Our stay in Sydney
We arrived at Cammaray Marina (Sydney) on the December 2. A scorching hot Sunday and probably the worst time to try and navigate up to Cammaray. Everyone in Sydney had decided to have some fun on the harbour from mad fizz boaters screaming along at 20th, racing dinghys, kayakers, water skiers and biscuiters, ferries, it was bedlam. Warren was below navigating some shallow areas and Trish on the helm doing her best to avoid missiles. But we managed to get safely to the split bridge for the 2pm openin
Cammaray is just a single finger private marina owned by Cal and Barb who we met in Carpe Verde 10 years ago, also doing a circumnavigation with their 2 wee girls. There were a lot of live aboards and it was a great friendly place. We said goodbye to Mark and Judy here who returned home, hopefully not too uninspired to set off further afield on their own boat.
Morgan soon became part of the Cammaray family, falling in love with an old German Shepard called Carla. He spent a lot of time with the boat yard crew and earned the title dock rat. as the marina was a 100 steps below the road entrance a tender service was provided to cart boaties and goods to and from a park at the head pf the waterway. The tender was an old yellow wooden boat with a steering console and the tender drivers would let Morg drive to and from the dock to the park.
Morg took his job very seriously and became very adept at steering and tying the tender up.
There were also some little fellas around for Morg to play with. The neighbours -Mario and Leisl on Destiny next door became good friends and Mario would take Morg and two little mates out in the rib every Sunday morning for a swim and breakfast at a nearby beach. And Mum would have a lazy morning all to herself!!!! Morgan had free reign of the dock here still having to check in with Mum as to what he was up too though. I began to wonder why he never wanted lunch and found out that the yardies were always feeding him. Colins honey on toast kept him going in the mornings and then it was a big fed at lunchtime when everyone congregated on the dock for lunch.
We also house sat for close friends Bill, Jackie and Hector (their son who is the same age as Morg). We met them in Madiera 10 years ago on their beautiful classic wooden yacht Pukka Belle and they also lived on their boat in Cammaray for a couple of years when they returned to Aus. We got to spend a bit of time with PB before they set flew off to England for Christmas to visit family.
Louise and her son Flynn (from NZ) joined us for Christmas week in Sydney time spent doing the parks and beaches. Warren was navigator in the Sydney to Hobart race on Mikeys boat Endorfin a Sydney 45, so Christmas Day was down at Camaray dock with the crew and family of Endorfin. It was a great day, a cooked ham and salads and pavlova, very relaxed and hot. Boxing day was the start of the race so an early morning drop off to CYC fro Warren. It was the usual crowded mayhem down there and a beautiful day fro the start. But that soon changed as they got hammered on the first night beating into 30kn southerly. I was lying in my nice still bunk ‘thinking of them’. They did well anyway coming……………..in their division.
New Years Eve was spent out on Destiny with a birds eye view of the Sydney fireworks display. It was a great night and relaxing not having the worries about taking your own boat out on the harbour. Thanks Mario and Liesl once again.
A few days later we set off by car for Geelong where Warrens son Sam was sailing in the 14 footers. It was a good chance to see a bit of the interior so we headed through Canberra and the BLue Mountains. Beautiful drive down through the Jindabyne But I did have a chuckle when i saw the ski fields of Threadbo etc. Maybe they look different in winter.
We spent a few days in Geelong catching up with Warrens sons and family and then flew home for a few days to attend a great Irish/NZ wedding in Whakatane. Again friends met through our time spent on the boat in Ireland-the famous Cronins from Crosshaven (a wee drinking village with a fishing problem). And please take a bow Joleen Cronin, as Joleen got us started on this web site.
So from NZ back to Sydney to prepare for Bass Strait.