24/09/2009, Sydney
A combination of intense cold front activity associated with a moderately deep low over Victoria brought this monumental duststorm to much of NSW and some of Qld. The photos are not taken through a filter and are not retouched in any way. They were taken at 7.30am when it is normally bright sunshine. See the photo gallery for the pix.
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14/07/2009, Sinny
Completely unforecast, this little system rolled across the city a few weeks ago. Pictures are not great quality due to being taken with phone camera. See in photo gallery "Front"
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08/06/2009, Newcastle
We had a fantastic sail up to Newcastle over the QB long weekend. W/NW 15-18 knots, board flat seas, 6.5 hours from Palm beach mooring to Nobby's, 7.5-8.5 kts, even had time for a cappuccino on route. Excellent.
Diomedea sailed in company with Reliance (Chris and Susan Daly). A nice night in the marina at the very new Newcastle CYC.
Check out the video.
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13/04/2009, Sydney
We timed our exit from Sydney harbour for the peak wind velocities of the afternoon. Sadly, these peaks were only about 7 kts. Thus Diomedea motored north to Broken Bay along with many other yachts for Easter. Our motoring speed is down due to a leaking head gasket, keeping our revs down. We arrived at Hallet's beach for a CCCA BBQ, only to find that it was drinks, and they were over! We had a quiet meal on board. Saturday saw us enjoying the delights of Dangar island and the absolutely sumptuous bread and butter pudding for which the island is justifiably famous. (Also famous for the bowling club, lifestyle, and idyllic location). We made an impromptu rendezvous with Three Ships and Alaban whose northward cruising had progressed only this far and spent a wonderful time with them on Saturday night at Akuna Bay. There we also bumped into the RPAYC cruise (thought they were going to Sydney harbour!) and John and De from Tara 2 out of Kettering, TAS. From Akuna bay it was around to Houseboat bay near Bobbin head for a walk and another fantastic evening. Our steel boat proved magnetic and the bay was soon crowded with many other vessels. Saw XtoSea at the marina - Hi Rob. Too soon it was time to return to Sydney and Diomedea sailed back slowly in a very light S-Se breeze. A heavy rain squall gave us a nice wash once back at the mooring. The yacht was washed too.
Photos in the Easter09 album.
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08/03/2009, Port Hacking
It was a rush. I just finished in surgery at 5.30 and was due to be in Newport to give our presentation on last years Sth Pacific cruise. We made it and had a great night at the Alfreds. Thank you to Peter and Maurice for the arrangements. Very positive comments on the talk. I need to thank Jen, Charles, and Geoff for the use of the photos and video.
Saturday saw us leave Sydney harbour in a dying breeze to sail the 12nm south to Port Hacking to join the CCCA rally. We had to motor sail for a while but then fortuitously the wind backed enough to get the Code Zero up and we were away. We closely inspected Seafox 6 just south of Botany bay. Presumably for the desalination plant outfall. The anchor went down at Jibbon beach just after sunset. We missed sundowner drinks but celebrated instead with a riesling, a crystal clear sky and a gorgeous moon. During the evening a change came through with bigger winds from the south and some rain. The morning was clear enough for a walk with crews from the various yachts. Following this was cappuccino time on Diomedea and we had a lovely hour or two with everyone from the club. Thank you to all who came to visit. The rally was staying in Port Hacking for a week but for us it was back to Sydney. Diomedea sailed beautifully back up the coast in 12-18 kts of breeze, being at Bradleys head 2.5hrs after leaving Jibbon. Fantastic. Sadly the rain came in full strength but at least the boat got a wash. See the photos in the album called Cruising around Sydney.
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25/01/2009, Sydney
Our friend James passed away in the company of his family over the weekend. James had been known to us for many years, firstly as a neighbour, then through Scouts, and finally through sailing. He was an outstanding young man, always giving something back to those or the community around him. He helped in the development of our own children in the Scouting movement and in sailing. He has of course helped many others. More recently he was the world champion in the Movember campaign, despite being confined to bed. James was a keen sailor, pursuing this passion on a number of boats including our very own Diomedea. I have included a photo of James on the helm toward the conclusion of the 2005 Hobart race. Perhaps this photo best typifies him in my memory. He will be sadly missed.
Our hearts go out to his wife Stephanie, his parents John and Judy, and the rest of the clan.
Fair winds James.
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