Sydney to Pittwater

Hello To You All

Many thanks to all who have sent us an email. Always good to hear from you. Not sure when you will get this as Alex has not yet fixed up our Sail Mail but if need be I will go ashore somewhere to send it on.

Tonight – Sat 20th Oct we are moored up an inlet in Pittwater. We are about eight miles inland from the open sea. It is just the most beautiful place. We left the Birkenhead Marina in Sydney on Thursday. A little later than we thought we would but it is good not having to stick to a timetable. Helen needed a visit to the Dr with an infection in her toe plus there are still odd jobs than need to be done aboard. Some we will do as we go up the coast at different ports of call. We still need things fitted like a radar reflector etc. Thursday was fine and warm but the winds were coming from the wrong direction. We motored down the harbour under the bridge past the opera house and out to the heads. We rounded North Head straight into a head wind so we just kept on motoring. We did hoist the jib for a time but that was taken down again after a few miles as it was of no help. Still it was a good trip up and gave Alex plenty of time to set the instruments up. We saw a couple of whales at different times broaching which was fantastic. Once we had rounded the headland and into Pittwater we had the wind behind us and we able to put up the sails and had a beautiful run for about half an hour heading back the way we had come on an inland waterway. We moored for the night at the Royal Motor Yacht Club and took the tender over to another Seawind for drinks. I tell you one can get use to this way of life quite easily.

Before leaving Sydney we spent quite a bit of time with Helen and David’s daughter Wendy who was great. She let us use her car so we were able to do lots of job. We also visited local markets, visited IKEA and Howards Storage about three times [great shops with tons of practical goodies in them] had a running GST exempt account at Whitworths – a chandlery which Alex and David have nearly cleaned out - and had meals out all over the place. Helen and I did the food stores and have enough food on board to do the Tasman crossing twice I think.

Sun 21st. It is around 3.00pm and we have moored up in a bay so Alex and David can watch the final of the rugby. Hot and sunny. We have been exploring all the inlets this morning. Also found a place to fill our water tank. Helen and I did three loads of washing in the machine on board. We are not missing out on too many of the luxuries of life.

Ok will sign off and send this as soon as I am able. Love to you all

Ann and Alex