Saturday 21 September 2019:
First day sailing our RaRa. Transport from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Pittwater, near Newport, to Middle Harbour Yacht Club near the spit bridge. The route took us north through Pittwater, rounded Barronjoey Headland and then South past the Northern Beaches and through North and South Head into Sydney Harbour then straight west into Middle Harbour past Balmoral.
First night onboard we slept intermittently, many new sounds, not the best bedding (yet) and on water. at 08.00 we had breakfast at RPAYC.
- 09.05: Left the mooring by motor and headed north up Pittwater. Set sail at 09.30, just enough wind and smooth waters to give us practice setting sails and handling the boat. Wind N, NE
- 11.50: rounded Barronjoey headland – used motor on and off for the last hour to get round, sea picked up, then we headed SE and had some nice wind but high seas
- 12.30 passed Newport beach on the ocean side
- 14.06 through the heads into Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson). Surfed down a wave at 12 knots with a perfect wind
- Sails down outside Chinamans beach at 14.30
- Arrived at MHYC at 15.00 – the wind had by then picked up and being new to the boat and how it handles by engine, especially reversing, we moored on the outside T-bar for the night.
