Circle Raft-up, Sugarloaf - Gerald Nicholls

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G’day Cruisers

January and February 2026 have been busy for us so apologies for the late edition of Compass Rose.

The Christmas New Year Cruise to Port Stephens ended up being just Jenni and I on Serenite with others having to stay in or around Sydney for family or health reasons. I’ve added a bit of a write up of what we got up to and a couple of photos below.

Our January meeting is normally just a BBQ and get together to start the year but we decided this year to add a practice session on the beach with our signal flares. Coloured and smoke flares only, no parachutes allowed. We had 15 or so people along with most of us having a practice go. Always good to try this sort of thing out before you need to do it for real.

I did go through the process of letting all the agencies know we were having our practice session (Police, Fire, Marine Rescue, Navy etc.) but the Mosman Fire Brigade still came down to say hello. The fact that there had been the fire at D’Albora the week before probably had our neighbours watching carefully. I’ve added a couple of photos below. Thank you to Phil Darling for running the evening.

Over the weekend of 14^th and 15^th February we had our Tapas Tie-up in Sugarloaf Bay and this year someone suggested we attempt a circle raft-up. We had 9 boats attend including Richard and Alexandra on Hawkeye, visiting during their circumnavigation. The circle raft-up worked pretty well I thought and the drone footage shows it was more or less round. As usual we had a fabulous time moving from boat to boat and I’ve included lots of photos and some video footage below.

At our February meeting we had an interview with Gavin Randall who is about to set off around the world on Viking III his Hallberg-Rassy 38. Gavin talked and took questions for more than an hour to the crowd who had gathered to hear his story. He talked with such passion about fulfilling his long-time dream I’m very much in awe of his commitment to follow through on it. The Cruisers are planning to gather on the morning of 28^th February to sail down the harbour and out the heads with him as he heads off.

Next month (March 18^th) Richard and Alexandra will be talking to us about their journey so far on Hawkeye. They left San Remo in 2019 and have been cruising the world ever since on their Lagoon 450. They’ve been berthed at the club since Christmas time and were great fun and a big help at the Tapas Tie-up. Looking forward to hearing their stories of the last 6+ years.

We’ve got a bunch of other interesting presenters lined up for the following months so watch the Cruising Events Calendar. Look forward to seeing you all at the Barefoot Beach Party on Saturday.

Cheers

Gerald Nicholls, (Serenite)

Christmas New Year Cruise - Port Stephens.

We left the harbour on Boxing day around 11am and had a great sail to Pittwater for the first night and then on to Port Stephens next day. The southerly which was whacking the Hobart boats was perfect for us.

We had a great week in Port Stephens looking around, going as far up as Tanilba Bay and Lemon Tree Passage, although there wasn’t enough depth to get up the last bit of channel there to the marina.

We spent nights off Dutchies Beach, Nelson Bay Beach and one night in Fame Cove. Sadly, my drone met its end in Fame Cove. It took off ok but then decided it needed to do an emergency landing in the water, which it’s not built for and it went straight to the bottom. We were in about 4 metres of water so while I was able to swim to the bottom to have a look, the visibility was only about a foot when you got there so I never found it. It had had a good life and served me well although there was some footage from a previous holiday on the SD Card in it which I hadn’t copied. There’s a lesson there somewhere.

We also had a few nights in Soldiers Point Marina which I can thoroughly recommend. They come around each morning with a complimentary coffee and newspaper and then in the afternoon the golf cart comes by with the cocktail of the day, really nice touches, good facilities and lovely helpful people.

We spent New Year’s Eve there with live music on the marina and a few fireworks being set off around the place.

The breeze had come round to the east for the sail back on 2^nd January and we averaged 6.4 knots for the 75 NM back to Pittwater. We picked up a mooring in the Basin again and Jeremy and Kristen turned up on Kai Rani. We set off early again the next morning and motor sailed back to our berth at the club. A great week or so away.

Gerald & Jenni, Serenite

January Flare Practice night

After our BBQ, Phil Darling gave us a safety briefing and some instruction on Do's and Don't's when setting off flares before we walked onto the beach and set a few off.  

February Meeting - Interview with Gavin Randall

At our February meeting we had a chat with Gavin on the last few years preparation for his trip around the world on Viking III. The room was full and Gav very generously answered questions for an hour or more on his preparation and the proposed route.

An inspirational chat and I'm looking forward to following his progress. Sail safe Gav and have a great adventure.

12 Boats got together to see him out the heads on the morning of 28 February but that's a story for the next Compass Rose. 

The disappearing hatch cover – Kai Rani

A nice day on the water can be expensive.

Kristin and I were in Pittwater over the Christmas break.

Unusually, it was not crowded. Kristin had invited her cousin and her family. We picked them up at Palm Beach wharf, always a nervous process with picking people up in between ferry pick up’s and drop off. Had a lovely sail up towards Lion Island and decided to gybe back towards Towlers Bay for lunch.

One of our guests had used the forward head and had opened the hatch when using the toilet. As we gybed I saw the hatch lid flash before my eyes as it went into the water.

So, I have more narrative for people on my boat “if you open it close it".

