January 7,2022
After a few days in Pittwater we were free to move. The evaluation on the boat was done and papers were sorted, Happy Days is now officially Australian. It was perfect timing, because Happy Days had a very busy schedule planned for the school holidays, Christmas, New Year and few other adventures in between.
Australian statistics reported about 2000 deaths in total up until November 30,2021. due to COVID. The vaccination rate was 93.5 percent for the double-dose, for those over 16 years old. But still restrictions were in place. Full mask in closed places, App to check in & out in every establishment and a few more. Health authorities in NSW were urging residents to celebrate the festive season outdoors if possible, maintain numbers to small groups, to minimise the risk from COVID-19. So that is exactly what we did.
From Pittwater to Sydney Harbour
Fun Fact : December 18 was the final day of our journey from Hiva Oa to Sydney in 100 days, and it was exactly the day we entered Sydney Harbour! Well planned!!
From Pittwater to Manly, it is a journey of 30nm which took us about five hours. And it was an extra especial not only because we were entering Sydney bay but also because we had an extra crew on board.
After sailing a couple of hours in Port Stephens and hearing some of our stories of long crossings, Luken asked the Captain if he could join us for a real crossing. And from Pittwater to Sydney, it is not an overnight sail, but still some considerable sailing. Therefore, we arranged everything, and he came the night before to stay on board and be ready in the morning to let the lines go from the buoy in Pittwater and head to Sydney Harbour to Manly.
Sometimes people think that because it is close to the coast and it is a short distance, it is a lot easier. The reality is that it is not always the case. Although it was a short journey compared to all the miles we had done, the wind was blowing 20 knots, there was a considerable swell, and even some crossed currents. At first, we were all feeling really good, enjoying the sailing, but a couple of hours in, I started to feel a bit tired, and I knew it was better just to take a nap, because it could get worse. I was not tired, I was getting sea sick. I told Cedric I was going down to take some rest, and he understood perfectly what I meant. I didn’t say I was getting sea sick because I did not want to scare Luken.
Luken and Cedric kept sailing, watching the coast and crossing some other boats along the way. I could hear them in the background talking about the boat and sailing stories until I fell asleep. They had lunch and had a great time and they were good. Luken had been very good at handling the boat movement. An hour before arriving, I was out again after my siesta, feeling a lot better and I saw they were very comfortably seated outside playing chess. The swell was still there and the current had decreased. But playing chess requires a lot of concentration and looking down. That had been a bit too much effort for Luken, who started to feel a bit tired and dizzy. They stopped the game and the Captain told him to just take it easy, breathe and watch the horizon.
We arrived at Manly before sunset, anchored after a couple of tries to make sure the anchor was holding, and jumped straight to the water for a refreshing swim!
Luken recovered his strength and was feeling back to normal. It was such an enjoyable time cruising, making dreams happen. He became crew member on Happy Days all the way until after New Year.
Christmas
We had a nice Christmas eve celebration on land with family and friends. Usually we get together with a few families, and we all bring a dish to share, there is always plenty of really good food. And this year we followed the tradition.
After such a wonderful celebration on December 25th, we had some great breakfast with arepas, opened the presents and straight back to Happy Days. And for the next 10 days, we were six on board. Once again, one of our main goals from this trip happened. Cruising with the family. We went around from Manly Beach, Middle Harbour, Lavender Bay (my backyard), Spit Bridge, Chinamans Beach, Woolwich, Davidson (pretty much my sister’s backyard) and a few other familiar spots. Sydney bay is such a nice place to go around with some hidden gems.
All those places were well known to us, but it was so nice to experience them from the sailing perspective; we would arrive from the sea, visit the beach, and leave by the sea. At some point, I think we spent like 3 or 4 days in a row not even touching land. We had bought all the necessary supplies and I still had plenty of extra dry and canned food from the crossing. For entertainment, we had the paddle board, which was an amusement park in itself, we had Hasty, which everyone loved to tour around and make “dinghy rides”, swim, snorkel, sail, sunbathe, or just relax, sit back, and see the world pass by. Besides, COVID numbers were still growing, and the vaccine was still not released for younger kids, therefore the less we mixed with the crowds the better it was.
We could not host everyone on board at once so we had lots of visits for day trips or even afternoons in the water.
PHOTOS
Sydney to Hobart– December 26th Boxing Day
This post would not be complete without mentioning the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, which made its return in 2021 after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The Sydney to Hobart Race is one of the toughest and most respected ocean races in the world. It’s the only major race that starts in a harbour, takes in a passage, and finishes in a river. 2021 was the 76th edition of the Sydney to Hobart Race, with a fleet in excess of 100 yachts, ranging from 36 to 100 feet in length. It always takes place on Boxing Day, December 26, and it starts regardless of the weather.
With hundreds of spectator vessels, helicopters overhead and hundreds of thousands of people lining the Sydney waterfront and cliff tops, the race started at 1pm. And as crazy as it sounds we decided to join the spectators on the water. We had previously enjoyed the incredible experience of cruising as spectators with Stuart’s family on a rental boat, and it left us with unforgettable memories. Stuart, a friend residing in Adelaide, has been actively crewing on the impressive SV Heartbreaker, which has been competing in the Sydney to Hobart race for several years. So the plan was not different this time, go out and cruise as a spectator to support Stuart. However, this time we were not on a rental boat we were with Happy Days and apart from Stuart’s parents and sister, all seasoned sailors, the rest of our crew was doing the experience for the first time.
