Michele and Mark - New Year's Day 2008

Born: Sant’Angelo di Brolo, ME, Italy, 10th of March 1943.
Died: Bundeena, NSW, Australia, 12th of August 2008.

He got half way on the house he was building at Bundeena. Now I will finish it for Mum.

Saturday 10th April, 2008.

Mad rush to get up to the boat today. I live in Sydney’s south and Vogelsang is moored in Woodford Bay (Lane Cove River), Longueville. That is a long way to drive. I make it a bit longer by going the back-route. If I take the main roads I would end up paying $4.50 on the Eastern Distributor heading north and $3.00 on the Harbour Tunnel returning south for a time gain of around five to ten minutes each way. I rather go the “back-way” along Canterbury Rd, then up to Ashfield, Five Dock, Drummoyne and across the Gladesville Bridge. It is more interesting and there is always an excuse to stop somewhere along the way.

Today’s excuse to stop was to buy some methylated spirits (for the spirit stove on Vogelsang - not to drink!) from Bunnings. I just had to have a sausage from the sausage sizzle outside. Across Parramatta Rd is a First Choice liquor shop, so I might as well stop in there and pick up a case of Coopers Pale Ale for the boat as well. Last stop is the petrol station and some juice for the donk.

After throwing the motor onto the transom I head off down the harbour to pick up Steve at Double Bay. I decided to taste the beer on the way to make sure it was a good brew.

It is a beautiful day but there is bugger all wind. Once Steve is on-board we motor out of Double Bay and put up the sails and drift around, marooned. I assure Steve that the wind will pick up sooner or later as we chat and catch up. It is midday and as is typical at this time of year, the wind starts off westerly or SW in the morning;, drops off completely around midday; then swings around SE or E in the afternoon.

Although earlier I was wearing a jacket while motoring over, the sun is now out and it is quite warm.

After not too long, the wind turns easterly and picks up slowly and we mosey on down the harbour. The wind strengthens to a calm 10 knots or so. Another great thing about this time of year on the harbour is that the water is quite smooth so the sailing through a light wind is pleasant.

We turn into middle harbour and pick up one of the public moorings near Cobblers Beach and HMAS Penguin. I grease and fire up the griddle and throw some sangers on. Lunch and beer and conversation. A couple of guys paddle past on their kayaks. One is a fellow Hood 23 owner. He’s having problems with his rudder pin. I tell him it is a common problem on the Hood. They wear out eventually. I’ve replaced Vogelsang’s.

After a while we head off. The wind is still East allowing us a beautiful reach back up the harbour into Double Bay. When we get to Double Bay we get the donk turning over, pull down and pack up the sails. I motor into the bay to drop Steve back at the wharf. We are gas-bagging away finalising the conversation we have been having (work related) and sorting out some details. I swing towards the wharf in an arc similar to when I picked Steve up. What I had not paid attention to was that the tide is now out. Before I notice we have run aground. Fortunately, someone in the skiff club noticed and went around to the marina to ask them to come over and tow us off. Not before I had tied together some ropes to form a line from the head-sail halyard and had swum back to the wharf with the end of the line. My plan was to grab half a dozen people from the Skiff Club and get them to tug us off the sand.

Anyway, disaster averted. The joys of boating!

Friday

A typical start to a weekend on Vogelsang. Yet again I invite myself over to Andrew and Monique’s for a Friday night dinner. I actually got up to Greenwich quite early in the afternoon so managed to distract Andrew from work for a while. We had a cup of coffee.

Next we headed off in the kiddie taxi to pick up Hugo from the kindergarten and Lara from the infants school. I got to meet Ms Dixon which made the trip worthwhile.

The kids dropped off a letter into the post box. Not as uncomplicated a task as you might imagine. One gets to open the hatch and the other gets to drop the letter through. We all knock on the post box to wake-up the postman and let him know there is a letter to post.

Next we pop into the supermarket to buy some lollies. I opt for a Paddle Pop. The kids opt for absurdly expensive coloured sugar lollies.

Back on the footpath, we discover that we must have woken up the postman! There he was with his van emptying out the post box.

Back at Andrew’s I pumble with the kids in the back-yard while Andrew finishes off his work day in the office.

Later on Monique cooked a delicious dinner, then I headed off to the boat. I wasn’t tired and I had a nice bottle of red on-board. So, I decided to throw the outboard onto the transom and putted off down the harbour.

I made my way over to Athol Bay (near Taronga Zoo). Unusually, there were no other anchored boats there; so, I picked up one of the public moorings and settled in for the night. I wasn’t tired so stayed up late sipping red wine and listening to the radio.

