Sydney!

We left Pittwater and turned right. It was an exhilarating, down wind sleigh-ride that intensified our excitement about sailing our family home into iconic Sydney Harbour…. We were delighted to have dolphins on the bow welcoming us in…

Above; approaching the sea-cliffs at North Head at the entrance to Port Jackson…

Above; our first glimpse of the city-scape once we entered the harbour. After years cruising the Pacific, this is the biggest city we have visited since Lima over 2 years ago. We felt like country bumpkins and were ridiculously excited  

We have been to Sydney many times for work and holidays, but sailing into the harbour is a completely unique way to experience the city. As well as navigating, we had to stay on our toes to avoid the frey of zooming ferries, racing yachts and super snazzy motorboats that were whipping around in all directions and various speeds. It was so cool! Approaching quintessential postcard landmarks like the opera house and the harbour bridge had us all out the front with various cameras. We were behaving like any other tourist but feeling like the experience was turned on just for us as a true Aussie home-coming for the Tika team. 

Sydney Harbour; one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the world…

After gliding under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, we turned left around The Rocks, kept Darling Harbour to port, slipped under the Anzac bridge and found a great anchorage in Blackwattle Bay.

click below for a 2 minute version of our entry and traipse trough Sydney harbour..

Above; we loved our anchorage- close to the Sydney Fish Markets, public transport, local markets, cafes, restaurants and the vibrant neighborhood of Glebe. Blackwattle Bay is also peaceful, with an abundance of parks and green, open spaces. We could (and did) walk all the way into Circular Quay from Tika, our floating inner city apartment! Australian playwright David Williamson’s comment on Sydney’s dream real estate came to mind; “No one in Sydney ever wastes time debating the meaning of life – it’s getting yourself a water frontage. People devote a lifetime to the quest.”

Sydney boasts more than 240km of harbour foreshore developments  sprinkled with un-spoilt beaches and pockets of natural bush.

A few days into our time in Sydney, we did a crazy thing…..we sailed our little, 14ft sailing dinghy, Tika-Taka all the way from Blackwattle Bay to the Opera House.…If we were on high alert for ferries and other vessels when we came in with Tika, being in a small sailing dinghy kept the adrenaline pumping and the endorpines flowing all the way to Bennelong Point. 

It was slightly (!) stressful on the way there but it was also the coolest adventure ever. We stuck to the sides and made our runs across the waterways in between ferries. We ran out of wind as we crossed Circular Quay and had to quickly ROW to get across! The sail home was much better as the wind was consistent. 

Above: built in 1973 by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, the dramatic form of the Sydney Opera House is best viewed from the water away from the crowds of tourists…

Above centre; look closely at the mini sail boat tied up to the dock at the opera house- Tika-Taka!

Above right; the Sydney Fish Markets are big- the sheer volume of sea food contained within this massive shed amazed us…

Below; The steel arch bridge known affectionately by most Aussies as the ‘coat hanger’ was built in 1932 and connects the central business district to Sydney’s north shore. It has road, rail, pedestrian and bicycle access.

Below; we first met the Henderson family in the Galapagos islands and had recently spent a few days with them in New Caledonia just before they finalised the sale of their boat and the end of their trip. We happened to be in Sydney at the same time and got to explore the city together before they jumped on their long haul flight back to the U.K. The second best way to see the city after yacht? Bicycle!

We zoomed around The Rocks, Peir One, Darling Harbour, across the bridge and back again (had to be done ) the CBD, the Chinese Gardens of Friendship and The Royal Botanical Gardens. We miss bike riding and loved every minute of it!

Above and below; Jaiya and Hannah caught up at various places all the way across the Pacific so it was lovely for them to spend some time together (the girls are already planning a re-union)

Below; no visit to a big city is complete without dragging my family to at least one modern art gallery. An exhibition by Swiss visual artist Pipilotti Rist at the Museum of Contemporary Art took us on an adventure of dazzling, large scale installations using clever video art and multi media. We found ourselves immersed in projections of strange and fantastical images, flowing colour, merging light, mesmerising patterns and warped, sensual illuminations….  

Above middle; I liked Pipilottis Rist’s work because it was interactive- we sunk into comfy couches, laid down on vintage beds, sat on the floor on big puffy, bean bags and walked through the light projections; experiencing the art visually, aurally and kinesthetically…

Below- Our visit to Manly beach- so Aussie!

Above Right; anchored at Little Manly Bay

Below left; Manly Beach

Below right; The Sydney Fish Markets

A casual phone call to Lisa (Russel’s Melbourne based sister) scored us two extra crew for our passage to Melbourne! Lisa’s 16 yr old son Oliver had finished school for the year and was spending most of his time sleeping in. It seemed like a good idea to get him out on the water sailing. Oliver’s brother Jordan (15yrs) had not quite finished school but loved the idea of missing his last week for an adventure on Tika. 4 days later they both flew into Sydney, caught a ferry to Manly and were collected from the terminal by our illustrious dinghy Tika-Taka….just in time for our sail out of Sydney heads.

Above left; the cousins- and Tika’s crew from the Sydney to Melbourne passage…

Above right; yes, I know- it’s a tree. But after our long absence, we are still slightly fascinated by Australia’s unique scrub and gum trees Little Manly Bay beach was fringed by gorgeous rose apple gums…. 

Above; after a walk up to North Head, we watched our friends on SV Steely Dan sail through the heads also on their way to Melbourne. The Hornby Light behind them marks the South Head and built in1858 is one of Australia’s oldest light houses. We are to catch up with Steely Dan at Wilson’s Prom a few days later.

Below; photo credit SV Alexander who snapped this shot of the expanded Tika crew as we leave the anchorage at little Manly on our way back out to the Pacific Ocean.

We were heading for Australia’s rugged south east where we hugged the coast-line, rounded the corner and traversed Bass Strait all the way to Port Phillip Bay. Along the way we visit Bittangabee, Gabo Island and Wilson’s Promontory….

This entry was posted in The Sail.