Welcome Brandy, we're in Careel Bay with our wee Top Hat, and whilst we've only had our boat 6 years have grown up around the area with my Dad fishing and camping. It's a great place to be. As soon as we finish our house renovations a bigger boat is on the list.

They are a bunch of Rum Coves here, I wouldn't listen to any of 'em

Hi Brandy,

Welcome.

Although I live in north Queensland I spend a few months every year on Lake Macquarie, Sydney Harbour and Broken Bay.

I learnt to sail on Sydney Harbour in the early 60's sailing a VJ (a 12 ft skiff) and have spent a considerable amount of time on Lake Macquarie as I lived there for many years. Broken Bay is the sort of place that never changes, apart from the number of boats and the number of moorings. It's not the best place in the world to actually 'sail'due to it's topography but it IS a boaters paradise. My profile pic was taken in Gunyah Bay in November.

I will be at Broken Bay in about 2 weeks time if you want to say hello.

Hi Brandy,
Yes, we truly are blessed on the east coast.
My crew has not been to Broken Bay and my boat is on Lake Macquarie at the moment.
We are flying down next week and then sailing down to Broken Bay for a few days before heading to north Queensland for the winter.
As much as I like that part of the world down there I am not a great lover of cool climates and north Qld is 'heaven' in the winter.

brandy said..
I've always been a fan of the 'endless summer' concept! FNQ is the perfect place to be to avoid a chilly Sydney winter. Now if only i could win the lotto and retire I'd do the same myself!!
How do you find the Lake Macquarie to Broken Bay passage? I'm yet to do it but plan on heading up to Nelson Bay via Lake Mac in Spring.

I find the trip from the lake to Broken Bay needs to be calculated as a long day trip. The sea part of the trip is about a six or seven hour sail but by the time you get out of the lake and into the sheltered part of Broken Bay or Pittwater it will eventually add up to a full day. The same of course applies going the other way.

Many years ago I sailed from Broughton Island to Broken Bay (about 90 miles) in a long day trip but that of course was with a nice north easterly giving me a hand and we were on a fully crewed boat.A good way to do the trip with a break overnight would be to sail to the lake and take up a public mooring just on the seaward side of the bridge at Swansea overnight and then continue next day.

If your going to visit the lake you can take heart in the fact that the Swansea Channel has recently been dredged.

There is some nice cruising to be done on the lake with numerous clubs and shopping centers as well as some great anchorages and fuel available.

To book the bridge opening at Swansea you need to call Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie when you know what your arrival time at the channel will be.

Swansea Bar is not a hard channel to navigate if you use the leads and stay well clear of moon island. It is a good place in most conditions other than a prolonged north easterly and very sheltered from the south.

Crossing the bar at low tide in good weather isn't usually a problem for boats with up to about a 6 ft draft but I am speaking from experience and you would have to make your own judgment on that.

There are a few public moorings on both sides of the bridge and if you get delayed there for any reason there are clubs and shops at Swansea.

Another thing I only experienced for the first time in February is that if you have had a good south easter for a few days there are a few places along the coast between Broken Bay and the lake where you will get breaking water well offshore, most notably off Tuggerah Reef and a bit further north off Tuggerah Beach. By WELL offshore I mean about two miles offshore. I have sailed up and down there countless times and never seen break there in the past. The charts have it marked as breaking in heavy swells.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the really comprehensive information mate - most appreciated!
You certainly sound like you are well travelled and have had some great experiences. This is what makes sailing so enjoyable, listening to stories of other sailors journeys and then creating your own. The beauty of the ocean is it throws up a different experience every time.
There are some beaut places to drop anchor on the way up the coast, again we are very fortunate on the east coast. Even a novice like me can get out and about without to much drama!
Cheers