By Sanna Westling S/V RaRa.
In Newcastle, we looked ahead at the weather forecast for the following week and decided to go to Swansea and attempt getting into Lake Macquarie. We spoke to Marine rescue and decided to give this a try, not being ready to return to Sydney yet.
The entrance out of Newcastle was a lot smoother and the 12 nm trip to Swansea was nice. Navigating through the first part of the Swansea channel towards the bridge was in beautiful clear waters with that great green colour we had been hoping for in Port Stephens (but the weather had other ideas).
Lunch on the pinky before heading through the booked bridge. Interesting to go through the open bridge, feels very narrow at the bottom and the top, especially with the current running through.
On the other side of the bridge the channel is a little shallow in places as it has been sometime since the last dredge. We draw only 1.4 meters which was lucky as we made it through. Keeping an eye on the depth and navigating the current through the buoys was challenging, especially as the sand was probably only 5-10 cm under the keel at one stage – but we made it through.
The first stop was at Lake Macquarie Yacht Club – moored up on the outside of the marina, where they have plenty of space for guests. Met by the local dolphin as we arrived.
Lucky to be in the marina when the thunder storm hit the region. We got lots of wind and rain but hardly any thunder – the main part of the lightning strikes where between the Entrance and Broken bay.
Sailing on the Lake was a great experience, reminded us a lot about the archipelago in Stockholm, especially some of the open and flat waters (compared to Sydney and Pittwater) as well as the navigating.
The weather was not far off a Swedish summer either (…just a lot warmer).
After four days on the lake, where we stayed at a new anchorage each night, we decided it was time to head back to Sydney. Looking closely at the tides and weather and speaking to Marine Rescue on a daily basis, we booked the bridge opening at Swansea for 08.00 on Saturday. Left the mooring outside Wangi, crossed the lake and made it through the channel, which had been made narrower but was not as shallow this time, and in time for the bridge. Got hit by rain just before going through and then we were treated to a lovely rainbow as we left the Lake.
Winds SE with 15-20 knots to start with on our way back towards Sydney. It if fascinating that you can see Sydney CBD in the distance as you pass the Entrance and then all the way until just outside of Pittwater. Had a great day on the ocean and arrived back to MHYC in the evening in time for dinner.
Highlights of the trip:
Eating fresh oysters in Fame Cove, meeting dolphins, being able to sail Lake Macquarie and staying on RaRa for 16 days together. Enjoying spending time together, reading, playing board games and sailing.
More details about our adventures can be found on our blog https://westlingfamily.com/rara
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