1300 Position: 33 50.0 S 151 19.0 E
Course: S Speed: 3 knots
Wind: SE - ESE, F3-4 – gentle to moderate breeze
Sea: slight Swell: SSE 2m
Weather: overcast, mild

We dropped our mooring at Rushcutters Bay at 1100 and had a pleasant sail down the Harbour, but once past the Heads we have had to tack numerous times to get some sea room and to try and find more stable conditions, both in wind and sea.

We have a reasonable forecast for heading South, the forecast being for SE winds of 10 to 15 knots, backing into the E this afternoon and then NE this evening. I realised that getting past the Heads might be a little difficult mainly because there is nearly always a sloppy sea in their vicinity due to the waves and swell reflecting off the steep cliff faces. Also it has been blowing fresh predominantly from the South over the last few days, consequently a two meter swell from the SSE is running which Sylph is struggling to punch over. But progress has been even more frustrating than I expected. The wind has been on the fluky side, shifting in direction and strength, making getting an offing from the coast that much more challenging. Thus far we have made small progress, only making good five miles from Rushcutters Bay over the past three hours.

Meanwhile a vessel off North Head has called a Mayday, reporting an incapacitated Captain with no one else on board who knows how to control the vessel. It would also seem they are having difficulty communicating with Sydney Marine Rescue and after their initial call have gone silent. Not knowing more precisely where they are and Sylph being on the slow side, at this stage there is not much we can do but wait and listen. I would presume Sydney Marine Rescue would already have called out some rescue vessels to start searching for the distressed vessel. Hopefully the story will have a happy ending.

We continue to head slowly South as best we can.

All is well.