I am looking forward to making this journey in my Swanson 28 in a safe and leisurely fashion in the next couple of months.
I know many contributors have made this trip a number of times and I would appreciate their input should they care to give it.
I regularly sail Bundeena to Sydney singled handed but this will be a big step up. My goal will be to stay out of trouble and to that end we may state the obvious but thats no harm done. I am looking for favourable anchorages and marinas and knowledge on entering bars along the way. I have Alan Lucas's Cruising the New South Wales Coast to read, plus Zulu to study.
Why did you enjoy about the trip?

I mostly view the trip as a delivery and so often want to get it out of the way. But my advice may be a bit hairy for your boat - my boat can surf in total control at near 20 knots so bar crossings are less of an issue. She usually averages 7-8 knots so has longer legs than the Swanno. It sounds like bragging but my advice is based on my boat and what she can do.

Get good at learning about bars - get to like surfing or having your boat respond to swells, pushing her hard at speed and ensuring she responds well. Learn her issues.

Get ready to motor. Sometimes you want to be at a bar by a certain time and if the wind is not there, then motor.

Get good internet. Use Meteye, Windyty and others to get to know the weather for the next few days. Adapt your plans to account for the weather. Be flexible and wait for good conditions. Calms can be great if you can motor and need to cross a bar.

Be flexible. Always have a Plan B. The ability to press on, to anchor at Trial Bay, to turn back, the weather forecast will not always be correct.

Invite friends, family and give them one of two things - a date or a destination but never both. Don't ever say "I will pick you up at Coffs on the 16th". Say "You can come to the mid north coast on the 16th, or I can let you know when I get to Coffs" But NEVER both. Set dates cause accidents.

Work out an average for your boat - say 5 knots and do some loose passage planning - Port Stephens to Broughton (stop at Broughton is possible). It is always easier to leave early than to arrive in the dark.

Bars can go from dead flat to terrible. Westerlies are your friend. Even if it is blowing hard a westerly can be a nice breeze as it usually is associated with lower swells. I know we don't like day sailing in them but for sailing up the coast a westerly doesn't help bring in a large swell.

I did the trip a couple of years ago. I also view this trip as a delivery sail. As said above , Have a plan B , I got to port stephans ,had some issues and turned around sailing back to Sydney to sort them out, time is your enemy ,be flexible. We didn't stop except at Coffs Harbour. Just found it inconvenient to follow tide times for bar entries. Get ais if you don't have it, a simple setup on a laptop is handy to see where everyone is going so you can keep out of their way and can be used as backup chart plotter.
Whales still freak me out,it seems they have a sense of humour by aiming straight at you and then disappearing under the boat as your about to " brace for impact " lol, then they lie on there side and wave at you. Went inland from surfers which was a nice change from the ocean and only ran aground twice.
I was going to stop at Pitt water, Port Stephens , Coffs then Surfers to avoid the more difficult bar crossings. Took 5 days from memory . 32 ft manitou so would be about the same speed as yours. From surfers it's easy to go further due to anchorages being mainly day sails.
Not much help I'm afraid for what your planing , I ended up getting another person on board so I didn't have to stop if I didn't want to. Planing already for next year, will get another person on board to surfers then solo from there. I enjoyed the trip which is why I'm going again , playing where did you put that on the boat is fun, ( we lost the tiller pilot for a day because it got put away where it didnt belong ) 32 ft of Bermuda Triangle. You could possibly get a couple of different people to go with you changing over at the ports mentioned above. It's not the same adventure as going solo ,but I found it a lot easier to manage.

At your size [Almost the same as my Top Hat ] you would only do day sailing until you make the jump from Iluka/Yamba to the Gold Coast.
Coming from Sydney:
Pittwater 20nm [From now on you will be checking the Bar Cams online day before departure]
Lake Macquarie 37nm [you don't have to go into the lake but take a public mooring sea side of bridge overnight]
Newcastle 14nm o/n
Port Stephens 27nm
Broughton Is 10nm
Forster 35nm
Crowdy Head 25nm o/n
Camden Haven Inlet 15nm [Look me up ]
Port Macquarie 15nm
Trial Bay 26nm o/n
Coffs Harbour 36nm o/n
Yamba/Iluka 60nm [Big Day and you have to get the Clarence River HT right] [You can spend a week or more in the river!]
[DON'T GO INTO BALLINA!]
Bryon Bay 53nm [weather permitting otherwise an overnighter of 100nm to Seaway] o/n
Tweed River 27nm
Qld Seaway 15nm enter on rising tide. [This is your first and overnight sail if you don't stop at Bryon Bay and Tweed River]
You will now motor until clear of lower Morton Bay islands. Take as long as you like here as all sheltered, minimum 4 days to Brisbane.