The new hatch has now shown up the other hatches - so I will have to update accordingly. 

Jeremy Clarke
SV Kai Rani

There are many old, and new, sailors who like us, have had wonderful on water moments in their lives, which they would love to revisit, dust off and present again to our members.  Bear with me while I present one of these - and I urge you to have a think about sailing times you might have had which might interest our Compass Rose readers.

One morning in October 2000, I just happened to wake up early to hear on the radio a report that sounded like the replica of the Dutch East India ship ‘Batavia’ was putting to sea with our replica Endeavour.

Did I hear that they would fire broadsides at each other? Surely not. Not being able to check with anyone Glynne and I scrambled Simply Irresistible, told friends Jan and Don Jordan I thought I had heard and did they want to join us?  Yes, even if I’m mad and it’s just a nice sail offshore.

Motoring out through The Heads there were the two square riggers with just one other boat and a launch watching.  We could hardly believe our eyes.  Yes and they did fire broadsides at each other!

The Replica Batavia had arrived in Sydney from Lelystad by a semi-submersible ship in 1999 and was fully rigged for the first time here. 

This was a 10 year project led by master shipbuilder Willem Vos, using traditional 17th-century methods, materials (oak, hemp), and designs from wreck remains and historical sources to create an authentic reconstruction for public display and educational purposes.

The main investor insisted that ‘At risk kids’ be employed as workers and therein they would learn a trade.

The Batavia was the flagship for the Dutch Olympic Team during the 2000 Olympic Games. On its return to harbour after the cruise, the mast was so high that the ship had to wait for an exceptionally low tide to clear Sydney Harbour bridge, on its way to the inner harbour. Even then, it only just got through.

Gill Attersall, Simply Irresistible

Alex Comino

February 2026

1. What times of the lunar month would you expect to have Spring tides? 

2. You note that High Tide today is just after 1pm.  What time would you expect it be tomorrow?

3.You are down the southern end of Port Phillip Bay, near the entrance, on the eastern shore.  It is a brilliant sunny morning but, alas, no wind.  A local walks past and says “don’t worry – good sea breeze later”.  What might you expect? 

4.Would you expect the wind in Q3 to back or veer as they strengthen later?

5. If someone tells you “keep a cable off the rocks” – how far is this? 

6.You arrive at a new port and see a floating buoy coloured (in horizontal bands) red, green, red.  What is this, and what action should you take.

7. Under sail, you notice that your headsail windward telltales are lifting and disturbed while the leeward ones are streaming.  What are your options if you wish to keep optimal sail trim?

8. In what circumstances would you issue a PAN PAN call? 

9. You see a red flare go off at night, but are concerned since it is in the middle of an area of reefs and strong currents.  What are your obligations, and why?  What would you do?

10. On entering a port, you sight a large vessel with two flags flying –a white and red flag (vertical halfs), and a solid red flag (swallowtail).What are these flags, what do they mean, and what should you do?

Send your photos to Mike McEvoy to enter into the 2026 Cruising Division Competition. Each Month the best photo received will be published and, in the running, to win a new Mystery Prize at the end of 2026. 

Send your best photos (as a JPG / JPEG) - Remember … to be in the running to win the prize you must be in it. Hint …. Give your favourite photo a Title and Place taken. Submit your photos to mmcevoy@bigpond.net.au

Good Shooting …!! Mike.

Farm Cove - New Year's Eve - Sanna Westling

1. Spring tides occur when the moon and sun are more-or-less in line – ie at the times of full moon and no moon (usually a day or two after in fact as there is a lag).

2.  Diurnal tides (the type we have in Sydney) are approximately one hour later each day, so we would expect tomorrows high at about 2pm.  Of course there will be another high tonight at about 1.30am as well.

3. I would expect a light westerly first (the “Bay Breeze”), to be replaced later by a stronger southerly (the true “Sea Breeze” off the southern ocean).  For those interested, Frank Bethwaite’s book “High Performance Sailing” is highly recommended and devotes a whole chapter to “Winds Near Shores”.

4. A wind backs if it swings left or against the compass while it veers if it swings right or with the compass.  As the winds in Q3 strengthened they would back due to the Coriolis force.  The bay breeze would swing towards the south-west, and the sea breeze towards the south-east. 

5. One tenth of a nautical mile – ie 185 metres.

6. This is a preferred channel marker which you should keep to port (if you wish to use the preferred channel).  It seems to indicate that there is another, non-preferred channel which you may be able to use instead.  Best advice is to check your chart to better understand your options.

7. You need to either sheet in the headsail tighter, or alter course away from the wind (ie to leeward).

8. A PAN PAN call is appropriate when you have some difficulties, would appreciate assistance (either directly or by radio) but are not in distress (ie not in a situation where there is an immediate threat to vessel or life).

9. A red flare is a distress signal – you have an obligation to give all assistance possible without endangering yourself.  It will be your decision on whether to enter the area of possible danger or to give all assistance possible from outside this area.

10. The white and red flag is code flag H (hotel), meaning a pilot is on board.  The red swallowtail is code flag B (bravo), meaning the vessel has dangerous goods on board.  Keep well clear.