Sydney to Jervis Bay

Blurry eyed but well rested we raised our anchor at 4am in darkness and headed out of Sydney harbour and steered Sarita south towards Jervis Bay. The weather forecast was for 20-25 knots from the NE with a strong wind warning in place. We logged on with Marine Rescue for our passage as the choppy seas of the heads subsided. The sun came up in a cloudless sky over the ocean which reminded Jude and I of the many ocean dawns we have witnessed and we became accustomed to the roll of the boat on the ocean swell. 

The winds were around 15knots with the apparent wind well behind the beam so it was initially slow going but we knew the winds would build later in the day along with the seas. Around 10am the winds steadied to around 17-20 knots with periods of 25 knots so we picked up speed but we had to head slightly east to keep the wind from being dead behind us and to make the journey more comfortable but the trade off would be a longer passage as we zigzagged down the coast. Just after midday a huge pod of dolphins started to pass us on both sides. Some sped past and did not linger but others came towards us and performed feats of acrobatics and comedy, rolling on their backs, slapping tails and with groups performing aerial displays. The passing pod lasted over an hour and must have involved thousands of dolphins. Where were they all going or have come from? 

 As the sun was setting low in the early evening sky we made our final gybe directly to the east and the heads of Jervis bay with a towering dark thunder cloud towering over the North part of the bay lighting up the darkening sky with flashes and rolls of thunder. We shortened the sails in anticipation of increased winds from the clouds.

All of the 5 courtesy moorings in the southern part of the bay were taken so we dropped the anchor in about 10m of clear water as the sun set and the winds subsided in the lee of the lushly forested shoreline. It’s always a relief to finish a passage and relax and look forward to what a new destination would have to offer. We called Marine Rescue on the VHF to log off with them at which point they asked us if we had heard about the tsunami warning, which we had not. Did the dolphins know something we had not ? 

Jervis Bay

After a quiet and restful night, no anchor drag or high wind alarms, we brewed the coffee, made breakfast and assessed our surroundings in daylight for the first time and the few boating neighbours. Jervis bay is in fact a very large bay, 9x5 nautical miles, with beaches reported to have the whitest sand in the world. The anchorage we were in is called the Hole in The Wall named after a rock formation on the south west shoreline that resembles a wall that somebody has taken a sledgehammer to. We dropped the dinghy in the water and put the small 2.5 hp outboard on for the journey to the shore over clear waters with part sea grass and part white sand bottom. We went for a swim in the inviting water mindful of the recent shark attack just across the bay a couple of weeks earlier but this could be our last swim of the season as we head into the Southern Ocean. 

The blindingly white beach invited us to stretch our legs so we headed east occasionally stopping for another swim or being pulled into the forest that extends to the shoreline with its impressive gum trees and local fauna. 

 We would be waiting in Jervis Bay for a suitable weather window to head south and at present the 5 day forecast was for strong southerly winds but hey what a place to hang out! Over the next few days we spent our days walking, swimming, sorting and repacking the boat for the least amount of rattles as we rolled down the coast. Of course there were afternoon drinks and naps.