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Home , Botany Bay, Gunnamatta Bay, Jervis Bay, Port Hacking, Port Jackson

New Year Cruise 08-09 South to

The General Plan

The general plan is to leave the on Sunday 28 December and make our way South to Jervis Bay.

Sunday 28 Dec Pittwater to

Monday 29 Dec Port Hacking to Crookhaven River

Sunday 30 Dec Crookhaven River to Jervis Bay

Then spend 4-5 days at Jervis Bay with a possibility of an excursion to Ulladulla. The length of time to be spent in Jervis Bay will depend on the preferences of those participating. The strategy for the return North would be the reverse of the southward trip.

As always our progress will be weather dependent and the schedule may have to be modified accordingly. In the event the weather is unsuitable for South, then I suggest we can defer our plans and meet up with the “short cruise group” in Harbour

I propose that those who are interested in participating in the cruise should meet at the club in the week prior to Christmas over dinner, to discuss plans in more detail trying to ensure that everybody’s requirements can be met.

The Detailed Plan

On the basis that there could well be some time limitations for some of the cruisers we should make our way South as quickly as possible. I had anticipated that the first stage could be direct from the Pittwater to Port Hacking, a distance of some 37 miles. Hopefully the swell conditions are such that it is practical to anchor overnight at Jibbon Beach or Bundeena. This will enable an easy start to sea next morning. Failing that we can make our way into for a more protected anchorage. The tide time is not especially convenient for getting into Gunnamatta Bay (Low at 15:15) but according to the RMYC Porting Hacking web site there is 2 metres of depth even at low tide.

The next leg down the coast is a little more challenging, the distance being 58 miles to the Crookhaven or 73 miles to Jervis Bay. Neither Wollongong or Kiama harbours represent a viable proposition for overnighting, especially for a fleet of yachts. Limited space is available but only tided up to fishing boats or the pier and both harbours are affected by swell. The Port Kembla outer harbour would make an ideal half way point, however I have enquired with the harbour master and pleasure craft are not permitted except in emergencies.

Hopefully there will be a good North East breeze, with an early start and over 14 hours of daylight available to us, we should be able to make it to the Crookhaven or perhaps all the way to Jervis Bay before sunset. We should not leave Port Hacking until there are favorable conditions for the leg down the coast. The worst case scenarios are:-

• If conditions turn against us, then we retreat back to Port Hacking • If conditions become two light to make enough speed to get to our destination before sun set, then motor or spend a night at sea.

Once again the timing of the tide is not optimal for the arrival (Low at 15:50). The Shoalhaven Coastal Patrol however tell me that they have in excess of 3metres depth over the bar at low tide and it is a very sheltered entrance. Depending on progress of the fleet on the day and in consultation with the Shoalhaven Coastal Patrol as to the conditions at the entrance to the Crookhaven River, we can make the decision as we go to where to make for.

Jervis Bay by contrast is an all weather, all tide entrance.

Having made it to Jervis Bay it is intended that we could spend 4-5 days relaxing and cruising . Being a marine park it does not have a lot by way of facilities, but then the pristine protected environment is part of its attraction. Log onto the NSW Marine Parks Authority web site (http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/jbmp.html ) for further details. In addition the Federal Government Booderee National Park controls much of the land around Jervis bay (http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/booderee/ ).

It is especially important that you are familiar with the Anchoring restrictions in Jervis Bay and details of this can be found at ( http://www.mpa.nsw.gov.au/pdf/JBMP- zoning-plan-user-guide-Part-B.pdf ). Jervis Bay is a very open bay and we will need to keep an eye on the weather to ensure we are anchored in secure locations, depending on the wind direction and forecast.

For those who are interested, an excursion to Ulladulla staying overnight, would be an opportunity for further sea miles. Accommodation in Ulladulla is berthed against the wharf.

For the journey home if we are lucky we can find a Southerly and ride it back. More likely the prevailing Nor-Easter will be what we have to contend with. With this in mind we should go back to the Crookhaven River and then leave from there. An early start to get some miles under the keel before the Nor-Easter strengths in the afternoon should see us back in Port Hacking in late afternoon.

From Port Hacking thence back to the Pittwater, either directly or with a stop over in Sydney depending on time pressures.

I had anticipated being away about 10 days, but this is something we can discuss.

Distances

Distances – “Anchor Up” to “Anchor Down” as measured on Google Earth

Distances - Nautical Miles n g n n o n e y i s i a a s k v ll k B a c c a u a h s d B a k i J H v la e t o r l h t r o r r e U T o o J P P C The Basin X 20 37 89 Spring Cove 20 X 20 73 Port Hacking Gunnamatta Bay 37 20 X 58 73 Crookhaven Greenwell Point 89 73 58 X 22 40 Jervis Bay Long Beach 73 22 X 28 Ulladulla 40 28 X

Supplies

Water is available at:-

• Gunnamatta Bay – RMYC Port Hacking wharf • Crookhaven – Greenwell Point Wharf • Jervis Bay – Callalla wharf – You need to have your own hose • Ulladulla – Wharf

Diesel is a bit more of a challenge. Fuel wharfs are at RMYC Gunnamatta Bay and Ulladulla. There are no refueling wharfs in the Shoalhaven or Jervis Bay. Diesel is available from the service stations at Greenwell Point and Huskisson but you will need containers to ferry it out to transfer to your tanks.

