56 knot gust at North Head, 67 at Wattamalla. Big-arsed low is hanging around for a while and stronger winds predicted - bound to be some boats washed up somewhere.

Mmm, only just installed a Gullsweep, hope it is designed to handle such winds. Probably a minor concern considering.

Man all the crabs are out of the water. Hope every one has had there mooring checked. This is where lots of damage happens from boats "read mooring minders" busting loose and creating havoc.
I was talking to the RMS guy two weeks ago and he was GPS checking and physically checking dodgy looking moorings and boats, he said they are tightening up on mooring minders because all bays are getting near capacity for moorings and waiting lists are growing.
Apparently people in Pearl bay have been sent letters by RMS asking for confirmation of mooring checks, if you don't have proof then you will be asked to rectify or leave. This is just the start so get your mooring sorted or get rid of your boat, that was his message.

I reckon your gull sweep is more like a helicopter rotor or is somewhere near Dubbo by now.

Have a good day and keep safe

Sadly there will be a lot of boats aground today.
Lake Macquarie:

www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-21/three-killed-in-dungog-as-cyclonic-weather-batters-nsw/6407836

and the video zippy.gfycat.com/SpiritedSecondaryHippopotamus.webm

Yep, it is windy. A wild day on Lake Macquarie.

Norah Head has gone around 16 hours without recording a single reading under 40 knots. I looked at my boat twice today, just to let her know we care.

She is getting knocked around by was OK late in the day. The marina is somewhat protected from the South, but the boat lies East - West, so I am not fond of Southerlies. I will probably visit again early tomorrow. A couple of boats in the bay have sail covers blown of and the mains are on the way to being destroyed.

There is a large cat, very new, near by that has reportedly broken free and is heading north on Lake Macquarie. The owner has only had for a couple of weeks.

Went to check on my boat this morning; glad I'm on the south side of the harbour.

With binocs I saw a yacht over Mosman way (north side) with a loose foresail - when I looked away for two minutes and came back to it I couldn't see it so hopefully it tore off (rather than the boat tearing off the mooring)

This in Gosford apparently:

Ouch.

A mate was at Middle Harbour Yacht Club securing his boat. He put a photo on FB of one yacht sunk and taken a floating finger with it. 2-3 metre swells at the yacht club he says.

Lunch time, southern end of Salt Pan Cove on Pittwater.

Jethrow, my boat is a few hundred metres to the right of that photo, about 80 metres from the wharf. It is usually pretty protected from southerlies, I hope so today. Did you see what it was like further in the bay?
Souwesters hit it hard as the wind funnels between Church Pt and Scotland Island.

I was thinking of you guys down that way today. Very stressful for you all. Take Care

I hope all of you guys yachts make it through the weather OK.

Sydney seems to get one or two of these sudden blows every year. At least with the cyclones in Qld you usually get a bit of warning.

From the BOM weather map it looks like it will be pretty wild between Adelaide and Melbourne on Friday and the low pressure system is blocking that beautiful big high trying to come across the bight.

Went out on Sunday (late evening) to check the mooring lines (Glades Bay), all secure but the row back to shore was frightening. After todays big blow I'm anxious that its still on the water and not gracing the foreshore and parkland. As long as its not T-Boned the surrounding stink boats Ill be happy. Roll on Wednesday.

I went to check on mine also. No boats yesterday at 3pm aground. Many sail covers and Bimini covers off though. Ill go for another drive. Woodford bay looked like a washing.machine. my little thing.was.bouncing like mad in the gusts.

Just been at Middle harbour yacht club helping with clean up.
Lots of sand through walk ways and on deck areas.
One boat sunk knocked a hole in its transom when spring line broke and some other damage from boats breaking loose in pens.
Staff down there did a great job securing boats in the height of the storm and generally keeping boats as safe as possible.
Swell was rolling in at about 1 metre through marina and a high tide of about 1.9metres did not help matters.

apparently most damage is around in North harbour , little manly cove and forty baskets area which is very exposed to the swell through the heads.

There will be lots of interesting stories to come out of this one.
I talked to one guy who was on board his boat in Manly cove and had waves rolling through at around 6 foot, he then decided to get of his boat and go ashore in a dinghy, he wound up swimming as the dinghy flooded. Crazy fool.

Things are settling down now

Hi MorningBird

I assume you're talking of the S&S34 of the same name?

It seemed OK yesterday. Most of the damaged headsails were further into the middle of the bay.

Your boat's probably just out of shot in this one. It was out of the worst of the wind though.





My boat is the smaller cat in my first pic.

i hope it all goes well for you crew up in nsw ........ what can you do ? ...... just work through it and take it as it comes , may be the only way .......


best wishes from this end .................

G'day Jethrow. We are neighbours. Thank you for checking on her.
I'll be up Friday to get the rain water out. I left the forward hatch on ventilation setting so will have a litre or two in the bilge. She also has a bit entering from some cockpit leaks.
Say hello if you see me there. My dinghy has Morning Bird name on it.