Saturday

There is no more satisfying way to spend a day relaxing, reclining, ruminating, rummaging, pondering and pottering about than on a boat. That is what I did today. I also popped on the goggles and snorkel and gave the hull a good scrub. The boat needs to come out of the water soon for an anti-foul.

Sunday

After breakfast, I inflated the rubber dinghy and headed to shore just at the same time as the Maritime Authority “environmental services” barge was arriving to give the beach a good clean-up. I noticed a big hunk of something grey under the water when I beached the dinghy. Something that was once a part of a larger piece of moulded plastic. I wondered if it flotsam from the horrific fatal boat accident which occurred just nearby on Bradley’s Head a few days ago. I let the maritime guys know about it and then headed up the hill to Athol House.

I was hoping to get breakfast in the cafe at Athol House. No luck. It doesn’t open until 11am. So I head off on my planned walk to Balmoral. This walk takes you along the foreshore and extends from Taronga Zoo to Balmoral passing through Bradley’s Head, Taylor Bay, Chowder Bay and Georges Head, where you can then either cut across to Balmoral or continue along to the end of Middle Head before backtracking to take the track down to Balmoral.

There was no shortage of other people taking the walk. It was not too crowded though. Lots of “Good morning!”s were exchanged.

There is a plaque along the track in Taylor’s Bay which describes the incident involving the Japanese mini-submarine which was destroyed and sunk in the bay (not until after it hit Garden Island with a torpedo sinking one barracks ship anchored there and killing quite a few on-board). The Japanese crew shot themselves.

I took the path down to Chowder Head not realising it was a dead-end. Instead of back-tracking I decided to hop along the rocks. Lucky the tide was not in. I am glad I did because just around the corner the rock shelf was absolutely carpeted in oysters. I grabbed a loose rock and helped myself to about eight of these fresh, salty sublime morsels. There is absolutely nothing like eating fresh Sydney rock oysters straight off the rock (even though it is illegal to remove shellfish from the intertidal zone in Sydney Harbour).

When I got to Chowder Bay I went to the little Kiosk at the old submarine mining complex hoping to get some coffee and breakfast there. The queue was quite long and the breeze is chilly here so I decided to keep going as there is a cafe “Bacino Bar” (run by the same mob) just up the road a little.

Between the two is the Sydney Harbour Wooden Boats shed. I must drop by here one day when they are open. They have a little viewing area for visitors to observe from.

Almost at the cafe now. I can’t get there before a parking officer stops me asking if the black shiny Holden Commodore parked in the bus zone is mine. Somehow I look like the kind of guy that would park his black Commodore in a bus zone.

Finally, I am at the cafe. Great I can’t wait for a coffee and some breakfast. At the counter is another woman getting service and myself. After I had been waiting for a few minutes the dopey young thing at the espresso machine turned to me to curtly state “We’re not taking orders”. Another, more mature woman, perhaps the manager, seemed to be capable of more in-depth communication and explained that they were swamped at the moment and couldn’t take more orders for a while. To this I responded with the question “That’s OK, if I sit down will you come and take my order when you are ready?”. The reply was in the positive. I picked up the Sunday paper from the paper rack and sat down at a table.

More people arrived. One other guy was turned away and told to come back in fifteen minutes. Food started coming out of the kitchen and being served. A waitress cleared the table I was sitting at. Others arrived and one asked if he could have the unoccupied seats from my table.

I sat and read my paper and watched the queue of people being served at the counter. People arriving were now leaving as there were no more vacant tables. I kept reading the paper. Eventually, I tired of waiting and tucked the paper under my arm and continued on my walk. Hungry. Thanks for the newspaper Bacino Bar. No thanks for leaving me hungry.

On the path up to Georges Head I passed The Tearoom (Gunners Barracks) which is in the old Officers Mess building. A beautiful old sandstone building with a commanding view of the harbour. There is a wedding reception going on inside. Unfortunately, I am not dressed appropriately enough (wearing T-shirt, shorts and sandals) to be able to gate crash and get something to eat. So I continue on up to the ridge and past the old “WWI Hospital”, then cross over Middle Head Rd and along the path which leads down to the football fields at Balmoral.

At last I can eat! I continue the seafood theme. Fish and chips and take-away beer, which I eat and imbibe on the beach. Balmoral is a hive of activity. Football games (one rugby, one AFL) on the oval, kids in the water, families picnicing on the grass. I watch a fisherman reel in and land a bream. I read more of the paper.

Eventually I hop up to make tracks back to the boat. On the way back I stop at the apex of Georges Head. The sweeping view of Sydney Harbour from here is fantastic.

Back at Athol a National Parks ranger had the radio blasting from his ute while he works nearby. “Is that the Swans/Bulldogs game you are listening to?” I ask. He informs me the game is almost over and the Swans are going down. It has been such a beautiful day. You can’t have everything in life.

