Coffs Harbour

Today we arrived at Coffs Harbour after a 26 hour passage from Port Stephens. It was another fast passage but this time it didn't rain which was good! We departed Port Stephens on Monday at 0800 after a very pleasant day in the Nelson Bay marina. The highlight of our stay in the marina was one of the local fairy penguins swimming up and down alongside our jetty.

Initially we had 10 knot WSW winds but these built to 25 gusting 30+ SSW winds by lunchtime. They remained 20 - 30 knots for the rest of the trip. We logged 165nm which is very close to the rhumb line distance we had planned. This time we kept the double-reefed main and No 3 jib working and had a much more comfortable ride than under jib alone.

The entrance into Coffs Harbour was exciting, with a solid 30 knot SSW breeze blowing. We came alongside the end of a jetty in the marina with the wind on the beam - glued it on quite well we thought. The fenders got a good workout.

Coffs Harbour from top of Muttonbird Island

After tidying up the boat we explored the marina and it immediate surroundings, then did our laundry for the first time since leaving Perth. In a few minutes we're going to a 'sundowner' aboard another boat which is also heading north.

Sea View from east side of Muttonbird Island

We expect to spend at least two nights here, possibly more. The weather forecast is for strong southerlies for the rest of the week, and the marina here costs only $35/night. Coffs Harbour is quite a scenic spot, so a few days here will be very pleasant.