Went down to check on my boat today - Lake Macquarie. I couldn’t get to it prior to this but I had a phone call from a mate who keeps an eye on it & all was OK. Apart from my dinghy being completely covered in weed & rubbish all was good. A neighbour wasn’t so lucky - looks like his mooring line has worn through. The rope looked a bit on the old side.

Is the lake level up very much?

Up about 600mm over normal high today IMO

8am Wednesday morning, L.M.Y.C.
Weed had got to middle of carpark overnight. Belmont jetty was underwater as were all the dinghies on the bank there.

Just checked MB which had about 5 litres of rain water in the bilge. No other sign of there having been a storm except the uppers are washed very clean indeed.

MB has an inspection hatch on the anchor locker hatch. Not sure why it is there but it blew open on the Lord Howe trip allowing lots of water in. I hadn't got around to putting a latch on it and it had blown open again. Most of the water that went in there would have escaped through the anchor well drain. I had bought a latch on the drive up so fitted it solving that problem.

I had my forward hatch on the ventilation setting so suspect that is where most of the 5 or so litres came in.

I went for a motor around Salt Pan Cove. One power boat on the bottom at the head of the bay, looks like it washed in as there isn't a boat moored there.

I saw two shredded headsails, two shredded mains and another two mains had come loose but looked ok. One of these was a mates boat so I rang him and he was coming down to sort it out. He was a participant in the 2009 Lord Howe rally so had a chat and he is coming this year.

Everybody else looked fine.

The water was the colour and consistency of new born baby poo.

Glad all's good MB. I think there was more sails blown out but the bits were either gone or retrieved.

My biggest relief was after I said your boat was OK, I went back the next day and couldn't see it.

I must say, I was thinking I'd have to leave seabreeze!

Jethrow

Got down to my boat yesterday (Friday) all OK. took her for a run up Pittwater. Saw Sandy the mobile mechanic
he reckoned a few boats had gone down but didn't say where. We had a ferro break away in McCarrs Creek
fortunately a local spotted it and rang the water police (Church Point) who said all their boats were out
on rescue but contacted the Marina to send their workboat out to secure it........which they did. Good on 'em.

It was certainly pretty wild. I was at my mother's place at Belmont on Tuesday night because she still had power. Waves rolling across the lake and all the jettys under water. About 2 or 3 yachts bad their furled head sails unwound and the sail shredding. Saw one yacht up on the shore just near the swimming baths at Belmont. So pleased that I bad my mooring serviced about 2 weeks ago.

Got out to my boat on Thursday. Nothing too serious. Some water leaking in and the main sheet had come loose allowing the boom to swing back and forth. It shredded the bird netting and busted the end of the teak mounting for the traveller block. That, while frustrating, is probably a blessing. Better it happened then than whilst sailing.

Chatting to the friendly fellow on the next mooring it sounds like a number of boats in the marina at LMYC got knocked around quite a bit.

how much for your sale boat imean how much was it

MatM14, I had that happen once - now I take the mainsheet up and around the boom once then the coil sits on deck. That way the mainsheet will never pull out of the cleat as it needs to pull down to release.

Even when really tight the main sheet on its own will still allow the boom to rock on the goose neck. That rocking 24/7 will cause more wear and tear than anything else.
I put a rope through the shackle at the end of the boom to a sheet winch which, with the main sheet tight, gives it three points of security and stops the boom rocking with the boat motion. I use the same rope to secure the tiller.

According to the Seabreeze forecast we have another blow tomorrow. This time about 30kts from the south west. Salt Pan will turn that into 35-40kts as the wind funnels between Church Pt and Scotland Is.

Glad I checked her yesterday and this time I put a sail tie around the headsail. I've never had a problem but thought the suggestion was a good one.

Select to expand quote

MorningBird said..
Even when really tight the main sheet on its own will still allow the boom to rock on the goose neck. That rocking 24/7 will cause more wear and tear than anything else.
I put a rope through the shackle at the end of the boom to a sheet winch which, with the main sheet tight, gives it three points of security and stops the boom rocking with the boat motion. I use the same rope to secure the tiller.

That's a good tip, John. I'll be doing that. Thanks.

PS: I AM SICK TO DEATH OF THIS @%^&**(^%$@#!!! WEATHER IN SYDNEY!!!!!

Select to expand quote

DrRog said..

MorningBird said..
Even when really tight the main sheet on its own will still allow the boom to rock on the goose neck. That rocking 24/7 will cause more wear and tear than anything else.
I put a rope through the shackle at the end of the boom to a sheet winch which, with the main sheet tight, gives it three points of security and stops the boom rocking with the boat motion. I use the same rope to secure the tiller.

That's a good tip, John. I'll be doing that. Thanks.

PS: I AM SICK TO DEATH OF THIS @%^&**(^%$@#!!! WEATHER IN SYDNEY!!!!!

around easter is the best time to go north another year or two for me