To be honest I was glad to leave behind the frenetic activity of the Gold Coast waterways, let alone the incessant fierce storms. I was hoping that Iluka or Yamba, (on the north and south sides of the mouth of the Clarence River respectively), might offer a rather more chilled vibe – much more to our liking.
The 100nm overnight passage itself was relatively easy, positively assisted by a current of up to 2 knots, which was very welcome. There was not a great deal of swell, which meant the morning entry into the Clarence River, across the bar, was straightforward enough, with just a little gentle surfing as we passed between the breakwaters. We elected to anchor in Iluka Bay, which proved an excellent decision as it was a well protected spot with a breakwall on the southern side and a muddy bottom which provided good holding. We experienced wind from all directions whilst there & it was consistently a very comfortable place to anchor.
There were a few cruising boats which had stopped there on the way south, including Allaban owned by Cole & Sue, who were very good friends of an Australian couple, Chris & Debbie, whom we spent time with in French Polynesia. We shared sundowners one evening & they mentioned the possibility of hauling out Mowzel Cat in Port Stephens – we weren’t even aware of this option and had assumed we would be returning to the Gold Coast to do this. We will definitely investigate the possibility further when we head south.
Within the bay, there was a public dinghy dock close by, which made access to the charming fishing village of Iluka, (town would be an overstatement), very convenient. There were a couple of bakeries, a fish market, a butcher, small IGA supermarket & a really nice coffee shop on the main thoroughfare.
We discovered a delightful 1/2 hour walk through the rainforest that led us to a gorgeous surf beach, Bluff beach, where we enjoyed a swim & Bill had a bit of a body bash in the waves. There was also a surf beach we visited just north of the breakwater, but I was a little put off by the profusion of warning signs including ‘sharks’. Before you even reached the beach, there was a sign alongside the path alerting the unwary to the presence of snakes! We would have to be in Australia of course!
We took the dinghy across the river to visit Yamba & the obligatory Coles supermarket. On a separate occasion we visited the Farmer’s market, which was really neat & full of great produce and various other local stores. A good vibe & well worth the visit.
A few days after our arrival we were joined by Alicia, Edward’s fiancée, who came up from Sydney to sail down to Port Stephens on the next leg of our trip. She was keen to get some open water experience on passage and boost her sailing skills, so it was great to be able to oblige. Before leaving we all enjoyed an amazing lunch at Chez Basho, a rather weird name for a Japanese restaurant in Iluka, that had been recommended to us by a number of people. It didn’t disappoint, we all had wonderful bowls of Japanese yumminess washed down with a nice glass of sav blanc!
Despite really liking the area and before we had chance to explore further up the Clarence River, we elected to leave after just 5 days as the winds turned north & looked favourable for a quick trip. The winds were forecast to increase in the ensuing 24hrs with strong wind warning at our destination, but we thought if we left early in the morning for the 24hr or so passage, then we might be able to sneak into Port Stephen’s before the wind & swell rose too much.
Well it was certainly a fast trip – 223nm in 26hours – an average speed of 8.6kts! Woohoo! A Mowzel Cat record! Admittedly we had a very healthy southbound current assisting, but it was definitely a fast downwind sail with a bit of surfing as the swell started to pick up. At one stage overnight whilst on watch, I had to rub my eyes as I saw a speed of 17kts down one wave – not something that we would aspire to do & that was the peak, but not infrequently, we were reaching 11 or 12 knots. As far Alicia’s nautical skill acquisition?? Suffice is it to say that sometimes profound tiredness overcomes willingness and we were very pleased that she was able to make solid acquaintance with the starboard cabin!