Noon position: 33 58.1S 151 18.6 E
Course: SSE Speed: 5 knots
Wind: ENE F3, gentle breeze
Sea: slight Swell: NE 0.5 m
Weather: partly cloudy, warm
Day's run: 15 nm

The forecast is for a fair breeze for the next several days so this morning at 0940 we slipped the mooring at Rushcutters Bay (a RANSA mooring became available on Tuesday) and tacked our way out of Sydney Harbour against a gentle NE breeze.

We crossed tacks with my old ship, STS YOUNG ENDEAVOUR, on our way out. It was good to see her royal blue topsides glistening in the sunshine. I believe she has recently completed a refit and I was pleased to see her looking in good shape.

At 1120 we rounded South Head and bore away to the south, handing the jib and setting the code zero as we opened out from the coast. Now we are approaching Botany Bay where the coast falls away to the SW. Consequently we have been able to bear away a little more, putting the wind on our port quarter and allowing the jib to be set again, this time poled out to port with the code zero filling the gap between the jib and mainsail, catching the little bit of wind that spills off the jib, adding maybe a half a knot to Sylph's speed. Certainly this sail combination is easier to manage than setting the spinnaker and I believe is almost as efficient.

Our destination is Adelaide but whether we stop along the way will, as always, depend on the weather. If we make good time I may stop in at Melbourne to say hello to my brother Mark and niblings, Izzy and Arch.

All is well.