Flying Fish Articles


Yamba; lat 29°26’13S, long 153°20’83E.
Coffs Harbour; lat 30°18’00S, long 153°08’E
Port Stevens lat 32° 2’50S long 152°10’5E
Sydney.
Port Hacking; lat 34°64’77S, long 15°67’82E.
Crookhaven River; lat 34°54’18S, long 150°44’00E.
Batemans Bay; 35°37’00S, long 150°14’4E. I
Eden; lat 37°04’4S, long 149°54’14E.
Bittangabee Creek – 37°12.90'S, 150°01.50'E



New South Wales

Splinters Apprentice Saltram 36 length 10.94m draft 1.8m

Beth Bushnell

2001 updated by David Tyer 2011

Yamba; lat 29°26’13S, long 153°20’83E.

A bar at the wide, breakwater entrance with 3.0m at low water. VMR Yamba-Iluka vhf16, will advise on conditions at the entrance. The river is well buoyed with clear leading lines. The marina at Yamba has full facilities, including e-mail access, and good repair shops including a Sailmaker.

It’s a friendly, pleasant town with good shopping and a mall about 10min bike ride from the marina turning right on the main road.

Very good anchorage on the opposite side of the river inside the breakwater at Iluka. Go to the fisherman 's co-op for "to-die-for" prawns.

Clarence River is navigable with a bridge at Harwood that lifts on request (24 hours notice - 02 6682 8388), and the river trip 40 miles up to Grafton is well worthwhile. Stop at the public pontoon at Maclean for supplies and everything Scottish.

Coffs Harbour; lat 30°18’00S, long 153°08’E

A port of entry. If intending to clear in here call VMR Coffs Harbour on 16 vhf. They will liase with customs on your behalf. Anchor near the timber wharf while waiting to be called in by customs or for overnight stay. Be warned it can be very uncomfortable in the swell.

The marina, vhf 16, is crowded but they always seem to manage to squeeze folk in. Friendly, helpful and cheap with good facilities. Good shopping nearby including chandlery and boat repair yard. Email at dive shop near bus stop. The best food shops are 30mins + walk or a bus ride but Woolies in town and Coles at the Mall will deliver to the marina.

When the NE or Se blows hard the surge inside can become bad with spray and even solid water hurtling over the breakwater. We had spray over the inner breakwater while there and the outer buoys were dangerous in a S gale.

Pleasant walks locally and up in the Doringo National park.

Port Stevens lat 32° 2’50S long 152°10’5E

A lovely area with lots of anchoring possibilities. Try Fame Cove through the narrows for all round shelter, good holding in 4m mud or use the 4 visitor buoys; 24hrs only.

Nelson Bay harbour has an expensive marina but there is a public jetty for short or overnight stays. It is often full of fishing boats. However there are 2 visitors, orange 24hr buoys provided outside the marina. The shopping is good.

It’s surprisingly shallow in parts but is well buoyed with good leading lines. The entrance can be difficult in strong SE wind against tide.
Broken Bay

It is possible to wax lyrical about this harbour forever! A wonderful beautiful complex of creeks with visitor 24hr moorings and lots of anchoring possibilities. It is not possible to go up the Hawkesbury River, as the Bridge has only 11.8m clearance at HWS. There are small stores at Cottage point and at the marinas but no good shopping apart from Gosford and in the Pittwater. Water can be difficult to obtain. The Pittwater is full of boats with the result that anchoring to get ashore is awkward. The best places are off Bayview and Church Point, from where buses can be taken to Monavale shops. Off Palm beach there is a boatyard with moorings to let $20/night. At Elvina Bay, Colin Beashell 's yard has well-sheltered moorings. He runs a water taxi service, there is water and he is the cheapest haul out in Broken Bay and? Sydney. Buses from outside the yard go into Sydney half hourly and pass the big Wharringa Mall.

All the moorings are privately owned but picking one up is allowed as long as someone stays aboard in case the mooring owner returns.

Sydney.

New Year fireworks are worth the trip. The best you’ll ever see.

Very busy, Solent like, at weekends and holidays. All ferries have right of way! Surprisingly difficult to find good anchorages. Most obvious spots are filled with moorings but there is a recognised anchorage at Balls Head Bay, holding reportedly suspect with foul bottom, and dingy landing is awkward. Anchoring is allowed opposite the Sydney Fish Markets in Blackwattle Bay. This is the best option for close to the city but is noisy and big boats come in so anchoring is restricted, but the fish and chips are great! The Fish Markets have a pontoon (no water) with free short stays allowed to visit the markets. Some boats have been known to negotiate a few days stay but not over a weekend when most of Sydney turns up for a fish lunch. Dingys can be left at the fish market (by arrangement) or by the park. There is water at the barbeque site in the park and shops about 15mins walk. Usually some other cruiser will keep an eye on your boat but, as in the rest of Sydney, theft can be a problem.

