Jervis Bay and Shell Harbour Marina
22 March 2024 | Shell Harbour Marina
Jeanette Hay | Fine
We enjoyed our time at Jervis Bay. Loved the anchorages at The Hole in The Wall and Long Beach, but a little disappointed in anchoring or getting a mooring at Vincentia and Huskinson as they were quite swelly even when the wind was calm. One thing we did find hard was getting ashore at some of the places, as the beaches can be a little too wavy to get the dinghy easily to shore. We had to go quite a way down the beach to find a good spot at The Hole in the Wall and Long Beach. We also had a bit of a scare at Vincentia as we wanted to go ashore to go to the shop, so I could get some fresh meat, fruit and vegetables. It looked calm close to shore from the boat, but it actually wasn't when we got closer to shore in the dinghy. The tide was low and I am not sure if that made a difference. As we got close to the shore in the dinghy the water started receding back quite quickly and it looked a little weird and really swirly. I just had this uncomfortable feeling that this wasn't going to be a good place to land and so I said to Neil, I think we need to turn around and get out of here, as it doesn't look good. Neil turned the dinghy around for us to leave, but suddenly while he was facing the shore trying to lift the outboard engine to avoid some rocks, I was looking straight ahead at a wave that was rapidly growing in size as it was approaching us. I said to Neil, he needed to look at what was coming and that we needed to quickly get out of here. He was still trying to lower the engine and then he saw the wave. He accelerated quickly forward and then stopped acceleration as the wave was upon us. I thought the wave was going to break on us as it was taller than us, but instead we leapt up and over it. Then the next wave was very close behind and we had to do the same process again, go up and over it. The third wave was looking even bigger, and this time Neil had time to accelerate quickly and we went left to outrun that wave. I was so surprised at these 3 waves, as no more came after we headed further out, and we hadn't seen any before we approached the shore. We then went along the beach for about 500m to see if we could find any other place to land the dinghy, but in the end, we gave up and decided that we would go back to the boat and sail the boat to the next bay which was close by and try and go to shore there.
The next bay was Huskinson townsite and it has 3 public moorings just outside the river inlet that leads into the town. The roll in that bay was not good at all, but we thought we could moor here for a short time to go into town and then head back to Vincentia after, as it was a calmer bay. There are leads to follow to get into the river. Our yacht has too deep a draft to go into the river, but we followed the leads in even though we were in the dinghy, as the water was so shallow and there was waves, rocks and whirlpool current all happening at the same time around us. Inside the river we could tie up to a jetty for small craft, which was good. It was a nice place, as we went for a quick walk around, had lunch at a café and went to the grocery store. It looks like a holiday place and had a lot of people dining at cafes. Unfortunately, the grocery store was only a small convenience store, so it didn't really have much in the way of fresh fruit and vegetables or meat. We bought a few things and then headed back to the dinghy to go back to the boat. By the time we got back to the boat, the roll was really bad and the other boat that was there when we arrived had left and gone to Vincentia. We got back on board and quickly went back to Vincentia to get a public mooring there, as there was a lot less swell.
That same afternoon we looked at Predict Wind to try and see when we could leave Jervis Bay to head north. The swelly bays were starting to get to us. There was a calm day with little wind and low seas the next day on Friday and then a southerly the following Wednesday. In the end, I said to Neil let's go tomorrow morning to Shell Harbour Marina (7 hour sail) and then hopefully we can go from Shell Harbour to Port hacking on the Wednesday. We looked at leaving the Wednesday and going all the way to Port Hacking (14 hours sail), but the winds were not going to be southerly for that length of time. So, we got up early and set sail by 7:30am as we needed to be in Shell Harbour Marina by 3:30pm as a northerly was coming in then and we wouldn't want to beat into that. The winds were light, and seas 1-1.5m so we used our gennaker sail to start with. For the second half of the trip, we had mild winds on our beam and could use our head sail plus motor. It ended up being a good passage for me as the seas stayed calm and I was not seasick. Neil said he didn't like the passage much, as he had to motor sail which he hates, but he did have a lot of time on his hands. I was surprised as he turned Starlink on and was watching videos on his phone, so it wasn't too bad!
