Southport to Broken Bay (10th -18th February)

10th February

On  the road again - Southport to Coffs

Luckily we were able to find someone to fix the dinghy outboard motor so it seems to be running like a new one - at least for the time being. 
We caught up with Colin and Anne from Annacol and had a lovely meal at the Southport YC.  We had the steak dinner special which was pretty awesome!



11th - 12th February
Finally we are moving south again. Depart the hustle and bustle of Southport and head out into the ocean again for the trip straight through to Coffs Harbour (~158NM).  This is Alison's first ocean experience and she seems to have taken to it like a fish to water.  The trip down to Coffs was a pleasant one with light North Easterlies blowing for most of the day however, we did have a bit of excitement when we were hit by a rather large thunder storm during the evening.  We arrived in at Coffs Harbour around 11ish and first stop was the fish co-ops fuel wharf which is never a fun experience but we managed to get in, fuel up and get out without too many issues.

Fuel Wharf at Coffs Harbour

We went for a bit of a boogie board in the arvo which turned out to be an excellent idea as the waves here are very "Di Sized" and most suitable for boogie boarding.  Eventually we dragged ourselves out of the water and on the way back to the boat ran across Malcolm and Kathy from Atticus which was just tying up so decided we would all catch up at the Yacht Club for a meal.

Kathy & Malcolm - Atticus

Dinner at the Coffs Harbour YC

Atticus tied up in Coffs Harbour

13th February

Alison getting ready for a walk

Yet another great day with plenty of sun,  Considering the wet weather that they have recently had along this coast we have been blessed with beautiful sunny weather with only the odd thunder storm in the evening.  As Chris and Alison are heading off tomorrow they have offered to cook up the winnings from The Little Ship Club in Dunwich so it is going to be steak dinner tonight.




14th February
Up early to see Chris and Alison off to the train station.  They are catching the train down to Port Stephens to catch up with some friends before heading home to Melbourne.  
Grant and Leanne from Masala were kind enough to pick us up and take us for a wonderful tour around Coffs and to their new home town of Bellingen.  We had a fantastic day and was good to get out and about a bit and see some different sites.  We now also understand the move to Bellingen as it is a really pretty little spot with plenty of community spirit. Hopefully we might be able to do the same for Grant and Leanne one day if they drop by down south for a visit.

View of Coffs Harbour

15th February
The winds are continuing to blow from the south so elect to spend yet another day in Coffs Harbour.  Luckily we like the place and it does give us another opportunity to spend some more time in the waves which has been excellent fun.
Dinner on the boat tonight as we will be up at first light to continue the southward adventure

16-17th February

Sunset at Sea

*Yay* - the weather is sticking to the plan and blowing from the east so we are out of here and back on our way south.  As the weather is looking good we plan to head straight through to Broken Bay which is around 230NM.  Although there is not a lot of wind to assist there is plenty of current and at times we managed to sit on 10knots SOG so it is certainly going to be a quick trip. 
We had a pretty uneventful trip which is always good and pulled up a mooring at America Bay at around 3.30pm and looking forward to a good nights sleep.
As it is a Friday night there are plenty of boats in the anchorage - we have never seen it quite this busy.

18th February
After a great sleep we are off to spend the night at RPYAC and really looking forward to catching up with Ron, Ros, Brian & Sue from Cloud Nine.  We were also hoping to catch up with Ross & Lorraine from Elvina but unfortunately that does not look like it is going to happen.
On the way down the Pittwater we crossed paths with Cloud Nine who are on their way out to do the Saturday race but will catch them in the bar later and then we are off to RMYC next door for a meal.