Welcome to SailTime Middle Harbour
Spit Bridge
Affordable sailing in Middle Harbour with our Monthly Sailing Membership
Middle Harbour is one of Sydney's most beautiful and underrated sailing grounds — and a SailTime membership is the most affordable way to make it your regular sailing patch. Based at the Spit Bridge, memberships start from $890 per month and include guaranteed sail times, a two-day induction and full boat maintenance. No ownership required - just the sailing.
Tucked behind the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour is one of the city's most treasured waterways — and one of its best kept secrets. Stretching from the iconic Spit Bridge all the way to the tranquil upper reaches near Roseville, it offers a world apart from the bustle of the main harbour.
Here you can spend a lazy afternoon anchored in a bush-lined bay, explore hidden coves by dinghy, walk coastal tracks through national park, or simply tie up and enjoy lunch at a waterfront café, all within 30 minutes of the Sydney CBD. Whether you're aboard a large cruising yacht or a small trailer-sailer, Middle Harbour rewards every visit with calm water, stunning scenery and a pace of life that feels a world away from the city surrounding it.
Moorings, Anchorages & Public Berthing
Middle Harbour is well serviced for those looking to anchor, pick up a mooring or berth for the night. Courtesy moorings are available on the downstream side of the Spit Bridge for vessels waiting for an opening, and once through the bridge a number of popular anchorages open up — including Sugarloaf Bay, Bantry Bay and the upper reaches near Roseville Bridge, where anchoring off Grays Point in clean sand is a favourite among regular visitors.
Three marinas inside the harbour offer fuel and services: D'Albora Marina just inside the Spit Bridge, Northbridge Marina in Sailors Bay, and Roseville Bridge Marina. Additional boating facilities can be found at Lyons Boatshed and Cammeray Marina in Long Bay, and Castlecrag Boatshed and Sailors Bay Boatshed. Outside the bridge, Clontarf Marina, Fergusons Boatshed and Balmoral Boatshed round out the options. The Middle Harbour Yacht Club, home base for our fleet, sits at the heart of it all and provides an excellent base from which to explore the waterway.
Our Owner Member Program is also available in Middle Harbour
If you’re looking for a smart and cost-effective way to buy a new yacht in your local waterway with all the of ownership but with the expenses taken care of and regular monthly payments to help offset your marine mortgage, then ask about our Owner Members program.
In addition to regular sailing as a Gold owner-Member, you also have automatic SailTime PLUS membership, opening sailing opportunities at over 50 bases across North America and Europe.
Middle Harbour Base Fleet
Knot a Diamond – Bénéteau Océanis 40.1
The glamorous Oceanis 40.1 is a big cruiser, offering a new balance of elegance, space, and performance. The philosophy of the Oceanis 40.1 is to make sailing and mooring pleasurable. Perfect for families, couples and experienced sailors, this versatile 12-meter cruiser is perfectly adaptable to fit the most demanding sailor’s cruising requirements and satisfying their need for comfort and pleasure under sail.
-
Joining fee (one-time fee): $1,300
Monthly fee*: $940
Guaranteed monthly SailTimes: 3
2 Days induction: Included
As available additional SailTimes: Up to 3 per month @ $200 per SailTime 30 hours in advance
Membership SailTime plus: Additional fee $350 first booking
-
Joining fee (one-time fee): $1,800
Monthly fee*: $1280
Guaranteed monthly SailTimes: 6
2 Days induction: Included
As available additional SailTimes: Up to 4 per month @ no charge 30 hours in advance
Membership SailTime plus: Included
Horizon 3 - Bénéteau Océanis 38.1P
The Oceanis 38.1’s chined hull offers particularly surprising cruising comfort. Good and taut to aft and low on the water, the rigidity under sail of this cruiser takes her further and faster, with exceptional stability. It is a joy to have two helm stations, a mainsail arch and a huge swim platform on a sailing yacht this size.