Passing Athol House a wedding reception is under way on the lawn.

I get back onto the boat; deflate the dinghy; pack up; hoist the sails and sail off while there is still light and wind.

Once I am back on the mooring I cook some dinner before heading off.

Postscript:

What a fantastic Harbour is Sydney Harbour when experienced not only from the water, but also from the beautiful parks, paths and beaches along its shores.

More information on the Taronga/Bradley’s Head - Middle Head - Balmoral walk and Chowder Bay

• Mosman Council map of the walk (pdf)
• Notes on the walk with map and photos
• Map of Chowder Bay
• Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Headland Park
• More walks in the Sydney Harbour National Park

I stayed on the boat last night on the mooring after having dinner with Andrew and Monique at their house.

I went to Whitworths in the morning to buy a few things. Back on the boat I spent some time scrubbing her bottom - both from the dingy and by diving down to the keel. Next, I got out the new fishing gear I have bought and the boat rod I have now brought on-board. I rig up one of the soft plastic lures and spent some time casting it out and reeling it back in without any luck.

Eventually a bit of wind comes up so I put up the sails and sail off the mooring. I sailed around for a couple of hours before heading into Balls Head Bay. There is very little wind now and I slowly glide into the bay. As I am dropping the anchor with the sails still up, it starts to softly rain.

The rain doesn’t last for long. I spend some time in the twilight fishing with my soft lures only to lose a couple on snags.

[Note: later on dry land I do some googling and read up on something called the "Texas Rig" which I will have to try next time.]

Sunday 30th March, 2008.

A very gentle SE is blowing as I sail off the mooring late in the morning. I sail around the back of Goat Island. The wind drops. Out in the slop of the channel between Balls Head and Goat Island the wind drops completely and I am marooned along with a Folkboat in the slop from the wakes of passing stink boats.

The wind picks up again as I sail back past Balls Head Bay, around Yurulbin Point and along the western side of Birchgrove and past Cockatoo Island. As I pass Dawn Fraser Pool towards Iron Cove the wind stiffens up nicely. The water is smooth. Perfect sailing conditions. I have to sail through a couple of dinghy fleets which approach me from the west as I sail between Drummoyne and Snapper Island. To avoid them, and give myself a bit more time between tacks, I sail through the old ammunition barges between Snapper and Spectacle Islands.

I sail around Spectacle, past Hunters Hill and Woolwich, into the Lane Cover River and back to the mooring in Woodford Bay.

Another relaxing weekend spent mucking about on a boat.

I got onto the boat and did a typical short circuit around the islands; around Goat, past Cockatoo, around Snapper and Spectacle.

Earlier in the day there was talk of meeting up with Andrew, Monique and their kids and going down to the marina at Cabarita point for dinner at the Thai restaurant. I gave Andrew a call but the call went through to message bank. So I decided to just sail down to Cabarita on the run.

I must admit, I did have a couple of beers along the way. When I got to Cabarita I found the two public moorings in Hen and Chicken Bay (as mentioned in an earlier post). There was a stiff afternoon wind and it took a few goes to sail up to the mooring.

With perfect timing Andrew and family zipped into the bay in their zodiac and picked me up. We tied up to the marina and went up to the restaurant. It was 6:30pm.

The bad news was that there was to be no sit down dinner for us. The restaurant was booked out. I grabbed the kids and we went for a walk along the shore as it seemed that Andrew and Monique had a few things they wanted to sort out between themselves. I had assumed they would just buy some takeaway and we would sit in the park and eat it. Alas, they came over to meet us without any food.

Soon we were bundled back into the zodiac and I was dropped off on the yacht.

I motored back down the Parramatta River. I must admit I did have a couple of beers on the way. As I approached Greenwich I telephoned Andrew and convinced him he should come down to the Wharf so I could pick him for a sail. There was a great post-twilight wind blowing. I love sailing at night on the harbour and too often there is not enough wind once the sun goes down to do so.

Andrew came down and brought me some dinner as well as snacks and booze. I didn’t need any more booze. As Andrew was at the helm and I was wondering about the deck getting the sails set up I managed to fall overboard. Andrew rescued me and we decided to pick up a mooring in the mouth of the Lane Cove River for a while. I got changed and collected my wits. Eventually we got the sails up and headed off down the harbour.

We sailed around Shark Island and headed back up the harbour. I opened a bottle of red. At some point I decided to disrobe and Andrew informs me I had a conversation with the Opera House.

We got back to the mooring at some time after 2am. I really enjoyed the sail but I don’t remember much about it. Conversely, Andrew remembers everything about the sail but didn’t seem to enjoy my company so much on this particular occasion.

