Ok – Clearly, they are VERY different boats – and whilst I absolutely loved Miranda and we had great times aboard her with heaps of friends, there’re some things that I’m REALLY loving about Northerly that we just didn’t have on Miranda.  Some key things that spring to mind…….

• Space for all my stuff – in fact, I keep losing things because I put them in one of the many drawers and then can’t remember which one (being used to only actually having a single drawer for everything).
• Air conditioning for sweltering summer days!!!!
• Hot water without having the run the engine.
• A huge fridge and freezer
• A separate shower so I don’t have to dry it before anyone can use the toilet – and having an ensuite in the first place, of course…..
• An extremely comfy bed that I can share with Mark – rather than pretty hard, separate bunks……
• Having a coffee machine (and soda stream… and Thermomix….and washing machine…. and dryer………)
• Space for garbage (especially the squillions of bottles we accumulate).
• Privacy if I want to read or have a sleep instead of being in a single space with everyone
• The fact that Mark and the girls love it
• The fact we have a few different spaces for entertaining so we can spread out and move around depending on the weather…..
• Having a washing machine (did I already mention that…?)
• Being able to have overnight guests

We’ve had a couple of fabulous months with Northerly based in Sydney over summer.  She was moored in Empire Marina in Bobbin Head which was perfect for accessing Pittwater – although a bit of a pain to drive to Bobbin Head from home…..  Still, at least when we got there we felt we were already on holidays….

Our first weekend away was with Tom and Jacqui in Yeomans Bay – lots of leaping from the roof (it was 40 degrees….) and drinking champagne……  Northerly is fabulous for entertaining – so much space…..

We spent a week before Christmas in Sydney Harbour (to make getting Amelia to rowing at 5.30am at The Spit easier).  She invited a bunch of friends on board a few times and they had a great time exploring in the tender.

We also rafted up with Thackrays – we always love boating with them.  As usual – lots of sitting around eating and drinking too much – with lots of laughs!

One afternoon/night we had the Thackrays, Bishops and Rossis aboard for a proper “christening” of Northerly.  A very big afternoon and night was had by all……..

A fun week was spent in January rafted up with Thackrays and Bishops in Yeomans Bay – Northerly’s roof a great platform for both launching into the water and for star gazing at night. I’m mastering mojhitos for pre-dinner drinks – loving having a Thermomix aboard……  We also caught up with Tim and Jo M and had a fun night on the Morgan’s boat.  Jane and Spot came up for a couple of days as well.  We missed Mia – who was away on rowing camp – but loved being able to sleep-in!  Mark, Imi and I had one gorgeous day at Patonga – swimming, lying in the sun reading and lunch at the Patonga Hotel – loved it!

Our last summer in Sydney event was the Australia Day weekend – rafted up with Thackrays (in Phoebe) and Bishops (in Corinthia) and Lawson’s in Sugarloaf.  We took the tender to the Rossi’s pool in Northbridge for swims – perfect location for that!  We also had lunch one day with Titch and Melinda Graham and Michael and Shelley Richardson – who arrived in their boat.  We collected Pip (on crutches) to join us for a day.  The weather was gorgeous for the first couple of days, but rainy and cold on Australia Day itself – although that didn’t stop us standing on the back deck of Corinthia to sing the anthem at midday.

After a month or so in Brisbane and the Gold Coast getting some minor work done, we figured it was time to bring Northerly home so we can enjoy her in and around Sydney over summer.

Mark, Spot, Jane and I (Tina) set off from RQYS at 11.30am on Sunday 16th November.  The first day was a bit lumpy, but pretty good overall. It was my first proper sea voyage – and I must admit to starting to feel queasy by early evening. After taking DR John Curry’s miraculous sea sick pills, I felt much better- although wasn’t much help to the rest of the crew due to excessive sleepiness. It probably didn’t help that I boarded already pretty sleep deprived and sick. By the time we arrived in Sydney I’d had more sleep than I’d had in 2 weeks and felt great- the rest of the crew were pretty exhausted after having to share constant watch duty for 48 hours with no help from me……

On Monday we anchored briefly for a fresh prawn, steak and salad lunch (fabulous catering by Mark) at Trial Bay, just south of Scotts Head. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and had a swim – a gorgeous, protected spot for a break. This is when I could really get a feel for what a fantastic boat Northerly will be for summer holidays. She always has somewhere to sit protected from the wind (if any)- fantastic outdoor space for lounging and swimming.

We arrived at Bobbin Head (Empire Marina) at 9am Tuesday. Successful delivery ! Plus, during the trip I learnt heaps about how things work on Northerly- how the anchoring works, how to work all the interior appliances etc. Mark and I are both really excited that we can now spend time on her in holiday mode!

Sunset off NSW coast on 16 November, 2014