-
Joining fee (one-time fee): $1,300
Monthly fee*: $890
Guaranteed monthly SailTimes: 3
2 Days induction: Included
As available additional SailTimes: Up to 3 per month @ $200 per SailTime 30 hours in advance
Membership SailTime plus: Additional fee $350 first booking
-
Joining fee (one-time fee): $1,800
Monthly fee*: $1,240
Guaranteed monthly SailTimes: 6
2 Days induction: Included
As available additional SailTimes: Up to 4 per month @ no charge 30 hours in advance
Membership SailTime plus: Included
For further details please complete the no-obligation enquiry form or call us on 1300 944 974.
Invest in a SailTime Australia Monthly Sailing Membership
Gold Members have a guaranteed 6 SailTimes per month, unlimited ‘as available’ sailing and enrolment in SailTime Plus for a monthly fee that is typically only a few dollars more than the cost of a local marina berth!
Silver members have a guaranteed 3 SailTimes per month plus the ability to access ‘as available’ sailing and SailTime Plus for a small additional fee
We also offer exclusive Mid Week and Corporate membership packages
For further details please complete the enquiry form or call us on 1300 944 974
Exploring Middle Harbour on your SailTime Australia boat
Tucked in between Middle Head and Dobroyd Head is the entrance to a stunning mini cruising ground for local and visiting sailors looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the main harbour. Middle Harbour may take you only an hour or two to sail from one end to the other, but you can also spend days poking around its beautiful bays, bushwalking in its parks and reserves, eating at nearby restaurants and cafés, or simply lazing on your boat. It makes for near-perfect cruising, whether you have a large cruising yacht or a small trailer-sailer. And at times it’s hard to believe you’ve anchored in a waterway that’s surrounded by a city of four million people – especially if you can manage to visit mid-week, when you are almost guaranteed to have the place to yourself.
Cobblers Beach
Tucked just inside Middle Head as you enter Middle Harbour, Cobblers Beach sets the tone for the waterway beautifully - secluded, unhurried and full of character. It's a well-known clothes-optional beach, popular with locals who've been coming here for decades, and offers good anchoring and lovely swimming in a well-protected setting. Southerlies and westerlies offer little disturbance here, making it a comfortable stop in most conditions. Do keep an eye on the signage however, as restricted anchoring zones apply in parts of the area due to adjacent Defence facilities.
Balmoral Beach
One of Sydney Harbour's most iconic and beloved beaches, Balmoral is a destination in its own right and a wonderful place to drop anchor for a few hours. The broad, sheltered beach is lined with Norfolk pines and backed by a charming strip of restaurants, cafés and shops — making it one of the finest lunch stops on the entire harbour. Moorings are available at the southern end, the swimming is superb, and on a sunny weekend afternoon the atmosphere is as close to a Mediterranean seaside village as Sydney gets.
Chinamans Beach, Flat Rock Beach & Clontarf Beach
Continuing further into the outer harbour, these three beaches are among the prettiest you'll find anywhere on Sydney Harbour -white sandy bottoms, crystal clear water and excellent swimming and snorkelling in calm, sheltered conditions. Each has its own quiet charm and they make perfect afternoon stopovers, particularly on your way back out through the Spit Bridge at the end of a weekend. Both Clontarf and Chinamans Beach have public facilities ashore, and Clontarf also has a popular waterfront restaurant set right in the park.
The Spit Bridge
For sailors, passing through the Spit Bridge is one of those quintessential Sydney experiences - part ritual, part adventure. The bridge opens up to eight times a day, with times varying between weekdays and weekends and between summer and winter, so a little planning goes a long way. On the downstream side of the bridge, two courtesy moorings are available for vessels waiting for an opening, a perfect excuse to slow down, have lunch, catch up on a book and watch the world go by.
As the opening time approaches, particularly on late weekend afternoons, the Spit Bridge ritual begins in earnest - yachts powering in from all directions, desperate not to miss their slot. The bridge operators are obliging up to a point, but don't push your luck if you're still several minutes away. Lights on the bridge signal when it's safe to proceed, and up to three boats abreast can pass through at once. If it's your first time, there's no shame in hanging back and letting the more experienced boats lead the way.
Once through, the water calms, the pace drops and the true magic of Middle Harbour begins to reveal itself. A no-wash zone applies from the bridge all the way up the harbour which, combined with the sense of having earned your way through, makes everything feel just a little more special..