The next morning I telephoned Andrew. He had already decided to write down a diary entry about the evening while it was fresh in his mind. The entry started “Last night I was held hostage on a boat by a drunk man.” He informed me that I had quite a bee in my bonnet last night about this new German Pope cancelling St. Patrick’s Day this year (because it falls during the unusually early Lent). I’m not even Irish.

Sunday, 16th March.

I woke up on the starboard aft berth, cold, naked and wrapped in the spare main sail. Wet cloths sat in a puddle on the cabin floor. For some reason I had a headache. I had a cuppa or two and some breakfast. Then I set off to pick up Luke and Tim from Greenwich Wharf.

With Luke and Tim on board, we motored over to the lee of Birchgrove and put up the sails. Luke had told me that he was only able to come out for a short sail before needing to head off to a party in Manly. So, I set off on the island tour; around Goat, past Cockatoo, around Snapper and Spectacle.

Having done the circuit I asked Luke - where to now? How much time did he have? We quickly decided that we should sail all the way to Manly and he could jump off there and his wife would pick him up.

So to Manly we went. The wind was moderate. My head hurt. I drank a beer with the lads on the way down the harbour and decided it was the last drink I would have today.

We probably got up to Manly by about 4pm. We dropped the sails and looked for a place to drop Luke off. I am not familiar with Manly so was not sure where the public wharfs were. We motored up to the wharf at Ocean World but this is private and there is no public access. We motored over to the Manly Pier. The wharf here was busy. There were people in sea-kayaks loitering around. A party boat was tied up along with other smaller vessels. Eventually I found a possy to nose my way into and Luke hopped off.

On the way back up the harbour I chatted away with Tim. I had not seen him for quite some time so we caught up.

When we finally tied up at the mooring and paddled back to shore; for once I was glad to be on land. I went home and straight to bed.

Vogelsang’s Picasaweb Photo Album

I’ve had a couple of solo outings on the boat recently but I can’t really remember the details. I’ve been flat out down at Bundeena with the house building. Last Sunday (02-03-2007) I went onto Vogelsang but just pottered about. Fixed this and that, scrubbed the bottom and took some sails home.

Anyway, today I am picking up Steve, Twinkle and Steve’s parents, Jim and Marion, who are over from the UK for a holiday. Steve has taken them to the Woolwich Pier Hotel for lunch and I am going to pick them all up from Woolwich wharf for an afternoon sail. As you will see from the photos it was a grey and gloomy overcast day. But hey, no one got sunburnt!

I pick everyone up just after 1pm. Steve’s mum seems a bit anxious. I don’t think she has been sailing before. Steve’s dad had a 17 foot sailing boat moored on the River Blackwater in England. The semidiurnal tides there are six metres. This allows for a window of four and a half hours around the high tide for sailing or alternatively, a sail down-river on the ebb tide and return on the flood tide. There must have been quite a bit of current to contend with. I would not like to be sailing on the beat against that current. Port Jackson’s semidiurnal tides, in comparison, are around 1 metre plus or minus half a metre.

I decide that we will motor under the bridge and then put the sails up. As it turns out there is plenty of wind. SE at 15+ knots. So we would have made it down the harbour quite easily under sail.

Jim and Marion. Blues Point and Sydney Harbour Bridge in Background

Tara (Twinkle) and Mark passing Goat Island under motor.

Tara. Garden Island crane and naval ship in background.
There were a lot of ships anchored at Garden Island.

Because of the SE I motored up to the mouth of Woolloomooloo Bay but the wind is funnelling down the bay quite stiffly. We get the sails up. I tangle a couple of the hanks on the foresail and Steve has to go forward and get that sorted out.

Steve goes forward to sort out the headsail

Once we are underway, we sail into Farm Cove to check out the Young Endeavour which is anchored there. Crew members are all over the square rigging. We give a wave and head off down the harbour.

Young Endeavour with crew members up the mast and on the standing rig.

Young Endeavour anchored in Farm Cove. Steve in foreground.

Ian Murray Americas Cup yacht, Spirit of Australia (aka MPI Spirit)

There was a great wind blowing as we sailed down the harbour. If Marion looked a little anxious when she first boarded, the look on her face as we hit the occasional gust and a bit of spray was priceless!

15:30hrs we hit a gust. Note Steve, who is taking the photo, managed to get his foot in shot.
Thank goodness the skipper has a Coopers ale at hand.

Marion loves the high seas!

As we sail into Chowder Bay, pop!, one of the blocks on the main sheet traveller breaks. Steve takes the helm so that I can make an emergency repair and fix the traveller in place.

Steve at the helm.
A nice shot of the cockpit taken from the companion way by Tara.

