The last two and a half weeks in Sydney have been interesting and amazing.

After the five nights in Blackwattle bay we set a course back through the harbour to Spit bridge into Middle Harbour. Spit bridge only opens a few times a day. Passing through the bridge was a bit intimidating trying to time your arrival at the opening just as the bridge is raised, the first time we were a bit slow, but coming out we timed it well.

After transiting the bridge we tied up at a fuel dock and topped up our fuel and water tanks. Diesel costs 40 cents a litre more and unleaded was 55 cents a litre more than normal standard prices. Fortunately water was free if you purchased fuel otherwise the charge was $10 per 100 litres.

We then headed up and anchored near Echo point marina to welcome our first cruising guests Lucie and Paul on board LaGecko.

We stayed anchored at Echo point for the first night then motored around to Bantry Bay (a now defunct ammunition depot) and picked up a mooring the next morning. Bantry Bay is a beautiful location with seven free moorings supplied by NSW govt within the national park.

Low flying helicopters interrupted our bliss the following morning and a boat approached us asking us to leave the area as they were about to conduct a controlled burn off in the area.

We spent the day cruising around middle harbour visiting Long Bay and Sailors Bay before retiring to Sugarloaf Bay on another great public moorings away from the smoke for the night.

The next day we returned to Bantry Bay and spent a few days on one of the moorings then took a dinghy ride to Echo point marina for a lovely Mediterranean lunch.

On Sunday (27th October) we moved LaGecko back to Echo point to allow us to pick up Karen’s cousins Craig and Tracey and Craig’s wife Tiffany. They supplied a delicious lunch including a platter of super yummy yummies for desert.😋

We were lucky to have Lucie and Paul on board for six nights before they had to leave for a while. Paul helped me out with a couple jobs on board which was great, Karen and Lucie went for a few walks on shore and we had a really lovely time together.

After Lucie and Paul left Kaz n I continued to just bumble around until we headed back up to Blackwattle bay to meet up with Karen’s friend Clare and her children Jamie, Theo and Mila who came on board for a visit.

After the night in Blackwattle Bay we were going to rent a mooring up in Drummoyne and try and meet up with Sandy and Jono on Ochre for a coffee but after seeing how tight the space was we decided to give it a miss and instead headed down to the much raved about Rose bay instead.

Here we anchored in 6 metres of water for the night and then picked up a free mooring the next morning.

Rose Bay is an incredibly busy place with ferries, dinghy racing, tons of other boats strange looking boats, seaplanes, super yachts all competing in a very rolly anchorage.

While in Rose bay I went ashore for a trip to the supermarket to pick up some essential bits n pieces (chippies) and Kaz n I went out for some Thai ashore as well.

This morning we moved LaGecko across to Manly and picked up another public mooring right next to the ferry dock. Even though the ferries dock right next to where we’re anchored there is no wash from them travelling quickly past and so there’s hardly any roll. Bliss!

We are here to do some shopping and pick up the lovely Lucie and Paul again who are going to come for a ride with us to Pittwater water where they live and hopefully show us some ropes about sailing an Amel.

We are planning on spending the next couple of months in Pittwater, Cowan creek and Hawksbury area having a look around.