Xmas Cruise - part 1

Taking advantage of a work break I hitched Misty to the Land Rover and headed for the water. Originally I had planned to hit the local river and make my way tiwards the sea, riverboat style. But a heatwave forecast of several days ib the high 30's made me reconsider. A more coastal waterway would be 10° cooler.
I decided on Myall Lakes, it offered a range of options for cruising creeks, rivers and open water, all fed by cool afternoon seabreezes.
The ramp at Nerong was a total success. In fact I couldn't believe that this ramp was the best I'd ever used. A healthy gradient, cement pad, wharf and shady park nearby. Not much to ask really. This one had the bonus of bring only moderately used, so there was no time pressure imposed on ramp access.
As it was late when I launched, I moored by the wharf and stowed gear and settled in for the night. Apart from mozzies and a noisy Vietnamese gongoozeler
(before dawn), it was quite successful.
The following morning I stood the Mirror dinghy rig and sailed off the wharf in a light N x 0-5 knots. Ghosting along gave great access to bird watching as we entered the Myall Lakes National Park. The depth of water was not massive, but adequate and well marked.
Reaching the Bombah Broadwater we crabbed along the western shore and entered the Upper Myall River. Clearly I am going through a river phase!
A little upstream a fork had me guessing, I opted for the larger and found myself in a large bay so I chucked the hook over just 15m from the northern extreme of the bay, put the kettle on and read and dozed during the heat of the day. After the hullabaloo of pre-Xmas work, shopping and catching up with family, this cruise was aimed at serious r and r, or coffee, dozing and reading.
In the evening the wind remained blustery, so I stayed put. Wildlife was limited to jumping mullet and little brown ducks. The tendrils of civilization reached out only so far as a single houseboat and although they flitted about skiing, the bay was big enough to ignore them. In fact since leaving the ramp earlier, I'd not seen a house, road or powerline, but during the night the whine of highway traffic carried on the breeze.
The holding in the Lakes system is excelent. Using an oversized CQR and chain, I found the mainly soft mud bottom to be very accommodating. "Hook down, stay put" was the rule.

Registering Misty my Trailer Sailer and Christmas Cruise

Just today realised my boat rego' for Misty had expired. When I went to pay it online, I realised it lapsed 2 summers ago. Oops!
Just out of interest I investigated the facts about boat registration. The state maritimae authority says that if the engine is over 5hp amd the vessel is pver 5.5m in length, or moored, it needs rego'.
Motor size is 5hp, tick, measure Misty ste  to stern, 5.5m minus rudder, outboard and bowrail. S  I chec  the authority's website, it says:
"Length excludes fittings such as rudder, outboard bracket, outboard, bowsprits ...". Woohoo! But how many owners of vessels advertised as being over 5.5m or 18'6" actually measure under that, are paying registrations of well over $100 a years, are being ripped off?

  I am holding my breath, but (Dare I even utter it into cyberspace?), I am possibly getting a week off to go cruising over Christmas! Due to cram in extra paid work to cover this week, and my daughter is independent (but wil  usey car amd feed the pets), while mey so  os having a week with his mother. Yes I will miss them, but   think I will enjoy a week afloat much more. My plans are to go for total solitude and novelty by going a bit shantyboat: no sailing rig  (there wil  ne bridges), bimini up and lollygagging down my local river with no real destination in mind. Lots of pottering about, reading, drinking cofee and marvelling at the freedom on the river.