Cruising News
Cruising Update
Words - Jim Cormack & Ann Asker Photos: Margot Rathbone
Sometimes it is nice to be able to say
has been shown by recent events at the
is a tug boat that regularly plies the river
that today we won’t go cruising because
Club, it is at these times that the Pilots
between the mouth of the river and Grafthe weather doesn’t really suit me. Unlike and Paramedics put their lives on the line ton and that we can expect to be able
racing where the start occurs rain hail or
to assist with our care. Our social First
to take vessels drawing more than 2.5
shine cruisers get a choice. In any case
Friday gatherings also have a purpose
metres up the river. This will open up the
there are often benefits of attending a
to enlighten, inform and entertain Club
possibility of completing the journey for
cruise which allows people to get togeth- Members and guests not only with the
the majority of our cruising yachts. Keep
er for a coffee and a chat, for a pleasant
events that cruisers are involved in but
these two major destinations in mind as
afternoon drink on a quiet beach or dinalso how the community impacts on our
you plan your cruising events. The plans
ner with friends in a serene anchorage in
activities. We hope that you will continue for these cruises will be announced in the
our spectacularly beautiful national park.
to enjoy the program of events that we
cruising newsletter
Of course, a brisk sail to and from our
have for you.
For further cruising related information
destinations is always a bonus.
Are you thinking about joining one of
please follow the RPAYC website to SailDuring the last month we had cruises to
our extended sesquicentenary cruises?
ing/Cruising /Cruising Events to get the
Towlers or Morning Bay and to RefThen we will be having a number of
latest news or subscribe to the regular
uge Bay where the tide in the evening
preparation seminars for Coral Coast
newsletter by ticking the box on the
allowed those attending to enjoy the
2017. We have a basic plan for this exhome page.
pleasant surroundings of the beach with
tensive rendezvous cruise which is schedthe waterfall as a backdrop, sparkling in
uled to arrive back in Pittwater in time fo r
the setting sun.
the major sesquicentenary celebrations
This month, CareFlight will speak to us
towards the end of October next year.
about their operations and highlight
Before that there will be a shorter cruise
some of the work that they do to support to see the spectacular backdrop to Grafour sailing community. Unfortunately not ton of the beautiful jacaranda trees in full
every sailing event is without incident as
bloom. I am reliably informed that there
Port Hacking Cruise
Watching the weather deteriorate over
the week prior to our scheduled Monday
departure to Port Hacking it was clear
that the departure day would not be the
optimal day for cruising to our destination so departure was delayed. Eventually we saw a weather window for the
Thursday which still gave us a reasonable
amount of time to explore the region.
We departed in a light northerly breeze
at around 9:45am which put us into our
destination at Jibbon Beach early enough
in the afternoon to enjoy sunset and a
quiet little drink to celebrate our arrival.
Easter Cruise at Bobbin Head
What a delightful weekend to enjoy the
National Park environment at Bobbin
Head. Over the 4 day weekend 21 Club
boats stayed and came and went making
65 cruising boat days on the water. As
with a typical local extended cruise, various activities were planned and members
joined in where it suited their personal
plans. We walked, gathered for drinks,
kayaked extensively, coffee-d ashore and
lunched over a very pleasant picnic on
Sunday with Easter egg trimmings. As a
new idea for a late afternoon gathering
we set up a raft-up of 17 dinghies for
‘Drifting Drinks’ on Saturday.
The following day was spent exploring
the peninsula and Bundeena and were
joined by Heaven’s Gate for the night
before heading upstream on Saturday
into the beautiful Royal National Park to
survey the large cruiser raft ups in South
West Arm. We managed to find a secluded anchorage and spent a very quiet
night there.
On Sunday we took the Easter Bunny’s
scenic cruise around Yowie Bay and Lilli
Pilli to view some of the stunning waterfront homes in the area and eventually
ended up in Cronulla (Gunnamatta Bay).
We took the dinghy to the Sailing Club
and walked up into Cronulla where there
was definitely a carnival atmosphere in
the main street. The walk continued to
the famous Cronulla Beach then back to
the boat for sundowners and a pleasant
BBQ.
Another pleasant night was spent in
Gunnamatta Bay before an early departure for Pittwater to make best use of
the residual Southerly winds before the
Northerly change would hit. We rolled
into Pittwater in time for a late lunch in
the lee of Barrenjoey Headland.
A very pleasant few days in an environment crying out for exploration.