Lots of marinas, all pricey and few catering to casual visitors, try Gladesville Bridge or CYC. The official Sydney Harbour line is no liveaboards, awkward for us long distance visitors!

We found a friendly marina with limited alongside berths but available moorings at Cammeray Marina in Middle Harbour. They cater for liveaboards. There is water, laundry, repair yard with haul out and boat covers/upholstery. It’s a steep climb up to the road (122 steps) but the bus into Sydney goes half hourly and takes 30 mins, or to Crows Nest a good shopping centre. The marina operates a free water taxi and will drop you off in Tunks Park to walk to Northbridge shops approx 20mins, lot quicker downhill on the way back. Boats can be safely left here. It cost, for 36ft monohull, $61/week liveaboard or $45.50 nonliveaboard. We found it convenient, safe and cheap. Cammeray Shipwrights, 46 Cowdry Ave, Cammeray, NSW 2062. Tel 02 9953 4761 or fax 029953 4752. Michael the manager is very helpful and will endeavour to shift boats round to fit you in.

Port Hacking; lat 34°64’77S, long 15°67’82E.

We anchored off Jibbon beach SW of Hacking Point. There is an E cardinal, lit, marking reef as you round into the bay. It was very comfy until a thunderstorm did three 180deg shifts and blew us off our anchor! We were not the only boat to wander that night and I would say the holding is a bit suspect. Going up into Gunamatta Bay is possible and though there are lots of moorings there is stillroom to anchor. Cornulla shops are handy from there.

Crookhaven River; lat 34°54’18S, long 150°44’00E.

A very pretty river with an easy entrance. The bar faces NE and is only closed once or twice a year. Haven coastal patrol will advise on entry conditions and have 1or2 courtesy buoys available for free. We entered at low water and had minimum of 2.4m. The channel has good leading lines and is well buoyed. Best anchorage is just past Greenwall Pt on the N side of the river between the green buoys in 2-3ms of gooey mud. This is out of the worst of the fast tide.

There is a small store at the caravan site on Greenwell Point. Rubbish bins and water were available at Greenwell Point.

This is a handy stop if wind and current put Jervis Bay too far for comfy day sailing.

Ulladulla;

Don’t bother unless desperate! It’s a fishing harbour with no anchoring allowed, so it’s a case of rafting up to vessels on the outer breakwater. Water and electricity are on the wharves. It’s a seaside tourist town with good shopping.

Batemans Bay; 35°37’00S, long 150°14’4E.

We anchored in Chain Bay. It was very well sheltered from the NE 20knts blowing at the time and was not troubled by swell. It would be tenable in an Easterly but nothing with S init.

We did not go into Batemans itself but some friends had an enforced stay of 2 weeks and found anchoring before the bridge very rolly in SE winds. The bridge does open and it is possible to phone, no VHF, to request opening. However the bridge opens daily at approx 1115 and1415 to allow a tourist boat to pass but it is necessary to let the bridge know you wish to transit at the same time as the bridge needs to open fully to allow a yacht through.

The other side is smooth water with good anchoring. Shops, water, rubbish at Batemans Bay. Diesel and Petrol from the garage.

The Coastal Patrol are helpful if a berth in the marina is required.

Eden; lat 37°04’4S, long 149°54’14E.

This is a port of Entry with Customs in the Fish Coop building, R hand side as you go ashore. They like you to visit with Cruising Permit and have useful local maps and information. There are 2 mooring alternatives, anchoring in approx 4-8ms sand, amongst the moorings, good holding or going alongside the wharfs. This will usually mean rafting to a fishing boat or yacht. The wharfs are open structures, not very yacht friendly, with tyre fenders.

Water on the wharfs. Diesel is obtainable either by truck on the jetty or jerry can from the garage across the road. The later option is cheaper..

Good shopping in the town up a steep hill with e-mail available as well. The small whaling museum is interesting while waiting for the weather.

Showers are available from Eden Coastal Patrol building. Eden VMR gives good weather forecasts 3x daily for NSW and Bass Strait. They also repeat the Oilrigs forecast for Bass Strait, which includes a 4-day outlook. They are very helpful and do like boats to check in with them.

