Info Wanted Sailing Sydney NSW to Mackay QLD

[pessa]

Hi all,
Any of you old hands know how long it will take to sail from Sydney to Mackay and where is worth overnighting on the way to recharge the batteries and soul.

[JPA Cate]

It depends on how fast your boat is, how you feel about being out overnight, and what length of time you want to spend getting there. During most Australian winters it is easier to get north in a hurry than south, so that, too, might figure into your planning, as would the kinds of places you like to stop. ...I'm saying that there's no responsible way I can answer the question without knowing a lot more about you, your boat, and your plans.

One thing you could do is load Open CPN in your laptop, and figure the length of the course you prefer to follow, then divide the distance by your conservative average boat speed and derive the time required for the distance. Convert the hours to 12 hr. days.
See how your 12 hr. days fit the distances between anchorages.

[Amnesia II]

Ann is quite right and you also need to consider summer is on the way now and people tend to come south at this time of year to avoid cyclones in the far north.

A good investment would also be Alan Lucas' cruising guides for NSW and Qld showing all ports of call you may want to consider on the way

[Reefmagnet]

Conservatively, I think practically it would take around two weeks with minimal stops. I'm thinking of doing something similar and I would allow a month with stops for weather etc. Don't forget the East Australian current which flows to the south. You need to sail either inside or outside of it to avoid being slowed. Once you get up North later in the year, the wind regularly blows from the NE too which puts it on the nose.

Potential ports of call/points of interest for a break if you'd prefer not to cross some notorious bars would be Port Stephens, Coffs Harbour marina, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Cost, Great Sandy Straights, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Yeppon/Great Keppel Island, Then onto Mackay with the obligatory stop at the Percy Isles.

[pessa]

Thanks for all replies, 40ft yacht mono hull I reckon average about 4kts and distance Sydney to Mackay aprox about 903nm. I suppose I have answered my own questions but wanted to know about the safer pit stops along the way.

Thanks
Perry

[2Wind]

I've just done the Brisbane Mackay leg of your trip. We left 17:00 Tuesday, arrived Mackay 06:00 Sunday, with a 12hr stop near Urangan in Hervey Bay, an 18hr stop at Lady Musgrave Island/Lagoon, and a 8hr stop at Middle Percy. Great trip with whales everywhere!
If you only want to sail by daylight then I'd suggest stops at Mooloolaba, Tin Can Bay/Wide Bay Bar, Urangan (paying close attention to tides through the Sandy Straits), Burnett Heads, Lady Musgrave, Fitzroy Reef, Rosslyn Bay, Middle Percy, Mackay.
Enjoy.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by pessa

Thanks for all replies, 40ft yacht mono hull I reckon average about 4kts and distance Sydney to Mackay aprox about 903nm. I suppose I have answered my own questions but wanted to know about the safer pit stops along the way.

Thanks
Perry

Places we'll often stop are:

Pittwater
Port Stephens
Forster - bar crossing, but usually good
Camden Haven - ditto
Port Macquarie - also a bar, but more prone to closing - it faces east
Coffs Harbour
Yamba - bar, but deep and usually good
Gold Coast seaway - ALMOST an all weather entrance
Great Sandy Straits - bar crossing, I wouldn't cross in more than 2.5m swell.
Bundaberg
Pancake creek
Island head creek - can be closed by military, check notices to mariners
Curlew Island

From there we go on north, not Mackay.

[Jim Cate]

To 44's list I would add:

Gladstone (for a marina fix)
Great Keppel Island
Pearl Bay
Any of several islands in the Cumberland group
Port Clinton

and a host of others.

And let me add my recommendation for any of Alan Lucas's cruising guides... excellent conservative advice for that whole area. Much more detail available in the Curtis Coast cruising guide for the Bundy to Mckay stretch.

Cheers,

Jim

[Johnathon123]

I would also add Newcastle as a possible stopping point if needed. Yes it is a major shipping port so be ultra alert but they have a fantastic brand new CLEAN yacht club, travelift and shipwright services if needed. They also have a waterfront brewery that you can tie up outside for the night if you need to recharge.

In Port Stephens I would make the effort to head a little further in and stop at Soldiers Point Marina - the most luxurious marina ever (free sundowners for all residents) it is a little way out of town but they have a courtesy vehicle for reprovisioning, again a great shipwright slipway etc.

In Forster, well what can I say, I live just down the road so it must be great. We do have a Bar, which can be aggressive but Marine Rescue guys are great and will give as much advice as they legally can. If you go to there website they also have Bar Cam so you can see for yourself.

In Forster, our Tuncurry side of the channel are lined with piers for single boats or you can anchor on a sandy bottom quite happily. BUT BE AWARE the current here can be a constant 7 - 8 knots. It is a killer so set your alarm on the gps for anchor drag. You can get fresh fish and Ice at the Co-Op as well as diesel (fast flow) and a supermarket is about 10 minutes walk from the waters edge.

Also, don't write off Laurieton, in the right conditions, a lovely spot and you can tie up at the RSL Club wharf right in the middle of the town for a donation. Fantastic seafood at the RSL.

Finally the Lucas Guide is great - get it, you wont regret it.

[JPA Cate]

Hello, again, Perry,

I decided to add a bit. As it is usually easier to go northbound on the east Australian Coast, if you're in a hurry, I would tend to hop onto a southerly and ride it as far as it would take me, and keep doing that, with the intention of on the southbound leg, harbor hopping, and even waiting for light or easterly-nor'west through westerly, to to south on.

Some years back, we were advised by an experienced Australian sailing couple to leave Breaksea Spit (north end of Fraser Is.) 5-10 n. mi. to the west, because there is a strong onshore set there. As long as you pay attention, you can pick it up right away, and correct for it.

Another place you can get sucked in a bit is just north of the Burnett River, where a strong easterly flow and an incoming tide can try to set you on the putty before you get to the fairleads to go in there. It won't happen if you pay attention.

A kind soul above mentioned getting Alan Lucas' cruising guides. Yes. We've used them for the past 23 years! Plus, Alan's one of your national treasures, and when he's gone, the cruising guides -- well, who knows who'll write them!

Also, if you have plans of "eventually" cruising offshore, I'd suggest you'd plan at least a double overnighter as part of your trip. You' ll want to wait till you get past Cape Byron northbound, because the EAC is strongest there, usually. But at some point, give yourselves an opportunity to work out a practical watch schedule (Jim and I do 6 on 6 off, others four, three, or two), and see what works best for you. Incidentally, this may change a lot as you work out what allows best renewable rest pattern for you.)

Feel free to ask more questions as you go along.

Ann

[Johnathon123]

I should make a caveat to my earlier post.


Forster is still great, but I went don to the waterfront this morning and the Council in its infinite wisdom has ripped out the visitor berths as part a foreshore regeneration.

Nobody seems to know if they would be replaced (I would say they would have to for the fishos) BUT depending on when you are sailing Forster might be an anchor job (remember the current)

Good luck

[giant]

Port Stephens
Coffs Harbour
Yamba
South Port
Maloolaba
Bundaberg
Tin Can Bay
Harvey Bay (marina?)
Airlie Beach
Townsville
Cairns
Port Douglas
Cook Town

Two weeks for a quick trip.

Getting a bit late in the season as you will want to be heading south before the end of October to avoid cyclones.

[Mandurah]

Rob Starkey gave an excellent presentation on this subject at the Cruising Masterclass at the Sydney Boat Show last month. He has a book called Rob Passage Planner which covers the topic including routes, weather and ports of call etc.