Scroll down to get the latest post of 15/04/2026
Post of 18/01/2026.
So finally after my trip north in 2023 I have decided to do a trip of around 75 days south towards Sydney. I hope to get to Botany Bay but will be aiming for Sydney at least. We leave in around three weeks on 9/02/2026.
I will have two other yachts accompanying me, not Top Hats, but Greg, from my 2019 trip north, and William, both who have H28's, so a similar size.
In preparation I have painted SEAKA's deck in Norglass Weatherfast Premium Enamel and Slip Resistant paint. In reality as SEAKA is 57 years old and the gelcoat was a bit thin in places. I came off the local slip in the Camden Haven Inlet on Friday with new Altex No 5 anti-fouling. I have also built a new exhaust mixer for my Nanni 10hp diesel inboard. The original one had collapsed completely and I was lucky to spot the problem before I went on a trip.
So our sailing plan is like this, with time spent at each place dictated by weather etc:
Camden Haven to Forster. Broughton Island. Port Stephens. Newcastle. Swansea. Lake Macquarie. Broken Bay. Port Jackson. Botany Bay. Port Jackson. Broken Bay. Swansea. Lake Macquarie. Newcastle. Port Stephens. Seal Rocks. Forster. Camden Haven.
I am planning on contacting as many Top Hats as I can during this trip.
I will add photos over the next week.
Post of 26/01/2026
Ok I've had a change in my medications [old age is a b..] so we are delayed one month until around the 9th of March. On reflection the weather maybe cooler then so there are pluses for this delay. We are still coming guys!
Post of 10/03/2026
Well it hasn't been a month of good weather apart from everything else.
But, we plan to leave the Camden Haven on Thursday the 19th March with stops in Forster and Broughton Island with an arrival in Port Stephens on Saturday 21st in the afternoon.
Post of 22/03/2026
Ok so we are still in the Camden Haven at home. I must have kicked a can somewhere to get this run of weather. So we are now planning to move south on the 1st April. Here's hoping.
Post of 31/03/26
We have a major delay.
Yesterday I motored 2km over to our local wharf and just as I was coming along side I lost all drive, as it turned out from the gear box. The Nanni is running OK.
By the time I realized what was going on I had drifted past the wharf and was forced to anchor. Called Sea Rescue but they said it was salvage!!!!!!!! NOT GOING TO HELP. I'll have more to say about this to my local State MP. Not the first time I've been refused help from Sea Rescue.
Finally managed to get a mate to come down and tow me back to my mooring.
So after a bit of investigation and speaking to the right people I have a plan. The motor has to come out and we will sit it in the cockpit to remove the gear box. The gear box will then be taken, after Easter, down to Hornsby for repair. While that is happening I will clean and repaint the bilge and reset my bilge pumps.
I am very lucky this happened in my home port as it would have cost me hundreds of extra $ to repair in another place down the coast. Now I have the luck of staying at home with all the benefits etc.
Post of 9/04/26
So last Monday [6th] we moved the engine onto the cabin floor where I manage to loosen all of the bolts holding the gear box bell housing onto the engine. On Tuesday [7th] we separated the gear box from the engine and discovered that the damping plate, attached to the fly wheel, had disintegrated. A quick phone call to Sydney had one on the way to us including two new rear engine mounts that were compromised.
This has been a bit of relief and while I have the engine out of position I will clean and paint the bilge over the next couple of days. Hoping to have the engine back in and running sometime next week.
The 10hp Nanni is out and the bilge is repainted. I'm expecting the new parts on Tuesday 14th
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