Once the wind goes south the anchorage is not good so move across to East Boyd Bay. We found the swell crept in here a little but nothing too terrible and the holding is good sand. There are some lovely walks ashore and a campsite with BBQ pits, but we found too many flies. This is locally called Chip bay because of the woodchip factory!

BASS STRAIT

Good Luck! We were told not to get too far E but didn’t find this a problem. We headed straight for Wineglass Bay to take advantage of the E-NE winds and had an excellent trip. Winds of 30+knts with big seas caught the boats that broke their journeys at Flinders Island.

In the event we took 48hrs to sail from Eden to Schouten Pass.

The return trip means westerly winds so you choose your front on ride on it’s backend. We had 2 nights of Thunderstorms with light winds in the day.

Deal Island is a National Park and an absolute gem. Anchor in East Bay, and enjoy some good walks. There are volunteer caretakers who are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

Bittangabee Creek – 37°12.90'S, 150°01.50'E
Treat ths position shown for Bittanganee Creek with suspicion. It has been extrapolated from the above drawing and Google earth by a moderator who does not know the area. If you visit please confirm or correct the position

BEAUTIFUL Bittangabee Creek Hugh Garnbam Glenshiel VII was returning to her home port of Hobart, Tasmania some years ago when we passed the coastal freighter Seaway Tamar about six miles east of Schouten Island on Tasmania 's east coast.

Although it was 2300, I called the ship on VHF to have a chat, and in answer to the question 'Where from? ' replied that our last anchorage had been Bittangabee Creek. 'Ah ' said the ship 's master, 'Beautiful Bittangabee Creek, I know it well, ' and we went on to discuss this delightful anchorage at some length. He had camped there regularly as a youngster.

Many yachts cruise Australia 's east coast. However most have not heard of Bittangabee Creek and even fewer have visited it, though the numbers are growing. There are probably two reasons for it being visited so infrequently. One is that the port of Eden is only eleven miles to the north and has all-weather access at any time of the day or night. Eden also has wharves, jetties, breakwaters and all marine facilities, together with shops and showers and a warm welcome at the Fisherman 's Club. However it is also a very busy commercial fishing port, and laying alongside one can be, and often is, disturbed at any hour of the day or night by arriving and departing fishing craft. And although one can anchor well southwest of the town at East Boyd Bay, the large woodchip plant in that area doesn 't help the serenity.

The second reason for Bittangabee Creek being rarely visited is that it is a fair weather, daylight only approach. Unless one has a full moon and calm conditions it would be inadvisable to try and enter at night, but as a hideyhole to await good conditions for crossing Bass Strait, usually when a strong sou 'westerly is expected to abate, it cannot be beaten. I would never attempt to enter in strong, or even moderate easterly weather, and once inside one should make certain not to be bottled up by strong easterlies which are, in any event, ideal for making a passage either north or south.

The approach is from the southeast and the entrance, about two miles north of Green Cape, is quite difficult to spot from seaward. Some years ago fishermen painted a white cross on the northern headland, but this has faded quite a lot. Once inside the northern headland the approach is parallel to the shore keeping clear of the disturbed water to port. When the entrance opens a sharp turn to port, through the exact centre of the break to the south and the inner northern head, is essential to avoid submerged and very nasty rocks on the northern side. I have twice seen these exposed, though usually they are just below the surface, and they must be treated with great respect.

Most skippers concentrate on the break to the south and tend to edge too far north, which looks to be clear water. Even in daylight I find radar helps greatly in positioning oneself. I would also be wary of entering in any sort of sea in a boat drawing more than 6ft, Glenshiel VII draws only 5ft, as although there is more water than this the margin for error north or south is reduced. However once inside it is all worth it, with good holding and little or no roll.

The best anchorage is just off the ruined supply shed, which was built to service Green Cape lighthouse. I have only ever seen one or two people on shore, except last year when we spent three days there in January and went ashore, instead of our usual twelve to thirty-six hours with no shore excursions. Much to our surprise we discovered a large, well-appointed camping ground not far inland but completely invisible from the anchorage, and although a larger number of people were fishing and swimming it was still an idyllic spot. Apart from summer vacation time, I doubt if you would see anyone. So, next time you 're in Eden waiting for that sou 'wester to ease, consider a short passage to one of the prettiest little anchorages on the South East Australian seaboard.


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