Opportunities to obtain supplies include shops at Greenwell Point, Callala, Huskisson, Vincentia and Ulladulla. Rescue Organisations

The following Volunteer rescue organisations are available to us on the way for advice and assistance (hopefully not)

Broken Bay Coastal Patrol 9999 3554 Sydney Harbour Coastal Patrol 9969 3270 Sydney Harbour Coast Guard 9337 5033 Coastal Patrol 9567 7113 Wollongong Coast Guard 4229 3434 Port Kembla Coast Guard 4274 4455 Shoalhaven VMR 4447 4466 Jervis Bay Coastal Patrol 4441 5433 Sussex Inlet Coastal Patrol 4441 1444 Ulladulla Coastal Patrol 4455 3403

Tides

Low Tide High Tide

01:55 0.53 08:32 1.74 Sunday 28 Dec 1515 0.36 21:07 1.25 02:33 0.52 09:09 1.74 Monday 29 Dec 15:50 0.35 21:44 1.26 03:12 0.52 09:45 1.72 Tues 30 Dec 16:25 0.35 22:21 1.26 03:51 0.53 10:20 1.68 Wed 31 Dec 17:00 0.36 23:00 1.27 04:33 0.55 10:57 1.63 Thurs 1 Jan 17:37 0.38 23:44 1.29 5:19 0.58 Fri 2Jan 11:36 1.55 18:15 0.4 00:30 1.32 6:10 0.61 Sat 3 Jan 12:19 1.46 18:55 0.42 1:19 1.36 7:09 0.64 Sun 4 Jan 13:11 1.37 19:40 0.45 2:14 1.42 8:18 0.64 Mon 5 Jan 14:14 1.28 20:31 0.48 3:12 1.5 9:37 0.6 Tues 6 Jan 15:29 1.23 21:30 0.49 4:12 1.6 10:55 0.5 Wed 7 Jan 16:45 1.22 22:31 0.48 5:13 1.72 12:03 0.38 Thurs 8 Jan 17:56 1.25 23:32 0.45 Safety Notes

It is recommended that all members of the SCD familiarize themselves with Bob Vine’s article on Pre Departure Crew Briefings (Cruise News, Summer 2004).

The Skipper of each vessel is at all times responsible for the safety of the vessel and crew. It is the sole responsibility of the skipper to decide whether to start or to continue the cruise. All participating vessels should have passed the 2008/2009 Safety Compliance Audit.

All vessels should have the appropriate charts with them. These are:-

Aus197 Approaches to Port Jackson Port Hacking to The Skillion Aus198 Botany Bay and Port Hacking Aus191 Plans in (Sheet 3), Crookhaven & Ulladulla Aus193 Approaches to Jervis Bay Aus808 Jervis Bay to Port Jackson

NSW Maritime Maps are valuable for Jervis Bay and other ports: These can be downloaded from http://www.waterways.nsw.gov.au/maps.html and paper copies can be obtained from NSW Maritime offices (Quays Marina Friday & Saturday).

Radio Contact: While underway Antares will be monitoring VHF 16. In port Antares will be monitoring VHF 77. Participating vessels are encouraged to do the same. The club call sign is Romosa. Traffic between boats should be on VHF 77. It is expected that each individual vessel will log on and off with Coastal Patrol/Coast Guard and maintain position updates with them as requested.

It is suggested that skippers ensure that an updated member contacts list is onboard their vessel to allow them to contact other vessels if needed.

No attempt has been made to incorporate all the hazards and safety issues for the cruise in this flyer. It is envisaged that on the evening prior to any cruising we will meet and discuss the plan for the following day including any safety issues.

Emergency Procedures

Early advice of a possible emergency can save your vessel or your life. Do not delay in contacting either the emergency services or your fellow sailors.

In the event of an emergency contact the nearest Coastal Patrol or Coastguard on VHF 16 or, if the situation warrants it, the emergency services by making a MAYDAY or PAN-PAN call on VHF 16, as is appropriate, or by phone to 000 (triple 0).

If you become of aware of a fellow SCD member in difficulty you should do all that is possible to render assistance where it is practical and safe to do so. However you should not put either your own vessel or crew in danger. Rendering assistance may involve turning back to locate the vessel in trouble and standing-by prior to the arrival of emergency services personnel.

If you would like to register your interest in participating in the Jervis Bay cruise could you please contact me as below.

Lets hope we have some good weather and we should have a great adventure together.

Alan Pearce Antares

0417 212 949 [email protected]