSUITABLE – Balmoral Beach is good in a southerly, with 3 public moorings or Chinaman’s Beach 5 public moorings (less protected), 

    • or Sugarloaf Bay/Bantry Bay.  We would need to be mindful of Spit Bridge opening times if taking this option.

  • Saturday September 12

    • Possible activities:  

      • Walk Shelly Beach to Barracks Precinct Walk

      • Ferry from Manly to Circular Quay to visit exhibits at Botanic Gardens

      • Laze around doing your own thing

    • Dinner ashore or on-board

    • Overnight at Manly

  • Sunday September 13 & Monday Sep 14

    • Sail to Drummoyne Sailing Club

      • 3 -4 moorings available, we’ve already booked 3, the 4th is subject to availability, $20 per night 

      • Anchoring is also possible very close by and quite protected

      • Birkenhead Marina doesn’t have any berths available, but it’s very expensive anyway!

      • We can use the shower facilities in the club

      • A short dinghy ride ashore and safe location to leave dinghies when exploring the surroundings

    • Dinner ashore at Drummoyne Sailing Club or elsewhere at Birkenhead Point

    • Supermarkets, Liquorland and tempting shops at Birkenhead Point

    • Overnight for 1 or 2 nights

    • Lots of interesting walks nearby.  Possibly a walk and  lunch on Monday Sep 14 at UTS Rowing Club

  • An alternative to Drummoyne Sailing Club could be to anchor at Blackwattle Bay.

  • Tuesday 15 September

    • Return to Pittwater or stay on longer if you wish.

Please let us know who’s definitely interested in coming, so that we can make plans.  If there’s more than 5 boats, we might need to split locations.  So far, we’ve had some positive interest from a number of members. 

Whilst we’ve created a plan, it’s very flexible, and entirely up to those who attend where we go and what we do.  Everyone who attends should feel relaxed about doing what they feel comfortable with and no pressure to go with the crowd. 

Links for public moorings in Sydney Harbour  https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/maritime/moorings/mooring-map-sydney.pdf

Let us know in the comments if you are interested in coming along.

LOCATION:

Sydney Harbour

TRIP LEADER:

Coromandel

TRIP REPORT

Finally, we made it offshore and what a great time we had! It has been a fair time since SYCC ventured as a group out of our familiar Pittwater backyard. Four boats ventured forth - Coromandel, Perroquet, Viva la Vita and Sweet Love on Friday, hoping for a good breeze and a swift sail. Alas that hope didn’t come to fruition, however, it was an uneventful trip for most of us, except Coromandel who had to take swift action when a shackle broke on the main halyard. Disaster was averted, but lesson learned - have a spare line easily accessible for emergencies. Light winds prompted Viva la Vita to hoist their distinctive blue MPS.

Arriving at Manly, three of us were fortunate to snag a public mooring, whilst Viva la Vita anchored nearby. After sundowners on Perroquet, we all opted for an early night.

Saturday morning, we took a ferry to Circular Quay, en route to visit a gorgeous floral display in the Botanic Gardens. 18,000 plants were very attractively displayed on a vertical wall in vibrant colours. Lunch followed with some very cheeky birds trying to steal our lunch, with a kookaburra grazing the side of Simone’s face in a quest to pinch some food! A stroll around the foreshore followed. The wind picked up on our ferry trip back with many yachts of all sizes competing avidly. It was mayhem, and I for one was glad we were on the ferry who always has right of way!

After breakfast on Sunday, we proceeded along the Eastern Channel to Drummoyne Sailing Club, where fortunately each boat was allotted a mooring. It’s a great location, right outside the club, adjacent to Birkenhead Point Marina and shops, and excellent walks. At only $20 a night for the mooring, with access to the club and modern and clean showers, it was a bargain. We enjoyed a meal together in the club that evening.

All boats returned to Pittwater at various times on Monday, having enjoyed a long weekend of camaraderie and proving to ourselves, that it’s possible to visit the Harbour for only a short period, but still pack a lot in. Sighting whales breaching, dolphins frolicking and seals basking on the rocks at Barrenjoey provided final extra excitement for Coromandel and Perroquet.

Thanks to Perroquet, Viva la Vita and Sweet Love for joining Coromandel on a most enjoyable outing.

 



Audine Burnand11 Comments