Home Again
05 October 2009 | Sydney Harbour - best port in the world!
John and Shauna
Having given up our foodstuffs at Coffs Harbour, we went out and bought more, then were surprised (polite term!!!) when the staff at the Outreach Clinic called John on his mobile to fill in for a colleague who had missed
his flight from Sydney. That will teach us not to call in and say hello! But it was only a morning's work and hardly dented John's thick layer of accreted calm and relaxation.
Subsequently there was a period of light SE breezes to be followed by a prolonged bout of SW to S winds of up to 50 knots - so we set off from Coffs for Sydney in light airs, intending to motor-sail as needed to get to Sydney (or at worst Newcastle) before this strong change. That was no problem and we came through the Heads two days later on a fine sunny morning. Trying to maintain our blissful island-time outlook on life was a bit difficult as we headed up the harbour against commuter ferries, fishing trawlers, fuel barges and two outgoing warships. Helped by our friends Ivan and Chris at Cabarita we tied up, and set about the task of taking off perishables, shore clothes and other things we will need at home. John thoroughly washed "Destiny" and she looked great until the next morning when the change arrived and with it a huge dust storm which dropped red-brown iron-tinged dust from the Outback over everything - sails were turned red-brown, decks soiled and all the fabrics topsides were discoloured. It was a remarkable and eerie sight to wake and find that the dust was so thick in the sky that it seemed like dusk all day - ferries and aircraft were delayed and many asthma sufferers were made unwell.
John starts doing some part-time work at the Foundation next week and we are about to haul out, antifouling and doing some engine maintenance.
As we did last summer, we'll put up a post from time to time and stay in touch. Then, when the plans for next year's cruise solidify we'll let you know what we have in store.
Cheers from us for now.