We tack in Chowder Bay and head over to Watsons Bay on a reach.

Lighthouse off Watson’s Bay.

Watson’s Bay

Mother and Son. Steve and Marion.

We sailed into Watson’s Bay and then tacked and started to head back up the harbour. We pass the Pacific Dawn, which is leaving port, to windward.

The P & O Pacific Dawn, leaving port. Note the ants all lined up on the top deck.
I love passing cruise liner ships. Fellini’s “Amarcord” imprinted a romantic emotional response into me.

Marion was now relaxed enough to take the helm.

Marion at the helm. Heading towards Goat Island.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.

I soon realised that I had been relaxing for too long. Right under my nose, without me even realising what was unfolding, the mutiny was complete. Marion was at the helm and Jim was on the sheets. I had no choice but to go forward and drop the sails and foil the whole charade.

The mutiny! Parramatta River approaching Woolwich.
Marion at the helm. Jim goose-winging the headsail.
Birchgrove in background with goat island and Sydney CBD in distant background.

I managed to wrestle back control of my ship and decided to drop off my mutinous crew back at Woolwich Wharf. Little did I realise, as I was dropping them off, that they had hatched a cunning plan. Jim had left his hat and glasses below deck. I soon got a call on my mobile from Steve. Could I come back to the wharf and drop off Jim’s stuff. Realise that this was after I had warned them, prior to disembarking at the wharf that anything left aboard becomes my loot. Tara is already aware of this as she is still waiting to get back the sunglasses she left aboard on Australia Day. This was obviously an attempt at a rearguard action.

I had just the right tactic to foil this attack and diffuse the whole situation. I motored back to the wharf and approached it at enough speed to be able to hand off Jim’s hat with sunglasses inside but foil any attempt of any boarding and pirating of my vessel.

The hand-off, Woolwich Wharf.

Mark laughs after he successfully foils Jim’s attempt to pirate Vogelsang.

Meanwhile… The Balmain Sailing Club fleet sail along Birchgrove during their Friday Twilight race.

Thanks to Steve and Twinkle for the great photos in this post. There are more on Vogelsang’s photo gallery - link in right column.

I get onto the boat during the ante-meridian and load her up with ice, lots of booze and food. Today is Australia Day, or as many Australians say “Stry-ya Day”. Food and booze on ice and packed away it is time to do something serious which has not been done on Vogelsang before. Hoist the red ensign off the stern rail. I discover that I have purchased a 1 inch rail holder for the flag pole but have a 3/4 inch rail. Nothing that a bit of gaffer tape can’t fix. Well almost. I manage to rig up the red ensign anyway. But not before getting it covered in grease from the outboard!

Next task is bunting up the forestay. With these tasks complete I am off the mooring and heading up to the harbour bridge without a moment to spare. The Australia Day parade of boats starts at 12 noon. I make it to the start right bang on time and fall into the fleet behind the tall ships.

Fire tug Shirly Smith carries out her traditional duties during festive occasions - crowd control.

As we proceed down the harbour, Andrew gives me a call. He and the family are out on Lara Belle. As we get toward Clarke Island, Lara Belle catches up with me and we exchange pleasantries. I head over to the Darling Point wharf to pick up Kajo. Kajo is onboard and immediately starts snapping away with his camera. We join back into the flotilla along with Lara Belle. They peal off near Bradley’s Head and head over to Taylor’s Bay for lunch.

The parade rounds Pacific Dawn and heads westward back up the harbour.

We proceed to Mosman to pick up Steve and Twinkle from Mosman South Wharf.

RAAF Roulettes aerobatics.

Steve and Twinkle are on-board. We motor just around the corner into Little Sirius Cove and manage to pick up a vacant mooring. The boat belonging to the mooring is obviously out for the day as a dinghy is tied up to it. I move it and tie it the stern of Vogelsang.

It is a fantastic day. Warm and sunny. All the boys jump in for a swim. Kajo and Steve swim towards the shore just below Taronga Zoo. I am back on deck chatting with Twinkle. As I watch Kajo clamour onto the rocks I say to Twinkle “They are going to come back with oyster shell cuts”. Surely enough Steve comes back with blood oozing out of his finger. Nothing a band-aid can’t fix.

Swimming in Little Sirius Cove

Bunting!

We eat the delicious chicken and aioli sandwiches I made back at home this morning. Then it is time to get serious. Down with the bunting and up with the sails. We sail past the tall ships race.

Endeavour (replica), Tall ships race.

Young Endeavour, Tall ships race.

Young and “old”. Endeavour Replica & Young Endeavour, Tall Ships Race

Kajo and Tara. Sailing away from Mosman towards Bradley’s Head.