The marina is fantastic. It is only 2 years old and has the same property developer as the marina where we had our boat in Perth. The only difference is this marina is like Port Coogee, but on steroids. The facilities are better, there is a large cruisers lounge with free coffee and Netflix, free laundry facilities, great showers and toilets, the waterfront tavern has seating for hundreds of people, plus there are a number of other eatery places and shops. Most importantly for supplies a huge Woolworths where I can get everything I need. The marina will order supplies for you to be delivered to your boat as well, if you want that kind of service.
Once we had tied up to the pen, I noticed that there was another Beneteau 473 two boats down from us and the lady was sitting in the cockpit. I went to say hi, as we always look out for other 473 owners. Helen and her husband Guy were originally from Canada, and they are French Canadians, but now live in NSW. They bought their Beneteau 2 years ago and this year will be the time that they will retire and head north to Queensland. They are also members of The Shaggers Club like us and are looking forward to meeting other Shaggers at the meetup in Queensland in August. Helen asked us over for coffee the next day to meet Guy as he was flying back from Melbourne that night.
The first night at the marina we went to the tavern for dinner to use our free drinks vouchers and discounted meal voucher which the marina presented to us. I got to have a hot shower, do my hair, put on some makeup and dress up for the night. It was a nice treat. The food was great and it was very relaxing, I was so tired when we got back to the boat that I fell asleep sitting at our table watching TV. That rarely happens. It was also so nice to not be in a rolly bay!
Saturday morning, we had coffee at Helen and Guy's boat and then Guy suggested having a meal together that day and so I suggested that they come over to our boat for dinner that night. We also got to have a look at their Beneteau 473, as their boat which they bought in Sydney is a French version, while ours is a USA version. Same, same, but different we noted. They are also interested in how we set things up on our boat and what we have, as they need to put a lot of gear onto their boat in the next couple of months to get it ready for long term cruising. We were happy to show them our boat and talk about what we use for cruising. We had a great night and went to bed well after cruiser's midnight.
The next day Neil was offered help by another cruiser, Greg, who has the same dinghy and wheels as us, to come to our boat and help Neil put the wheels on. We had our brand new wheels, but haven't been able to put them on yet. Greg also drove Neil to the hardware store, so they could get bolts, screws, glue and washers. It was bit of a task to lift the dinghy onto the jetty using our spare halyard and whisker pole, but we managed it. It took about an hour to put the wheels on and I am keen to see how they go, when we try to pull the dinghy up a beach. We got Beach Master wheels, which are supposed to be the best from what we have read and so I hope they work well. Greg has also sailed across the Pacific years ago and is interested in getting Starlink and Neil said he wanted to talk to me to pick my brains about it. I suggested they come over for drinks later in the day and we can share stories and I can tell them about Starlink. The weather here is really warm and so it will be a nice night to sit in our cockpit for drinks. We ended up having a lovely evening and we met Greg's wife Debbie.
Our original plan was to stop at this marina for a few days and then head to Port Hacking for a few days and then go to Sydney where we would put the boat in a marina while we went back to Perth for a couple of weeks. The weather was still being difficult to head north and so I suggested why don't we stay here in this marina while we go back to Perth and then come back and start heading north again. At Shell Harbour Marina it was easier to get the new outboard serviced for its compulsory first service (which needed to be done) here as the servicing company would come and collect the outboard for us. In Sydney Neil was going to have to drive the dinghy to Cockatoo Island and leave the dinghy there and get a boat ride back to the boat. We also had a place we could provision for food. I found out that we could take the train to Sydney and the airport and that the train station was only a 5-minute drive from the marina. So, I suggested to Neil about staying in this marina instead of rushing to get to Sydney and we can get the outboard serviced here. It all sounded a good idea, until after I cancelled the other marina and paid extra to stay longer at Shell Harbour when I found out that there are no taxis or Ubers in Shell Harbour and to get to the train station someone has to give you a lift. In the end we were offered lifts by both Greg and Debbie and Helen and Guy if we needed to go to the train station. I also tried to hire a car for a few days, but there is no hire car options in this area.
Staying in Shell Harbour gave us some time to do some maintenance on the boat, plus we did a day trip up to Sydney (2 hour train ride) to see Neil's daughter and to play tourist for a couple of hours in the city centre. Catching the train was interesting as the train was supposed to come at 8:02am but it ended up coming nearly half an hour later and the timetable board at the station was totally incorrect, as it had the time the train was supposed to come, the time that is was due to arrive and then the time it did come and none of it made sense. we even rang to get confirmation the train was coming and notified them of what the electronic timetable board was saying and the person told Neil to go online and let the NSW transport know! Neil then said to the railway person to tell them yourself and thanked him and ended the call. We had a lovely time in the city and also checked out possible places we could anchor our yacht in the main harbour area. I think the highlight for Neil was seeing a young woman walking the city streets of Sydney wearing the most ridiculous looking shoes. It was entertaining walking behind her and watching all the facial expressions and glances from other people walking by. It gave us a good laugh as we walked the long way back to the city train station to head back to Shell Harbour.
