The Gippsland Lakes or Sydney Harbor!!! That was the big question. After some hesitation, particularly because we had ventured north before, Sydney Harbor got the nod. So we were heading north again.
It proved to be the right decision. Sydney Harbour on New Year’s Eve is spectacular and so are all those 40 and 50 ft Beneteaus which seem to surround our seemingly tiny yacht. We were fortunate to have a beautifully balmy night, which added to the perfect surroundings as we watched the Fireworks on the Harbour in absolute awe.
We pre-booked a pen at CYCA at Rushcutters Bay for $40 per night. With no launching facilities at CYCA, we launched nearby at Rose Bay and carefully secured our boatless trailer to a tree --- just in case. We drove the car around to the CYCA so that we could use it to go into Double Bay (Double Pay) for supplies and a shopping experience… lots of shopping experiences. Our pen was positioned approximately 20 meters from the Yacht club, which included all amenities. Chandlery facilities were next door, yacht hire and of course a fabulous bar and restaurant which was always full of activity. At this time of year several Sydney to Hobarters (who did not finish the race) were there, and of course some who did. So we were able to eavesdrop on lots of conversations and stories.
We were fortunate to see many of the Maxis such as the successful 60ft Nicorette and the pre race favorite Shockwave, all 80 ft of it, which was a retiree. It is a bit humbling to be parked in close proximity to these boats --- Top Shelf was parked between a 40 ft Beneteau on one side and a 50 ft Farr on the other. We were further reminded of this whilst having a quiet orange juice on our boat one morning, Steve heard a passer by say “I think everyone should start out on a boat that size” her elderly and very Double Bay partner replied … Yes, that’s a Magnum, I’ve heard of them”.
Each day we would do sorties out into Sydney Harbour and return to the comfort of our pen in the late afternoon and settle in for the night. The options are going west past Circular Quay, under the Bridge and further upstream, however, we found the winds to be very fluky and so did a fair bit of motoring. A better option, which we tended to do, was head east, up Sydney Harbour toward the Heads, which is the main sailing ground. It did however; take us a day or two to work out the route of the ferries, which is rather significant, as they tend not to get out of your way. Often a toot and abuse came our way in which Steve promptly responded with a raised finger.
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