We sailed all the way up to Kay-Ye-My point (Manly). I have not sailed so far up into North Harbour before. A great sailing wind is blowing and it seems to have taken us no time to get up here. All the way on a close-haul tack.

We gybe to turn around and head back up the harbour on a square-ish reach. I hand over the helm to Kajo. This is great beer drinking weather and I take up the boatswain’s position on the foredeck with a beer in hand. As we sail up the harbour we find ourselves in one of those annoying situations. A much larger yacht is just windward of us and fouling our air but not going any faster than us. She is a large slick modern cutter sailing just under head-sails. I exchange some pleasantries with the skipper and threaten to come aboard and pillage his ship.

Kajo with our nemisis (hereby dubbed “The Pesky Cutter“) in background.
South Head in far background.

Instead we headed downwind a little. Soon enough we had made enough of a lead on the offending sloop to bear-up and cross her bow; much to the excitement of all aboard both ships.

It is about 6pm as we sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and turn south between Goat Island and Miller’s Point towards Pyrmont. We drop the sails, pack up and motor over to Pyrmont for the Jazz concert.

Sailing under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
My old school, St. Aloysius College, Milson’s Point on the right.

The Jazz concert is under-way when we approach Pyrmont Park. A lot of boats are anchored just off the shore. Judging by the general level of Bacchanalian spirit effervescing over the decks of many of the anchored boats it seems that we are late to the party! We find a slot to slip into and drop the anchor. Back up with the bunting. It’s party time!

Wenches

Wenches - close up.

I get the griddle fired up in the galley. Lamb chops marinated in my secret marinate. (Hint: garlic - lots and lots of garlic).

The best dressed boat awards were announced. There were around half a dozen winners and runners up in various categories. Each got to parade past the flotilla and show off their winners ribbons.

A couple of boats decided to continue the parade through the flotilla. One at quite a decent speed. At one point this particular yacht appeared to be heading right up our stern. We yelled out in a somewhat excited manner to the skipper. He altered course and as he slipped past yelled out the sage advice “Alright, alrigh. We’ve all had a few drinks”.

The most novel dressed boat was another yacht absolutely festooned with green and gold. Inflatable kangaroos sat on the spreaders. On the sugar-scoop stern two crocodiles perched. One dragging its tail through the water.

Best Dressed Boat prize winner.
Note the kangaroos on the spreaders and the crocodiles on the stern!

Amidst the aquatic mayhem, back on stage, Psycho Zydeco played. The first time I’ve heard them. They got some funk.

Steve, Mark and a glass of white wine.

Tara

Red ensign at dusk

Fireworks went off. A modest but worthwhile display of pyrotechny.

Eventually it was time to pull up anchor and head off. There was no two ways about this fact. Towards the end of the concert an announcement was made that at the conclusion of said concert all anchored boats were to vamoosh toot-sweet because there was a car carrier waiting to undock from the wharf near Glebe Island Bridge. When the concert did finish a swarm of maritime craft swooped onto the scene and moved on any recalcitrants.

After leaving the concert, we motored around to Cockle Bay. We putted past the Endeavour replica, and the old Russian submarine. We got very close to the submarine. Bloody close. Oops. We dropped Kajo off at Darling Island and headed back out into the harbour proper gliding past the P & O ship Pacific Dawn.

The lights and movement at Luna Park called to us like sirens. So we headed over to Lavender Bay and cruised past Luna Park. We nipped under the bridge, past Kirribilli and into Farm Cove. I dropped Steve and Twinkle off at the Man of War steps next to the Opera House.

I then slowly made my way over to Athol Bay near Taronga Zoo. There were quite a few boats achored for the night. I found a possie to slip into and dropped anchor and called it a day. Australia Day.

Special thanks to Kajo, Steve and Tara for the excellent photos in this post.

Friday

I set up the sails, motored off the mooring and picked up Luke from Northwood Wharf at 6:30pm. We put up the sails in Humbug. Luke took the helm as he is learning to sail.

We sailed down the harbour and around Goat Island. Coming back up the harbour we sailed between Birchgrove and Cockatoo Islands on a run, with the number 2 poled out. Then we turned west at Snapper Island and sailed down past Drummoyne and turned north around Spectacle Island. We worked our way up to Woolwich and back into the Lane Cover River. We dropped the sails and I dropped Luke off back at Northwood Wharf at 8:30pm. It was a very pleasant twilight sail practising all points of sailing.

I motored around to Balls Head Bay where I anchored for the evening. There are a few boats anchored in Balls Head Bay, near Berry Island. Some are obviously visiting Sydney from further away.