To fill in our time at Shell Harbour, Neil spent days cutting and polishing the deck and it is looking really good. He is trying to get into a maintenance routine this year so the boat will look good and to replace some parts that are starting to wear out. After all of Neil's work we had some sea eagles hanging out at the top of our mast eating their dinner and splattering our clean deck and canvas canopy with guts, bones, scales, blood and poop. They did this 2 days in a row and I am a bit worried that we might have a mess when we get back to the boat. Neil cleaned it all off before we left. There was no birds, except seagulls around the first week, but the last 2 days there have been sea eagles and crows/ravens hanging around. I hope it doesn't last and they fly off.
Greg helped us put on the dinghy wheels and then we went for a walk around the marina to see samples of dinghy chaps which we will get made in Queensland. For those who have no idea what chaps are, they are basically covers that are velcroid or glued onto the inflatable chambers of a dinghy to protect it from UV sunlight. We think we will get a type of vinyl as the fabric for the chaps, but we are still in discussion about colour. I want a darker colour to hide the dirt and Neil wants a light colour as that colour might not get as hot. So, we have to find something not too hot, that will not show the dirt.
One afternoon we went walking into Shell Harbour Village and along the beach foreshore. The tide was well out and on the rocks we noticed so many blue bottle jellyfish drying out in the sun. I have rarely seen them before and there was hundreds of them scattered on the rocks all along the beach.
We ordered some boat gear we needed, to be sent to us at the marina, as we had an address to use. We spent hours researching and watching videos on how we could change the way we use out whisker pole. Neil wants a rigger to do some changes to the boat, as the whisker pole handling has always been difficult and the older we get the harder it will be. We are trying to get a rigger to look at the boat when we are in Pitt Water or we will do it at Boat Works in Queensland. I also spent time working on things that we have to do when we are back in Perth, as I am doing some renovations to an investment property I own. Organising things from the other side of the country has been a little challenging. I am hoping I can get it all organised and ready while I am in Perth.
The majority of the time the weather has been lovely, however, we had a couple of days of non-stop rain and so those days we were stuck inside the boat researching or working on our computers. One of those days, I sat and watched a movie in the middle of the day and veged out on the couch, which is not something I normally would do. It felt good to chill out while the rain poured outside. One of the nights we had what is called "a southerly buster' which they get here in NSW and boy it was a little boisterous that night trying to sleep. Neil added extra lines from the boat to the jetty, as the wind was coming side on to the boat and pushing us so far off the jetty I was struggling to get on the boat. I found it very hard to sleep with the wind noise and all the lines creaking that night.
In the end my idea of staying in Shell Harbour Marina has had some benefits, but it also had some negatives, as the train that was supposed to run the day we were leaving for the airport to go back to Perth was now not running and we were going to have to get a number of buses to Wollongong and then get two trains to the airport. This just sounded too difficult with luggage and unreliable to do the morning we were catching the plane, as we could not afford to miss the train to the airport and so we have ended up going on the train the day before and staying a night at a hotel near the airport. Also, as we are returning back to Sydney at night, we are unable to get the train back to Shell harbour Train Station, as it will be around midnight when we would get off the train and there are no taxis or Ubers to take us from the station to the marina. The marina is shut and it is a bit late to ask people to come and pick us up. We did look at walking, but it is definitely too far, too hilly, will be too dark and we will have suitcases to lug as well. This has meant that we have had to book another night in a hotel on our return and head to Shell Harbour Marina the next day in the daytime, where the marina will be open and can come and collect us from the train station. A good lesson and a costly one for me, but I now know to check what the public transport is like and if there are taxis and Ubers available at places we visit.
It is always a little sad when we both leave the boat and I worry she will be okay. However, it will be great to be in Perth for Easter and I will be able to see my grandsons, as they are growing so fast and changing every time, I see them. We have lots to do in Perth and lots of people to catch up with, so I am sure the time will go quickly and then it will be back to the boat and as soon as we can, we will be heading north.