in November 2008
"Are we halfway around yet, Chuckie???"
the Port to Port Yacht Rally from New Caledonia was FABULOUS!!
We arrive in Bundaberg in late Oct for the rally festivities and games lasting almost another week after the fleet sails in.
Soon we sail south 3 days to Manly, a marina and town very near Brisbane or "Brissy" and the locals call it. They add "y" or
"ie" to so many things and places here. Brissy is a youthful and rapidly growing city as well as being very attractive.
We have fun with our cruiser friends, Ken and Audrey from "Fast Forward" and Lucy and Roger from "Catimini" seeing the sights.
After 2 weeks in Manly we need to keep heading south if we want to reach our goal of Sydney for the holidays. We always need to
leave time for the right weather. Those winds from the north we need, can be rare. We find a perfect 4 day northerly and make it most of the way.
We got to take a break and go into shallow Lake MacQuarie for a week's visit. Meeting all the locals along the way is much of the charm of
Australia. I often tell them that they are the closest thing we've met to the warm southerners in the US and they are very outgoing and
helpful in every way. We must mention the impressive animal life we noticed in Australia, especially the most outstanding birds in the world
we have seen so far...even in downtown areas there are colorful parrots, lorikeets, cockatoos and and so many others.
We arrive in Sydney in early December anchoring right at the Opera House bay but it is so well traveled by roaming tour boats
that the swell from their wakes roll us around and we feel like we are in a fish bowl from the stares of the tourists. We head on to
the Glebe anchorage where we are greeted by the Aussie Island Packet Dealer, Mark Dent after he notices CYAN anchored below his condo balcony.
He and Heather become our wonderful friends entertaining us first at dinner, then Christmas, then a terrific New Years Eve party where we meet
loads of their friends. It made our visit to Sydney so special. We ended up spending 6 weeks in the Sydney area. We took a mooring at Cammeray
Marina in a lovely older neighborhood and settled right into the ambiance. We took our time doing all the museums and sights as well
as catching up on movies and medical care, eye checks and installing some new electronics and additions for the boat. One sight we
especially liked was the Maritime Museum and their replica of Capt Cook's ship, "Endeavor". After having sailed to so many of the places
he discovered in the Pacific, we were thrilled to visit such a well executed example of his ship. We enjoyed several events at the famous
Opera House, especially the well known and tasty "High Tea" with operatic entertainment.
 Brisbane City |
 Around town with cruiser friends |
 Brissy street art |
 Brissy park |
 Moored in Cammeray near Sydney |
 Sydney city scene |
 Opera House |
 Christmas at Opera House |
 Front view |
 Harbour Bridge |
 Old part of town |
 Sydney park |
 Kangaroo |
 Oldest building in Sydney |
 New Years Eve |
 Koala |
 Botanic Gardens |
 Decorated boat for Australia Day |
 Capt Cook's Endeavor replica |
 Endevor at Museum |
 Chuck at windlass |
 Endeavor deck |
 Christmas Dinner |
 Mark and Heather |
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