I was sitting on deck ruminating well into the evening. At around midnight I could make out a kayak slowly paddling around the bay hugging the shore. I kept losing it in the darkness. Suddenly, it paddled right past Vogelsang. I offered the kayak and its paddler a “Howdy” but received no reply. Was this a ghost kayak being paddled by a ghost I wondered. Not long after I saw the kayak pull up next to a Diamond anchored near-by and the ghost paddler hopped onto the deck and pulled up the ghost kayak.

Saturday

I have decided to sail up to Bantry Bay, Middle Harbour. I have not been on the other side of the Spit Bridge for at least ten years. Supplies onboard are low. So I head back to the mooring and up to the shops - the bottle shop! A case of beer and a bag of ice later I am back onboard.

While I was at the bottle shop I looked up the RTA enquiries number in the phone book. The guy serving in the shop thought I wanted to purchase the business and government white pages - which lead to a bit of an odd moment between us “No, I don’t want to buy it, just borrow it”, said I. “Oh, that’s alright then because I thought you said you wanted to buy it and I was going to explain that we don’t sell phone books because we are a bottle shop.” said he. “Yeah, alright, that’s good to know, now just give me the phone book” I thought to myself; “I’m on a mission from God!”.

Back on the boat I rang the RTA to get the Spit Bridge opening times. I should be able to make 2:30pm. Up with the sails and I am under-way.

The sail up towards the Spit Bridge is quite fun. The wind really funnels along around Clontarf and the Spit - or it seems to anyway as the channel narrows. A lovely reach all the way up towards the Spit Bridge. Another yacht which was packing up its sails while motoring along almost crashed into me but on such a fantastic day it was hard to get too exited over such a thing.

The Bridge eventually opened up. The line up of yachts all ready to race through the opening was reminiscent of the start of a Wacky Races cartoon. I went under last and once on the other side put the sails back up.

It was flukey sailing up the narrow cavernous Middle Harbour. I sailed into Bantry Bay. Wow was it crowded. Chock-a-block full of boats. We are talking boats that have more internal floor area than the average suburban house. Well, if that is an exageration, they probably have more floor area than my flat in Oatley. Big, shiny tupperware stink boats with their gensets running non-stop. Interestingly, several of them have Greek flags flying aft.

I sailed right up into the bay past all the moored and anchored boats on a reconnaissance sweep. Did I mention that the bay was crowded with boats? I decide to anchor aft of a big tupperware stink boat and upwind of another yacht. It is crowded anchorage but it is calm in here so I don’t think there will be any dramas.

I veg out for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Swimming, listening to the radio, cooking and eating, reading and a few beers. Quite a few people are fishing off the back of their boats. A fisheries boat comes into the bay and they go around checking the fishing licenses of all those fishing.

Sunday

I really don’t know what happened to this day. I had intended to sail off early. There is talk on the radio of a southerly change later on. The sun conspired against me though. I seemed to laze around on deck all morning. I grilled an eggplant on the griddle for goodness sake. It wasn’t until around 4pm that I eventually got pulled up anchor. You know how it is on a boat - endless washing up, putting things away, finding things, putting them away again; and endless putting on the kettle for a nice cuppa-tea.

I can’t remember what time I got under the bridge. I do remember the bridge operator gesturing to me to get a move on. I was the only downstream bound boat on this opening. It would be great if the bridge actually opened at the advertised time. It is not easy to just loll around waiting for the bridge to arbitrarily open while there is an ebb tide and stiff cross-wind to contend with when all you have is a 5hp outboard.

It is starting to rain now and get a little miserable. There is a big swell coming in between the heads pushed up by the ebb tide. I motor over to near Cobblers Beach and pick up a public mooring. I go below and get into some more wet weather gear.

Back on deck I hoist the sails and sail off the mooring. Alas, with just a drizzle of rain now, the wind has dropped completely. I advance further into the ferry and shipping lanes with every zephyr of wind but make no steady progress. It is the calm before the storm. I turn on the engine and motor over towards Camp Cove to get out of the shipping lanes and drop the sails. I start to motor up the harbour when the storm hits. Being on my boat during a storm is like being King Lear on the heath during the tempest. I am in my element. Full of sound an fury, signifying nothing. (Yes I know that was McBeth - I can’t remember what Lear actually said on the heath. I think it was “Hargh, argh, hargh, argh, argh, arrrrr”. As you will remember, the fool was not around at that point to interpret. He (she) was busy getting changed back into the Cordelia garb.

Eventually I make it back to Balls Head Bay. My journey ends where it began. I leave the sails on the rigging as it continues to rain. I make myself snug below deck.

Monday

I sail back to the mooring at Woodford Bay which allows the sails to dry off. Pack up and back to dry land.

