Thursday 21 February Once more to the Hawkesbury

It was an interesting weigh anchor this morning. You can expect to foul your anchor with seabed debris from time to time but picking up a big wooden piling is unusual. I knew David was having some trouble raising the anchor and I thought it was heavy mud we were hooked in to but he called me to see a huge log we picked up; the chain was running through a split in a piling 15” / 40cm wide and 6' / 2m long. Our windlass must be very strong to lift a 33kg anchor, the chain and a small tree. Using the boat hook David was able to dislodge it from the chain and we were free.

Free from our extra weight we headed back up Pittwater to Careel Bay to say hello to Tenaya whom we spotted on our way in two days ago. Tenaya are from California and we last saw Katie and Jim in NZ so another hullo to old friends. We picked up a free mooring behind them and went over for a quick two hour chat and exchange of news. Like Asolare, we might see them again later in the year but this afternoon we're on our way back up the Hawkesbury river. The weather forecast isn't favourable for the weekend, rain and high winds on the coast, so it seems wise to go inland and enjoy more of this beautiful estuary.

We tried the top of Smith's Creek but all the national park mooring buoys were taken and back tracked to Castle Rock, a small and protected cove. The national park provide these free mooring balls through park waters on a first come, first served but limited to a 24 hour stay to ensure all can enjoy, to protect the sea grass beds. Too many anchors dropped, dragged and pulled would damage the delicate sea grass, an important part of the ecosystem.

Castle Rock is open to the west and give a lovely view of the sunset.

Apart from a small waterfall heard but not seen in the rocks behind us it was perfectly still and quiet. We watched an eagle catch a fish and then sit on a rock eating his supper.