Adventures of Alchemy 1: Sailing Around Sydney

'Twas a stormy afternoon that our noble mariners completed the crossing from Lord Howe Island and passed beneath North Head.

All those island adventures behind them, and so many more ahead! Sydney Harbour; Port Jackson, Pinchgut Island and the Rocks; relics from the convict days. We followed in the footsteps of the great explorers, although what we found was very different to the scenes that had greeted them back in the 18th and 19th centuries.

We made landfall at the Middle Harbour Yacht Club, of which George and I had been members in past years, and who gratifyingly actually remembered us! They allowed us to tie up to the end jetty for a very reasonable price, and enjoy all the club's facilities.

The weather was not the best; storms rolled across Sydney ahead of a series of cold fronts. Fortunately, Sydney Harbour has many inlets and bays in which to shelter. The maritime service has laid courtesy moorings; first come, first served; to which you can tie up for 24 hours at a time. We found moorings all around the place, and except for Saturday nights, when everyone with a boat comes out to play, we found moorings almost every time we needed one (the location and number of moorings are shown in the black circles below).

We discovered that the moorings were regularly maintained, as well as being situated in some of the most beautiful parts of the harbour.

Sugarloaf bay was especially useful; very sheltered in even the strongest winds, and a great place to hole up for a couple of days while the rain poured down.

Although it did entail numerous trips back and forth through the Spit Bridge. Having waited in traffic so many times while the Spit Bridge opened and closed, it was gratifying to be the one for whom it opened!

As the weather improved, our visitors began to arrive. First were Simon and Jess, who took to the boat as if she were born to the ocean.

Jess loved her fashionable life jacket and even took to sleeping in it.

We all tried our hand at fishing, in the front yard of some of Sydney's most exclusive real estate.

When Jess caught her first fish, she didn't know whether to laugh or scream!

We motored around Sydney Harbour, admiring the sights.

We were hosted by Ron and Cecily at The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (see Alchemy 1 in the background), where we also met up with Sonia and Lucy.

But the greatest fishing adventures were ahead, with the advent of William and Tom; whose exploits will be legendary for many moons to come.

Tom and William were with us for a week, and David joined us for the last few days. We left no part of Sydney Harbour untouched.

No fish in there, boys.

Deckhand David.

But is was the fishing - oh, the fishing - that stays with me.

Tom was the flathead specialist. He had the "knowin'", you see. No sooner than he threw his line in the water, the flatties would leap upon it.

William, too, was also a fine and dedicated fisherman. He always weighed and measured the catch.

Fair weather and foul, William wielded the rod. But it was with the crabs that he found his fame. For Will had no need of lines and nets. William caught blue swimmers with his fingers! One look at those nippers would make Batman quail, and a pinch would make Superman cry, but not our William.