
My anchoring skills are obviously improving because we had no trouble holding in either spot, although we always found a nice sandy bottom to dig into. Tucked inside the Woodchip and Navy wharves, we watched as a big cargo ship was loaded, 24 hours a day for four or five days straight, with good Aussie hardwood logs, probably straight from our nearby National Parks. Meanwhile, the Japanese-owned woodchip mill over our shoulders was spurting out more trees after they'd been converted to chips. Don't get me started.

But, in the morning, things felt smooth and we motored out of Eden's broad bay in gentle conditions with a small swell.
Fortunately, just ahead of the Korean bulk carrier's departure, and also just ahead of the Navy ship HMAS Melbourne, which was heading into our anchorage and would've chucked us out anyway.
While it was a slightly uncomfortable run North, with a following wind making it awkward to get the right sail combination, and being a bit "rolly" with swell. But it proved an easy run, and we romped along, motorsailing up to 7 knots at times, with lots of dolphins and sea birds keeping an eye on us.
We arrived into an idyllic Bermagui not too long after the high tide and enjoyed a soft, gentle swell entry.
Settling down to an afternoon nap, we were surprised to receive a text from our Geelong friends, Kerryn and John Peirce, aboard "Esoterica", to let us know they'd soon be arriving from Bittangabee Bay and had been advised to raft up to our boat. So that was a pleasant surprise, and with friends of theirs from the catamaran "Gemini Lady" we all adjourned to the pub for dinner.

Fortunately it was it's normal benign self again the next morning for our friends to depart for points North, while we settled into the rhythm of the harbour. We're due to meet our old friend Bill Shum here later in the week, so are content to wait for the next burst of Southerly winds for our own departure.


So whether it's our native forests or the ocean's bounty, there's always somebody ready to harvest it and bring it to market.

We're happily wandering around town and generally just soaking it all in. Took the bus into Bega yesterday for the princely sum of $2.50 return, and today took a walk to the Blue Pool. It's a beautiful, naturally-fed rock pool at the base of the cliffs facing the Pacific Ocean. (Why can't Torquay have one of these?)
And I was pleased to win Second Prize in this month's "Cruising Helmsman" magazine's photo competition with a shot from Refuge Cove.....after getting the cover shot a couple of issues ago.....which, coincidentally, I'd shot in Bermagui during our delivery trip two years previously.