The day began early when we went to the Sailing club to pick up Stuart’s family. Once we were on the boat, we could drive around the area where all the boats participating in the race were preparing. All the boats had to sail in front of the judges with their smaller storm sail up.
We managed to see Stuart before the exclusion zone started. At 12noon every spectator boat has to be out of the “race track”.
From that moment, everyone tries to get on the firs line to be able to see the departure as close as possible. At that point, I decided it was going to be better for me to go in front, and enjoy the race as a visitor in the boat. I can’t avoid to get really worry when boats get close to us. And there were lots of boats.
This is how it looks like:
And from us in the boat:
We had such a good spot on the first line of spectator boats, and we saw exactly how the three big maxis passed in front of our eyes with their massive carbon sails raised all the way up, the boats lining to their maximum degree for theirs best performance, it was magical to be so close we could heard the voices of the crews, the noise of the winches, mixed with the sound of their speed creating waves.
For me doing the start of the Sydney to Hobart with Happy Days was quite a challenge. We had never had so many boats so close by and this time which would have been the perfect time to use the bow thruster we couldn’t because it was broken. We had realised it wasn’t working since we arrived in the marina in Coffs Harbour and so far we had not find the problem.
The weather was fantastic, everyone enjoyed the day. We follow the race for the next couple of days, in the radio and in the news, and we had a premium spot. Look at the two pictures from the official photographer and from the 9NEWS, where Happy Days looks just to be in the middle of the three big maxi yachts. Black Jack, Scallywag ad LawConnect.
At the end, Black Jack won the Line Honours and Ichi Ban won overall, the Handicap results.
What a race!! Here are a few facts: 112 entries were submitted for the 2021 edition. By 25 December, the starting line-up was down to 91 and only 88 left the harbour to start the race. The mass withdrawal was due to crew members testing positive for COVID or deciding not to compete to avoid catching the virus. 5 boats withdrew in the 24 hours before the race started. For the first time, entries were accepted for a two-handed division (sailed by a crew of 2 people) but, due to the use of autopilot, they were ineligible for the overall handicap prize. Within the first two days, 36 boats retired due to injuries or damage caused by strong weather. 50 completed the race.
My loyal followers came onboard
Still with restrictions and being very careful by following all the recommendations to be protected from COVID, we were fortunate to have a few friends visit us on the boat, creating a truly special experience that we could share together. It was incredible to have them join us and be a part of our journey.
Tessa and Marcela my two extraordinary virtual companions, were with me every step of the way during the whole adventure. No matter where I was they always send me messages, support, news, and some stories. Their constant presence meant a lot to me, particularly when I was in the middle of the sea and we didn’t see anyone. It was just nice to welcome them in the place I had called home for nearly two years.
They both came for a sleepover with their families. Great adventures
Happy New Year 2022
If you know me, you probably know about my love for fireworks. Whenever there’s an opportunity to see them, I waste no time and go for it. There’s something truly magical about them. Consequently, having fireworks on the harbour for New Year’s was in my mind, I saw it as a far away thought when we were in French Polynesia and were thinking to sail all the way to Australia.
We were incredibly fortunate because, before setting sail on Happy Days, our apartment in Sydney had a balcony that overlooked the bay. From there, we could enjoy a clear and comfortable view of the New Year’s fireworks. I believed there couldn’t be a better spot. However, what we saw in 2021-2022 fireworks proove that I was mistaken!
This time, we witnessed the spectacle from the water, being incredibly close to the Harbour Bridge on the bow of Happy Days. It was an epic experience— the sounds, the lights— everything about it still sent shivers down my spine!
The day started very early in the morning when boats start arriving and anchoring as close to the bridge as possible. There is a well mark zone where you can anchored. So we were planning to do the same. However, we heard from some local sailor friends that it could get complex and a bit chaotic in some cases. Because people anchored very close to each other and everyone picks up the anchored after the fireworks finished and if the wind had shifted, anchors get entangle and you can imagine the rest.
It was such a coincidence that Peter owner of SV Erica, the boat Cedric were Cedric is crew and race every Saturday when we live in Sydney, was going to be out in Pittwater. That meant his buoy in Neutral Bay was going to be free. Therefore, he very kindly let us use it.
Our program for the night could not have been better. We were at the buoy perfectly safe, no need to anchor, and just 10minute before the fireworks started we release the lines and motor out of the bay to go closer to the Harbour bridge and see the amazing new year’s eve fireworks.
We saw the 9pm and midnight show that way, and in between we enjoy a banquet we had prepared with fresh seafood we had bought in the morning from the Fish Market. First time I arrived to the fish market by boat…not a bad idea to avoid the long lines of traffic with lots of cars in the streets.
Enjoy this video, and Happy New Year 2022 everyone!!!
After a great time on board Ricardo, Martha, Luken and Oliver disembarked as they had more plans for the school holidays.
Luken and Oliver wrote their impressions of sailing in Happy Days. Have a look here if you want to read them.
Cedric and I will stay on board for a couple days more, looking for a more permanent location for Happy Days and getting settle on living on land
Happy Days 