Hucklbuck, it does sound like a plan. However you will need to choose your wind and swell carefully.

If you're travelling in open water there are some safety items you must carry to be legal, and safe. These can be found on the Roads and Maritime website.

The distance is about 20 nautical miles, your Bluebird would average 4 to 5 knots in perfect conditions, so you're looking at roughly 5 hours. If the wind is anywhere in the North to Northeast It will take you longer.

If you've never raised a sail before, it may pay you to take an experienced sailor with. Because a Bluebird is not really a boat for outside, although on a reasonable day you'll be fine.

How long since the boat has been moved? Are the sails in good condition? What about the sheets and rigging? Is the bottom of the boat clean, or covered in barnacles? If its not clean you will take forever to get there.

Hope this is of help, PM of you want details.
Have you got your mooring arranged for Ettalong?

The engine should be fine in the well if it's a long shaft, although a short shaft will also be ok in a light swell.

I did similar crossing with similar boat.
1/get the boat ready- go over and check obvious stuff, loose, leaks, pump /if any/
safety gear, chart, GPS, ropes, /only rope is on the bell/ , rubbish
in petrol tank, just common sense.
2/get ready for sailing window / I pick mine too carefully, was no wind at all and motoring all day/
but with 4 stroke just use one tank/

3/have fun along the way, outboard hanging from transom, has no problem with swell
but works like vacuum cleaner , picks up plastic bag, sea grass, floating ropes atc.

HaveFun said...
Can someone explain why in the passage planner The track Port Hacking to Broken Bay is listed as 33.9nm and the reverse track from Boroken Bay to Port Hacking is given as 27nm. I note the Port Hacking to Port Jackson is given as 17nm and Port Jackson to Broken Bay is 18nm which would make the distance Port Hacking to Broken bay more like 35nm. Is the passage planner taking into account distance variations for departure or arrival tracks shown on the charts? I note Botany Bay is not mentioned.

It could be just an up-hill / down-hill kind of anomaly , you know, with the current or against the current.

Interesting idea Loose Change however the notes say:
"2]The distances shown are the shortest course over ground (COG) rhumline distances taken from a normal departure point to a normal arrival point clearing all hazards by a safe margin, in the case of a marina the marina entrance, in the case of a river, the river bar.
3) The distances shown do not take into account the quickest route dictated by tidal and other currents."

HaveFun said...
Interesting idea Loose Change however the notes say:
"2]The distances shown are the shortest course over ground (COG) rhumline distances taken from a normal departure point to a normal arrival point clearing all hazards by a safe margin, in the case of a marina the marina entrance, in the case of a river, the river bar.
3) The distances shown do not take into account the quickest route dictated by tidal and other currents."

Ok, you didn't seem to like that idea all that much.
Try this one ....... Coriolis effect?

Charriot said...
Sorry Loose Change

Coriolis applies for planes only.
North - South and reversal directions.

Dammit! ... you people are hard to please today.

Ok then, the only feasible thing left that it could be then is that the stars were not perfectly aligned.

P.S. Coriolis force also affects ocean currents