Image: Point Perpendicular

Boom, boom, boom....not exactly the dawn chorus a sailor expects to hear, but thats what we heard abeam Jervis Bay on the NSW Coast after our rolly stint south from Broken Bay.

As we raced on deck squinting into the eastern sunrise we saw the dark ominous silhouette of a modern warship firing heavy duty rounds from its foredeck gun - thick smoke accompanied each shot then a few seconds later the deep resonate thump as the sound reached us - it looked like a movie set - one we would rather not be in range of.

Boom, boom, boom, boom more shots - We both said at the same time 'lets alter course to the west - in the opposite direction towards the 91m towering sandstone cliffs hoping that the crew on the bridge of HMAS Warship # 39 knew exactly where we were!

Three hours later we sailed around the cliffs of Point Perpendicular and into Jervis Bay and discovered more marine military hardware undertaking 'manoeuvres' in the shelter of the voluminous bay.

Notwithstanding our surreal theatre of war experience, Jervis Bay is a truly beautiful part of Oz surrounded by national & marine parks with beautiful clear blue water with fringing scrubby greyish green banksia and casuarina forests and stark white sandy beaches all behind the imposing "Point Perp" cliffs and the perfect place to hang out until the winds are more favourable to sail further south until the butter hardens.