Plan on and maintain [motor] an average of 4.6 knots and leave early [sometimes before sunup] to arrive in daylight.
Log onto Marine Rescue to the Seaway. No use doing so after the Seaway as QLD rescues do not do tracking like NSW!
As you can see I'm trying to keep the daily mileage to around 30nm max.
Some places you will only stop overnight [o/n]
Get the latest Beacon to Beacon, you will need it in QLD.
Get the tides off the weather sites such as Windy, Willy Weather and BOM Meteye.
Going north you need the Southerlies, which can be hard. Return is easier with NE'ers, just have to watch for the Black NE'ers.

You don't need to stay in any marinas!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy your trip

Awesome info! I'm looking at doing this trip too with my Adams31, single handing some parts. Much appreciated.

100 percent what the others and certainly NSW Sailor's excellent description. I stayed in most of the locationS he described, except for the first night out, when through stupidity just blasted out of Sydney and pulled in behind Nora Head near Bird Island. It was dark and we were ready for a break, so no planing that first leg. I guess I was tired enough to sleep once I was happy the anchor was firm, but it was a bumpy night. One bonus there was no argument setting off at first light and making Port Stephens that evening.
Broughton as said is a nice place to rest, you have 3 possible anchorages and you get the feel of the great island adventures awaiting further up once you get to QLD. Crowdy head was a nice little harbour, friendly spot. Camden Haven is aptly names and a must stop I reckon. I had nice anchorages in Trial Bay. Iluka is great with nice calm condition and plenty to explore.
i guess the key on the way up is to keep close in to avoid the current!Cheers Richard

Learn what the Tidal overrun is for the bars you intend to cross, and also the ones you might need to cross (in your plan B or C).
With the right conditions, you may get rest at the open roadstead anchorages but you may not get the best nights sleep.

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Stockie said..

i guess the key on the way up is to keep close in to avoid the current!Cheers Richard

Thanks Stockie

I've sailed north in company with Bluemoon several times now and he always has it easier than me
as he tends to sail with one FOOT on the BEACH !!!!

It's a lot easier out of the current sailing north BUT [isn't there always a but] as you pass each headland it's better to be 1 nm plus off so you avoid the back wash off the hard shore. Some headlands can get really rough, even in calm conditions if there is a long swell.

NSWSailor has covered the distances and ports nicely.

We planned for arriving on the morning high tides so as to miss the worst of the afternoon swell on the bars. You need to research which bars favour certain winds. Swansea (and Camden Haven) are best in a southerly, so get on the back of southerly change the day after it comes through.

Fuel is only available out of hours at Coffs Harbour. Carry extra in 20 litre containers with a way to transfer fuel while under way. I had 3 full containers plus 110 litre tank for the Coffs to Southport leg, just in case. We tend to avoid Yamba when we can unless it is a millpond. Don't even think about Ballina. There are moorings around North Solitary Island in case you get caught out there.

Have an autopilot (with spares) and be prepared to motor to reach your high tides deadlines for the bars. You do really need to treat it as a delivery.

The worst of the headlands for current and waves is Cape Byron. Come along close to the shore from Ballina, then stand at least 2 NM off the cape as you go past. We also give the rocks at Tweed Heads a wide berth.

Other practical advice regards food and water. Keep well hydrated with multiple water bottles available, plan your meals so they are easily prepared and you don't skip them cause it is too hard. Fruit (apples and grapes) are great, We made wraps for lunch as they are easily prepared and can be eaten with 1 hand, have a bag of sweets as a treat (not chocolate tho) and no alcohol until you get to Southport. Sunscreen every day (yes, even in winter) and have easy access to wet weather gear and warm dry clothing. We had a couple of very large woollen blankets in easy reach for the overnighters and early mornings.

And most important, if in doubt, stay put until the doubt has gone.

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nswsailor said..

Stockie said..

i guess the key on the way up is to keep close in to avoid the current!Cheers Richard

Thanks Stockie

I've sailed north in company with Bluemoon several times now and he always has it easier than me
as he tends to sail with one FOOT on the BEACH !!!!

It's a lot easier out of the current sailing north BUT [isn't there always a but] as you pass each headland it's better to be 1 nm plus off so you avoid the back wash off the hard shore. Some headlands can get really rough, even in calm conditions if there is a long swell.

Bloody headlands...sail past and everything is idyllic, sail past the next time and its horrible. We sailed too close to Point Byron once and spent half a day sailing all points of the compass trying to get out of jail. We'd gain some Easterly and the the current would push us back south of the headland. You try and sail off the beach and the wind would veer to on the nose. Head East and the wind would obligingly swing Easterly. Head south and the wind would swing south, we just kept doing circles. it fair dinkum felt like the gods were bored and just toying with these poor fools in a sailboat.
The swell was mostly settled after a low had passed through but was still confused and pushing seemingly from all directions, when we got a breath of wind in the right direction, the swell would work against you. We didn't want to motor as we were conscious of reserving fuel for any problems and we'd used more than expected nth of Newcastle being chased by waterspouts.
Character building this hobby of ours .

