1m People waiting for New Year in Sydney

Date: 31st December 2024

Location: Farm Cove, Sydney Harbour

There's still five hours to go and all the public spaces here are now full. That means there's one million folk lining the harbour.

Yesterday, 30th December, we parked Mehalah in Rose Bay in a position without a view of The Bridge. Hopefully she will sit there quietly until we return on New Year's Day. Meanwhile we loaded bedding, crockery, clothes and cameras onto Meraki 2 and headed to Farm Cove, THE spot to see the New Year in in the southern hemisphere. There were maybe another dozen boats there when we arrived. Now, with five hours to go there must be 200 in this smallish anchorage and they are still arriving.

The bay was rough as we anchored. So rough in fact that it was actually dangerous getting on and off the dinghies that were launched, off in search of luxury New Year food and drink. Kevin somehow got completely lost whilst in search of booze eventually finding a shop just metres from the 'private' dinghy dock where we had landed after walking 10,000 unnecessary steps!

First came the international cruisers like us that have to anchor somewhere every night anyhow. Next the local sailing boats eager for a good spot. This afternoon all sorts arrived from paddleboards to dinghies to small motor boats and fishing boats. And now the big money charter boys are coming in. Only boats less than 15m long are allowed in this prime location but even so we've just heard of a 40' catamaran that costs $12,000AU (£6,000) to rent for this evening. Maybe we should have brought Mehalah round after all.

Plenty of boats we know are here. Mowzer, Viridian, Go, Meraki.

We've been on deck all day watching the build up. There are special services marksmen on the top of each of the Opera House domes, Voluntary Rescue boats dealing with broken engines, an ice cream boat, thousands of people on shore. And still the boats arrive squeezing into smaller and smaller spaces.

Robbie Williams will be on stage later, there's 9 tons of fireworks to be let off in two shows. At 9pm it's the children's show after a parade of boats down through the spectator exclusion zone.

Helicopters buzz over the harbour and an SBS boat full of balaclavaed scary people came slowly through the anchorage.

We are only a few hundred yards from The Bridge, dressed with the courtesy flags of all the countries we've visited since we left England (except for Panama that disintegrated from the wind there). We think we are the best dressed boat here and note we have already starred in this morning's ABC television show about the festivities.

Meraki all dressed up.

Foodwise it's scrumptious. Bucks Fizz (again), waffles with Canadian maple syrup, dips, melon/cheese/ham, chutneys and sausages. And whatever drink you want. Thank you Shawna, Kevin and Gill.

And still the boats arrive. Thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of spectator boats are now cramming in.

It's getting busy!

We all agree there is nowhere in the southern hemisphere we would rather be tonight than Sydney Harbour on a boat we've sailed from the other side of the world.

There's not much to add really. The fireworks were amazing. The children's set was mostly big bangs from the moored barges with nothing on the bridge. But the main event wow, just wow. 20 minutes of a fireworks spectacular unlike anything we've ever seen with a resounding finale where a waterfall cascade of white light somehow fell from the entire bridge deck down into the water.

Now that's what I call fireworks.

More fizz was drunk, memories remembered and we thought of our girls back together in the UK before Jenny heads off for another year in South America 

The grand procession.

Date: 5th January 2025

Location: Pittwater, 25 miles north of Sydney

On New Year's Day we returned to Mehalah, and prepared for our solo journey back north without Kevin and Shawna who will make a more leisurely return when we are in New Zealand. It's been a blast guys - thanks for a great few months. Our last night together was crowned with Gill's delicious citrus cured salmon gravdlax voted by Shawna the 'best starter ever'.

Best starter ever!

We've made the first short hop back to Pittwater where we had a most important rendezvous.

Goodbye to a misty Sydney.

Remember I told you Gill had won first prize in the Voluntary Marine Rescue raffle? Well we were invited for a formal handover of the prize and a good photo opportunity for VMR. Father Christmas arrived by rescue launch and the rest of the anchorage took the opportunity to gawp and take photos.

The arrival of Father Christmas.

Handover of the prize.

It looks like it will take a while to work back to Scarborough as at present we only see strong northerlies coming towards us or else extremely strong southerlies. We will see.

Meanwhile a very Happy and Healthy New Year to you all. xx

Large Australian jellyfish attack kayak!