The Boats 

The Main Game, Trilogy, Araluen, Five Star and Harlequin

 

The Itinerary 

Saturday 9 June – We left Bobbin Head at 7.15am and travelled to Sydney Harbour. The weather was overcast, winds were light and we had light rain along the way. The seas were slight, with next to no swell and very little wind chop. This was about as good as you were going to get for a trip past “The Lion”. We were very fortunate to sight some whales off Avalon and stopped and watched them for about 15 minutes. We also had dolphins accompany us along the way, diving around and underneath the boats. We arrived in Sydney Harbour and anchored and rafted up off the Quarantine Station at Manly and had lunch and enjoyed the amazing views. What a great way to start the weekend! After lunch we cruised down towards The Spit Bridge before heading off to Gladesville Marina to berth our boats. We were then met by other Bobbin Head Cruising Club members who joined us for dinner and the Vivid cruise. The Vivid experience was spectacular and it was difficult to know where to look next as the light show continuously changed. The Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge were at their most spectacular when lit up at night. An amazing experience!

 

Sunday 10 June – A leisurely cooked BBQ breakfast followed by a mutiny! Five Star took the shopaholics to Birkenhead Point whilst Harlequin cruised the Parramatta River. The mutineers regrouped for lunch at Birkenhead Point before cruising back to Gladesville Marina in preparation for our mystery cruise to the city and dinner at Caminetto’s Italian restaurant in The Rocks. Our mystery cruise was more an adventure than a mystery with boat wash creating some challenging docking moments. We arrived safely and walked in the rain to the restaurant, viewing the Vivid lights along the way, before being joined by other BHCC members for dinner. A great night was had by all, adults on one table and children on another. The food and company were fantastic, although it was difficult to tell which table was the loudest, the adults or the children!

 

Monday 11 June – Another leisurely breakfast before leaving Gladesville Marina for the trip back to Broken Bay. The conditions for the return trip were a bit more challenging with the swell running at 1.5-2.0 metres and a wind chop on top making it a bit sloppy. However, all boats and crews managed the conditions well and returned safely. Unfortunately, no whales were sighted on the return trip. We then rafted up on the BHCC moorings in Americas Bay and had a fantastic BBQ lunch and afternoon in the clearing weather and sunshine. Disappointingly, the weekend had come to an end and we all reluctantly headed back to Bobbin Head.

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Best Bits 

The thrill of spending time with the whales. Gladesville Marina. The spectacular Vivid light show. Sharing time and conversation when dining together at Birkenhead Point and Caminetto’s in The Rocks. Spending time with a great group of people. Learning new boating skills. Seeing families have a great time.

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Best Tip

Just do it! You will never never know if you never never go!

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Scott Leavers

"Araluen"