Pearl Bay, Long Bay & Sailors Bay
Immediately through the Spit Bridge, the harbour opens up and the first bays to greet you on the southern shore are Pearl Bay, Long Bay and Sailors Bay - each offering a quieter, more residential feel compared to the busier outer harbour. Anchoring is possible in all three, and for those needing marina facilities, Northbridge Marina in Sailors Bay and both Lyons Boatshed and Cammeray Marina in Long Bay provide fuel, services and berths. Public toilets can be found at the Pearl Bay rowing club pontoon, handy after an overnight stay.
These bays are well suited to a peaceful overnight anchorage away from the weekend crowds that gather further up the harbour, and their proximity to the bridge means you're never far from a quick exit back to the main harbour when you're ready to head home.
Sugarloaf Bay
Sugarloaf Bay is one of Middle Harbour's most popular destinations and it's not hard to see why. Framed by bush-covered slopes and dominated by the distinctive hill that gives it its name, the bay has two public moorings though on any given weekend you'd be fortunate to find them free. The good news is that anchoring is excellent - depths of 6-7 metres around the edges with good holding in mud and rafting up with friends is very much part of the Sugarloaf experience.
Well protected in most conditions, the bay also offers wonderful opportunities to explore ashore, with a 2-3 hour bushwalk taking in clifftop trails, mangroves and wetlands at the upper reaches of the adjoining coves. At the head of Castle Cove a tidal creek winds through mangrove swamps and is well worth exploring by dinghy at high tide. If you can manage a midweek visit you may well have the whole bay to yourself - a remarkable thing to say about a waterway surrounded by a city of millions.
Castle Cove & Crag Cove
Branching off from Sugarloaf Bay, Castle Cove and Crag Cove are quieter, more secluded alternatives for those looking to escape the weekend crowds. Castle Cove in particular offers plenty of depth well into its upper reaches, and the bushwalking and kayaking opportunities here are excellent. The tidal creek at the head of Castle Cove is a highlight - a magical, mangrove-lined waterway teeming with stingrays and fish that rewards those willing to explore a little further than most.
Bantry Bay
If Sugarloaf is Middle Harbour's most popular bay, Bantry Bay is arguably its most beautiful. Deep, tree-lined and utterly tranquil, it bears more resemblance to a Whitsundays anchorage than a Sydney suburban waterway, and yet here it is, just a short sail from the bridge. Houses are almost entirely hidden from the water, and the surrounding bushland creates a sense of complete seclusion that is rare this close to the city.
Moorings are available but are in high demand, particularly on weekends when motor cruisers tend to claim them early. Midweek visits are where Bantry Bay truly shines; it's possible to spend several days here in near-complete solitude, which by Sydney standards feels like an extraordinary luxury. A National Parks wharf on the eastern shore provides dinghy access to walking tracks and basic facilities, and the bay is wonderful to explore by kayak. An added bonus - the public toilets here are renowned among Middle Harbour regulars as among the cleanest in Sydney.
Roseville Bridge & Grays Point
The upper reaches of Middle Harbour, beyond Bantry Bay and heading towards Roseville Bridge, are among the most scenic stretches of the entire waterway. The channel winds through dramatic tree and cliff-lined shores, passing some spectacular waterfront homes before the Roseville Bridge comes into view. To the right of the bridge is a boat ramp and small jetty, while to the left sits Grays Point and the Roseville Bridge Marina.
The marina is well worth a visit in its own right — a lovely waterfront café serving breakfasts and lunches with a well-earned reputation for exceptional baking. Bookings are recommended on weekends as it fills quickly. Anchoring just off Grays Point is the most popular overnight option up here, with good holding in clean sand and room for up to a dozen boats to raft up with stern lines secured to the trees on shore — just keep a close eye on the depths as it shallows quickly, and be aware of the tidal movement running in and out of Middle Harbour Creek.
A harbour within a harbour
What makes Middle Harbour all the more extraordinary is its location. Just around the corner lies one of the most recognisable waterscapes in the world - the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the glittering expanse of Sydney Harbour - yet the moment you turn into Middle Harbour, the city seems to fall away entirely. It's one of Sydney's great contrasts, and one that even sailors who know it well never take for granted.