Have a think about getting yourself a drogue suited to your size boat, really good for crossing a bar, keeps everything pointing the right way and will stop surfing down the face of a wave.

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gassap said..
Have a think about getting yourself a drogue suited to your size boat, really good for crossing a bar, keeps everything pointing the right way and will stop surfing down the face of a wave.

Does anyone actually use a drogue for crossing bars on the east coast / have experience?

Not me. If there is surfing to be done, I will be standing off, or going elsewhere. IOR boats and big waves on the stern don't play together nicely.

Me either my Ol boat surfs ok but I would stand off and wait if push come to shove, it's a bit like surfing a mal, steering is limited and between training walls is not the time to have limited steerage

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gassap said..
Have a think about getting yourself a drogue suited to your size boat, really good for crossing a bar, keeps everything pointing the right way and will stop surfing down the face of a wave.

All I can say about this is B### ###T

Ballina. Come on give us a break...
Its not really that bad- (unless the swell is over 1.5m and there is any ebbing tide).
If you are coming past, the timing is right, and the swell is down its a lovely little spot for the night.
Pull up at the RSL - Good grub, servo accross the road for a couple of jerrys, woolies right there and a laundromat on main street.

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santanasaga said..
Ballina. Come on give us a break...
Its not really that bad- (unless the swell is over 1.5m and there is any ebbing tide).
If you are coming past, the timing is right, and the swell is down its a lovely little spot for the night.
Pull up at the RSL - Good grub, servo accross the road for a couple of jerrys, woolies right there and a laundromat on main street.

I was wondering about the Ballina comments. Assumed either a really bad entrance, or really unfriendly locals, ready to steal your boat, dinghy, thongs as soon as you turned your back

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Ilenart said..

santanasaga said..
Ballina. Come on give us a break...
Its not really that bad- (unless the swell is over 1.5m and there is any ebbing tide).
If you are coming past, the timing is right, and the swell is down its a lovely little spot for the night.
Pull up at the RSL - Good grub, servo accross the road for a couple of jerrys, woolies right there and a laundromat on main street.

I was wondering about the Ballina comments. Assumed either a really bad entrance, or really unfriendly locals, ready to steal your boat, dinghy, thongs as soon as you turned your back

Ballina is OK, we are currently anchored in there after having spent previous night on public mooring and several hours on floating pontoon near RSL for shopping. Entry in our 42ft Jeanneau was easy in NNW wind at 10 knots, SE swell at 1.4 mtrs. Stand off the entrance in line with the leads on your chart, watch the locals and observe the water. Aim for 3 hours into the rising tide. Run In on lead line close to North breakwater until you are under the large square Marine Rescue building and then swing left to second set of leads, after that the channel is well marked to moorings and beyond to anchorages. Don't cut corners, sandbars are v shallow. Excellent sheltered places inside, Maritime, Police and locals all friendly. Like all bar crossings a little respect and planning gets you in if you properly take into account the weather.

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Allwayslearning said..

Ilenart said..

santanasaga said..
Ballina. Come on give us a break...
Its not really that bad- (unless the swell is over 1.5m and there is any ebbing tide).
If you are coming past, the timing is right, and the swell is down its a lovely little spot for the night.
Pull up at the RSL - Good grub, servo accross the road for a couple of jerrys, woolies right there and a laundromat on main street.

I was wondering about the Ballina comments. Assumed either a really bad entrance, or really unfriendly locals, ready to steal your boat, dinghy, thongs as soon as you turned your back

Ballina is OK, we are currently anchored in there after having spent previous night on public mooring and several hours on floating pontoon near RSL for shopping. Entry in our 42ft Jeanneau was easy in NNW wind at 10 knots, SE swell at 1.4 mtrs. Stand off the entrance in line with the leads on your chart, watch the locals and observe the water. Aim for 3 hours into the rising tide. Run In on lead line close to North breakwater until you are under the large square Marine Rescue building and then swing left to second set of leads, after that the channel is well marked to moorings and beyond to anchorages. Don't cut corners, sandbars are v shallow. Excellent sheltered places inside, Maritime, Police and locals all friendly. Like all bar crossings a little respect and planning gets you in if you properly take into account the weather.

Well, just make sure you get out of Ballina by next Sunday otherwise you will be there for a while

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nswsailor said..

Allwayslearning said..