Saturday

I got up to the boat Saturday afternoon and spent a couple of hours scrubbing under the boat. First with a broom from the dingy. Next I dived under and scrubbed the keel and bits I had missed. I also did some minor sail repairs. Had a quick dinner on board and got ready to go back to shore and head into the city for the Sydney Festival First Night concerts.

We all met up at the Cruise Bar at Circular Quay before heading up into the city for the concerts. First stop was Macquarie Street to see the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Next we headed to The Domain for Paul Kelly. Some of us split off to go to Hyde Park to see Pink Martini - which were the highlight of the evening. We then trekked down to The Rocks to have a few beers at the Glenmore Hotel before they kicked us out at 1am.

I got back to the boat around 2am.

Sunday

After a good sleep-in, I went up to Whitworths to buy a few bits and pieces.

A trimaran has stayed overnight anchored along the shore line with a line secured to shore. Although we are still a few days off the spring tides I would still say his hull is sitting on the bottom at low tide. Anyway, the skipper is on shore with a bowl of noodles. I think his name was Stephen. He is from Taree and the boat is from Forster. He sailed down over a week.

I replaced all the light bulbs in the navigation lights with LED festoon bulbs. This took quite a bit of time to unseal all the light casings and reseal them with silicon gel.

Eventually I put up the sails and sailed down the harbour. I can’t remember much about the sail. That evening I anchored at Athol Bay, near Taronga Zoo.

At about 4am a southerly came in and woke me up. Athol Bay is exposed to the southerly, especially this one which was coming in S-S-E from Rose Bay. I stayed up for a while keeping an eye on the shoreline to make sure Vogelsang wasn’t dragging her anchor.

Vogelsang doesn’t have a masthead light. So, I purchased a small LED lantern light from Whitworths. The box says that it will get up to 600 hours from the four C batteries. Earlier in the evening I had hoisted it up along the front-stay using the spinnaker halyard with another line attached and secured to deck further aft to stop it from swinging around too much. With the southerly blowing it was swinging around wildly and it was hitting up against the lower forward shrouds. “I better get that lantern down.” Was the thought in my head. I had just jumped up onto the foredeck to do so when - blop! and darkness. My first thought was that the whole lantern had come off the halyard and fallen into the water. In fact just the bottom had knocked off when it bashed against the lower shroud. The bottom and the batteries had fallen into the water. I took it down.

The ground tackle was holding firm, so I went back to sleep.

Monday

Today I decided I would sail up the harbour and up the Parramatta River. A nice steady S-E was blowing so I sailed up the harbour on a reach in no time. I decided to sail around the islands - Cockatoo, Snapper and Spectacle, and continued up the Parramatta River.

It certainly is different sailing along the more enclosed water of the river. The landscape changes the way the wind funnels along the river and adjoining bays. At some stages I was close reaching and others on a dead run.

I sailed into Kendel Bay and dropped the anchor. I jumped in for a swim and loitered around on deck for a couple of hours enjoying the sunshine.

Being a Monday, it was so quite on the river. Just the occasional boat and river cat ferry passing by.

Later in the afternoon, I decided it was time to pull-up anchor and head back down the river. This was a lot more work, beating my way down the river into what had now turned into a N-E wind. I don’t know how many tacks I put in. Sailing solo, and against the flood tide, my tacks were not race-day efficient. Eventually, however, I did make it down the river.

In fact, I had so much fun tacking on the beat that I decided to sail up into the Lane Cover River and continue my enclosed waters sailing. I sailed past St. Ignatius College (Riverview) towards Burns Bay before deciding to turn around. The river becomes quite shallow outside the channel up here.

I sailed up to the mooring in Woodford Bay. By now it was approaching twilight.

Post Script.

The NSW Maritime Authority map for Parramatta River shows two public “courtesy” mooring in Kendel Bay (Cabarita). When I got there I could not find them. Instead I anchored. When I pulled up the anchor it was covered in a very smelly black sludge.

A coal gas works (AGL Co) occupied the shore of Kendel Bay (probably for a century). The land has been cleaned up and decontaminated and is now ugly blocks of expensive waterfront units. The sediment on the bottom of the water, like most of this part of the Parramatta River, remains contaminated. This is why land reclamation around these parts of the river, including Homebush Bay; as part of the remediation of these old industrial sites and their transformation into urban development; has stirred up the toxins in the sediment. This is why dioxin levels in Sydney Harbour’s fish are above health standards and why there are recreational fishing limits and a total ban on commercial fishing. This also explains the thick black sludge stuck to my anchor.

Anyway, back on land I emailed the Maritime Authority about the missing public moorings in Kendel Bay. Steve Brown, Operations Supervisor Sydney Harbour, kindly responded answering that they have been moved to “the south of the Cabarita Marina in Hen & Chicken Bay”. I’ll look out for them next time I head up the river.