January 2007 – Broken Bay

We enjoyed Christmas Day in Cammeray Marina (Sydney Harbour) and Boxing Day with our Sydney yachtie friends watching the start of the Hobart race and, oh yes New Year's Eve again with our Sydney yachtie friends too.  We also had our eldest daughters on board and their respective partners which was just wonderful - such a good time was had by all - plenty of laughing.  In fact, I think the crew had too good a time - BIG headache New Year's Day.   

 Merry Christmas

We met some new friends New Year's Eve quite by accident as they anchored near us and managed to lay their anchor over our anchor chain.  Efforts to retrieve their anchor were aborted when we became concerned that they may also pull our anchor out with theirs and perhaps create a problem in the midst of the numerous boats. So.... alongside they came, rafted to us and joined the party! They were very apologetic and most embarrassed but soon relaxed to enjoy themselves.  

Sydney, as always, put on a spectacular fireworks display and we were one of several hundred boats on the harbour enjoying the view.  The traffic was a little disconcerting, but there were no incidents to speak of in our part of the anchorage.  Well done boaties!

As soon as the children departed, Neil's brother joined us for a few days of R&R and the weather behaved impeccably.  We managed to swim a few times and oh yes, spent a rather unique night in Middle Harbour. On anchoring, it is the skipper's habit to get into the dinghy and check the water depth around the yacht.  A good idea, except when unknowingly you are sitting on a hump.  The depth checked out ok all around the yacht but as the night wore on we took on a slightly bow-down angle.  Strange effect this wine is having on me! The later it got, the more pronounced the angle.  Hmmm why aren't we swinging around with the tide? The unanimous opinion was that the yacht had come to rest on a mound (or rock, or sand hump) and although the depth all the way around was fine, the depth directly under the keel was not.  All attempts to winch ourselves off with the anchor and engine proved fruitless so there we stayed.  "We will be ok, the worst that will happen is that she will lean a bit at low tide and by morning will be back where we were".  3am I think it was, the dishes clanked with the final gentle lean and after a turn around deck by all occupants we changed ends on the bed (pillows up the high end) and went back to sleep - ever so slowly sliding down the bed.  All fine in the morning.  Will mark that one on the chart! (Why were the dishes still in the sink anyway????)