Wings Cruising Log

It was just an ordinary day sail on the harbor but still it was fun to be going out sailing. You'd think that after all the races we've sailed and oceans we've crossed we'd have gotten jaded about it, but when the lines drop and Wings backs out of the slip, it's still fun. We didn't have any reason to go sailing, except that it was a nice day, it seemed like a good thing to do with Bob, who was visiting from the States, and we hadn't been out for a while. Sydney Harbor is an interesting place to sail, for us especially because we don't know our way around. After we motored under the harbor bridge and got a little breeze we put up the sails. With the number one sheeted in and the main filled, we heeled over and started moving. There's nothing like flat water and a nice breeze with the number one close hauled. For a while we just concentrated on trim and making the boat go fast. Then we thought we ought to figure out where we were and where we wanted to go. Sydney Harbor isn't that big, more like San Francisco Bay than Puget Sound, and we were passing points and coves right and left. Now which side of the buoy do we go? What is the name of this island? Is it an island or just a point. Judy steered and I got into the charts. OK, that, over there, that's the nude beach, and this is the main channel, so we want to tack and head SE. Who has the binoculars? The wind built and we were overpowered. We dropped the number one and turned into Rushcutter's bay for a lunch break.

After a beer and a sandwich at CYCA we got the Number 4 jib on deck and headed back out to do battle with the elements again. This time we were headed into the ocean, the Tasman Sea, out past Sydney Heads. We wanted the feel the wind in our faces and taste the salt spray. We wanted the excitement of the great blue southern ocean, to feel the rise and fall of the swells. While we were eating our lunch Nicorette the big Swedish maxi which won Sydney Hobart last year left the dock with a bunch of guests on board for a day sail of their own. They were already out of sight when we got our sails up again. We tacked out the Eastern Channel, keeping an eye on the rocks on either side. Then we were free of the land, the gap between Sydney Heads opening up before us. There was the sea we wanted, the breeze, the sparkle of the sun on the waves, it was terrific. In a swirl of a tide rip at South Head we passed the last fishing boat, and hardened up for Tasmania. Coming around the corner the opposite direction we saw Nicorette, on the way back in. Maybe their guests had enough ocean for one day. We didn't stay out there long either. The windvane leg was unsecured and it started to bang around in the waves, and besides the day was getting late; we had dinner and other plans to think about. We turned Wings around and followed Nicorette back into the harbor. We didn't put the spinnaker up, the trip back was peaceful and relaxing, but it was a great day sailing. Just writing about it now makes me want to go out again today.

Another great find for us has been the presence of a live music scene here in Sydney. When we first got here we couldn't find any music except the dance clubs with DJ's and the glamour crowd. We were even told that there wasn't anything else. Poppycock! Once we got dialed into the right music site on the Internet we have been able to go out to interesting music just about whenever we want. The venues are small and dingy but the music is good and mostly free. Last night we enjoyed a jazz/world music group with a singer who mostly sang in abyssinian, or some other obscure middle eastern language, and the beat was infectious. There were more musicians on stage than customers out front, but we enjoyed our $8.00 bottle of Chardonney and had a great time.

We took the light rail home because we had a weekly pass, but we could have walked. Sydney is a big city, but we live downtown and we can walk to most of the places we want to go, and otherwise we ride the trains, buses or ferries. At this point there is no need for a car. We are looking for jobs here, and it seems promising, although nothing has happened yet. Maybe then we'll need to get wheels. Meanwhile we take our laundry out, do workouts at the Casino fitness center, and shop in Chinatown. We do a boat project every few days, and if the stock market wasn't in free fall maybe we wouldn't even think about working because this is pretty fun.

Well, we'll see how it all goes.

Fred & Judy

Wings at sea with spray flying