a family sailing blog
We have spent the last 18 months sailing in the safe and secluded waters of Pittwater, one of Australia’s best cruising grounds. We know its beaches, where to get shelter, the holding. It is our home; familiar, safe and our friends are there. We love it. We have 6 weeks off this winter and could... Continue Reading →
As we left Royal Prince Alfred yacht club's visitor wharf, Vega's clean decks were gleaming in the early morning sunlight. I pushed the throttle forward to 2500 RPM, engaged the auto helm and headed towards the aft deck for a seat. I was looking over the transom, mindlessly watching the jellyfish being chopped up by... Continue Reading →
Well, we are off again. This time we are going to catch the south east trade winds and head north, up the east coast of Australia. Our destination is the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef - and in particular the Capricorn and Bunker group of reefs. From Sydney It's about 750NM up to... Continue Reading →
The Southerly Bluster is a colloquial expression for strong southerly winds that sweep up the New South Wales coast at the end of a hot summer's day. Records show that about 30 southerly buster fronts move up the coast annually. However, only in 5 or 6 cases each year do the climatic conditions align sufficiently... Continue Reading →
Well, even if we didn't sail that far in 2018, Vega still managed to keep us on our toes with a seemingly endless list of jobs. Some small, some large. All infuriating at some point, but then somehow satisfying once completed. The 2018 jobs roll call looks something like this.... We stripped and varnished Vegas... Continue Reading →
They say that as you get older the years go by quicker. Ever accelerating in the rush of life and work until finally the years are gone and you look back wondering what happened. Where did the time go...why is the wish list still so long? Well, i must have got pretty old real quick... Continue Reading →
Dwejra, Gozo is the site of a huge collapsed cavern that has been invaded by the sea. Now called Dwejra Bay, the collapse of the cavern has formed the most amazing anchorage for yachts. The horseshoe bay is surrounded by soaring vertical cliffs and is guarded by the brooding bulk of fungus rock at its... Continue Reading →
I’m pretty confident Bill Gates and I don’t share that much in common, but we seem to be agreed that Skradin, in Croatia is a great place to visit. Apparently Bill has named Skradin his favourite holiday destination, which is a big call, but I understand why he would have liked it so much. It’s... Continue Reading →
We arrived off Monemvasia after a slow overnight sail from the Island of Milos in the Aegean. As we drew alongside the island the sun was starting to warm the cool air and we were putting away our sails we were greeted by a large loggerhead turtle who seemingly swam about Vega waving us on... Continue Reading →
Port de Soller is situated in an idyllic horseshoe bay tucked behind the cliffs making up the rugged north west coast of Mallorca, Spain. It's the only all weather anchorage on this part of Mallorca's coast and there is a choice of anchoring in the sandy bay, mooring on a new floating pontoon or entering... Continue Reading →
a yacht more to life 