Ilenart said..

santanasaga said..
Ballina. Come on give us a break...
Its not really that bad- (unless the swell is over 1.5m and there is any ebbing tide).
If you are coming past, the timing is right, and the swell is down its a lovely little spot for the night.
Pull up at the RSL - Good grub, servo accross the road for a couple of jerrys, woolies right there and a laundromat on main street.

I was wondering about the Ballina comments. Assumed either a really bad entrance, or really unfriendly locals, ready to steal your boat, dinghy, thongs as soon as you turned your back

Ballina is OK, we are currently anchored in there after having spent previous night on public mooring and several hours on floating pontoon near RSL for shopping. Entry in our 42ft Jeanneau was easy in NNW wind at 10 knots, SE swell at 1.4 mtrs. Stand off the entrance in line with the leads on your chart, watch the locals and observe the water. Aim for 3 hours into the rising tide. Run In on lead line close to North breakwater until you are under the large square Marine Rescue building and then swing left to second set of leads, after that the channel is well marked to moorings and beyond to anchorages. Don't cut corners, sandbars are v shallow. Excellent sheltered places inside, Maritime, Police and locals all friendly. Like all bar crossings a little respect and planning gets you in if you properly take into account the weather.

Well, just make sure you get out of Ballina by next Sunday otherwise you will be there for a while

SB has a contrary forecast to MetEye for Sunday. It's a game of wait and see at this stage

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nswsailor said..

Allwayslearning said..

Ilenart said..

santanasaga said..
Ballina. Come on give us a break...
Its not really that bad- (unless the swell is over 1.5m and there is any ebbing tide).
If you are coming past, the timing is right, and the swell is down its a lovely little spot for the night.
Pull up at the RSL - Good grub, servo accross the road for a couple of jerrys, woolies right there and a laundromat on main street.

I was wondering about the Ballina comments. Assumed either a really bad entrance, or really unfriendly locals, ready to steal your boat, dinghy, thongs as soon as you turned your back

Ballina is OK, we are currently anchored in there after having spent previous night on public mooring and several hours on floating pontoon near RSL for shopping. Entry in our 42ft Jeanneau was easy in NNW wind at 10 knots, SE swell at 1.4 mtrs. Stand off the entrance in line with the leads on your chart, watch the locals and observe the water. Aim for 3 hours into the rising tide. Run In on lead line close to North breakwater until you are under the large square Marine Rescue building and then swing left to second set of leads, after that the channel is well marked to moorings and beyond to anchorages. Don't cut corners, sandbars are v shallow. Excellent sheltered places inside, Maritime, Police and locals all friendly. Like all bar crossings a little respect and planning gets you in if you properly take into account the weather.

Well, just make sure you get out of Ballina by next Sunday otherwise you will be there for a while

Departed Ballina at 0830 this morning approx 3 hours into rising tide. Wind WNW at 9 knots. Swell S at 1.8 mtr, waves S 0.6mtr. Used a speed of 7 knots and rode over swell OK but backed off speed a little to cross two small breakers. You do need a little bit of power (we run a 60hp Perkins) We would not enter Ballina in these conditions in our 42ft Jeanneau SV. Max for us to enter would be 1.5 m swell depending on direction and wind factor. Now anchored in Byron bay, holding well but rolley.

Wow!
What a lot of great information for all the first timers planning to head up the coast.
It has taken my understanding to another level.
I am planning to study the specific issues for each entry port I plan to visit.
Thanks to all for their valued contributions.

Three things.
Cruising boat have destinations not timetables.
The it is good you go, even if it is 0200hrs
If going north, put the sounder alarm on 15m and tack back to the beach when it goes off.
If going south get out on the 100 fathom line and then hunt back and forth over it for max set. (usually just inside it but in a southerly you may want to get in 5 miles to get out of the worst sea state.

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lydia said..

If going north, put the sounder alarm on 15m and tack back to the beach when it goes off.

And tack back out just before you're level with the surfers. Easily spotted due to their eyes being as big as dinner plates .

Nah not level, once you are inside the break you can sail parallel to the beach because of the frictional lift
Much less tacking
Do have keep a good look out though and not for the bottom.

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lydia said..
Nah not level, once you are inside the break you can sail parallel to the beach because of the frictional lift
Much less tacking
Do have keep a good look out though and not for the bottom.

That's called a drop in

bluepeteraustralia.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/passageplanner2011.pdf

Not a good day to cross ballina bar...

It's been a while Santana, at first I thought it was shaws bay then figured your looking at the bar from the north side, up past the surf club ?

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woko said..
It's been a while Santana, at first I thought it was shaws bay then figured your looking at the bar from the north side, up past the surf club ?

Screen shot from the bar/surf cam?

Looks like any bar on the coast north of Sydney and likely to be much the same for the next week

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Ramona said..
bluepeteraustralia.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/passageplanner2011.pdf

Romana,
That's really great