{"id":1329,"date":"2025-03-02T12:50:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T01:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/?p=1329"},"modified":"2025-03-02T12:50:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T01:50:40","slug":"first-week-port-stephens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/first-week-port-stephens\/","title":{"rendered":"First week, Port Stephens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>25 February to 2 March 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Passage sail from Pittwater to Port Stephens<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We had an early 6am start from the Basin in Pittwater to ensure we made Port Stephens in daylight. The winds were from the South and fairly strong, 20-25kn, and there was some rain at times, so we had all our wet weather and safety gear on. By late afternoon the winds died down and the sun came out, so we had to turn the engine on for the last two hours to reach Port Stephens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1335\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Both-in-wet-weather-gear-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1335 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Both-in-wet-weather-gear-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Both-in-wet-weather-gear-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Both-in-wet-weather-gear-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Both-in-wet-weather-gear-1140x855.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Both-in-wet-weather-gear.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1338\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/N-in-hat-770x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1338 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/N-in-hat-770x1024.jpeg 770w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/N-in-hat-226x300.jpeg 226w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/N-in-hat-768x1022.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/N-in-hat.jpeg 902w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 770px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 770\/1024;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1339\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-in-rough-seas-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1339 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-in-rough-seas-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-in-rough-seas-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-in-rough-seas-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-in-rough-seas-1140x855.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-in-rough-seas.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Port Stephens dolphins and sailing\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EniSBrLusM4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cruising Port Stephens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The week has been sunny with fresh NE winds, and we have explored several bays in the area. Temperature in the air around 30 degrees and 24 in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Port-Stephens-map-Medium.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1350 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Port-Stephens-map-Medium.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Port-Stephens-map-Medium-300x168.jpeg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 640px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 640\/359;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Shoal Bay<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1334\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Shoal-Bay-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1334 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Shoal-Bay-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Shoal-Bay-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Shoal-Bay.jpeg 900w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 768px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 768\/1024;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1343\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Dinghy-at-Shoal-Bay-beach-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1343 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Dinghy-at-Shoal-Bay-beach-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Dinghy-at-Shoal-Bay-beach-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Dinghy-at-Shoal-Bay-beach-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Dinghy-at-Shoal-Bay-beach-1140x855.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Dinghy-at-Shoal-Bay-beach.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1346\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Fish-in-Shoal-Bay-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1346 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Fish-in-Shoal-Bay-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Fish-in-Shoal-Bay-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Fish-in-Shoal-Bay.jpeg 900w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 768px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 768\/1024;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A bit shool of fish hiding under our boat transom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1342\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RaRa-at-Shoal-Bay-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1342 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RaRa-at-Shoal-Bay-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RaRa-at-Shoal-Bay-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RaRa-at-Shoal-Bay-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RaRa-at-Shoal-Bay-1140x855.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RaRa-at-Shoal-Bay.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rara found a public mooring close to the beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1340\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jonas-Pilhage-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1340 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jonas-Pilhage-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jonas-Pilhage-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jonas-Pilhage-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jonas-Pilhage-1140x855.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Jonas-Pilhage.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jonas at Shoal Bay Country Club <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Salamander Bay<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When moored in Salamander Bay we took the dinghy in and went for a walk to the nearby (huge!) shopping mall and got some food supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1333\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1333 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay-1140x855.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1336\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay2-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1336 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay2-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay2-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Going-shopping-in-Salamander-Bay2.jpeg 900w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 768px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 768\/1024;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1337\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Niclas-in-wide-hat-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1337 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Niclas-in-wide-hat-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Niclas-in-wide-hat-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Niclas-in-wide-hat.jpeg 900w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 768px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 768\/1024;\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Boat maintenance&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Tiller-arm-for-repair-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1344 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Tiller-arm-for-repair-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Tiller-arm-for-repair-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Tiller-arm-for-repair.jpeg 900w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 768px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 768\/1024;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">My homemade autopilot tiller arm unfortunately gave up in the big swell coming up to Port Stephens from Pittwater, and I found a local welder who could finalise the new version that we had parts for (big thanks to Gilbert Watt!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lemon Tree Passage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lovely part of Port Stephens, although very shallow. Although we only have a 1.4m draft, were we anchored south of the Lemon Tree Passage channel we only had 20cm under the keel at low tide. The bottom was very soft though so we thought no big drama if we were to touch. We did opt to use the dinghy to go up the channel (which was wise I think, as it&#8217;s even shallower). Once there we found a local Gin Distillery and some nice locals to talk to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"770\" data-id=\"1347\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/In-Lemon-Tree-Passage-1024x770.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1347 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/In-Lemon-Tree-Passage-1024x770.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/In-Lemon-Tree-Passage-300x226.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/In-Lemon-Tree-Passage-768x577.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/In-Lemon-Tree-Passage-1140x857.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/In-Lemon-Tree-Passage.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/770;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"1345\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lemon-Tree-passage-distillery-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1345 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lemon-Tree-passage-distillery-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lemon-Tree-passage-distillery-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lemon-Tree-passage-distillery-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lemon-Tree-passage-distillery-1140x855.jpeg 1140w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lemon-Tree-passage-distillery.jpeg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/768;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1349\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-with-GandT-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1349 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-with-GandT-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-with-GandT-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/S-with-GandT.jpeg 900w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 768px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 768\/1024;\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s next?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re watching the various wind and wave\/swell forecasts caused by the Cyclone Alfred and we&#8217;ve decided to be cautious and not head north yet, so we will most likely stay another week in this area, which is not a bad option at all as this is a paradise on earth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Cyclone-Alfred-576x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1341 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Cyclone-Alfred-576x1024.jpeg 576w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Cyclone-Alfred-169x300.jpeg 169w, https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Cyclone-Alfred.jpeg 675w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 576px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 576\/1024;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cyclone Alfred is further north, but causing big winds and swell even down where we are.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Feel free to leave a comment if you want, it encourages us to create more content!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>25 February to 2 March 2025 Passage sail from Pittwater to Port Stephens We had an early 6am start from the Basin in Pittwater to ensure we made Port Stephens in daylight. The winds were from the South and fairly strong, 20-25kn, and there was some rain at times, so we had all our wet<span class=\"excerpt-ellipsis\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/first-week-port-stephens\/\" itemprop=\"url\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1329"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1357,"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329\/revisions\/1357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westlingfamily.com\/rara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}