We might not be getting in the water to commune with fish any more (aside from the murk and muck, bull sharks come into this bay), but there are plenty of critters keeping things interesting. These two geese are long term residents of the bay- we've named them Peter and Paul. Victoria, from the marina office, says they've both male and have been here for many years. They love apple cores, but we have to feed them from the main dock and not off the boat... or they'll come around and honk and tap on the hull to get our attention.
It's really hard to believe we've been here about two months now. Time has flown: my whirlwind of interviews gave way to what Aussies pretty aptly call the "silly season". The day after Christmas, we joined the fleet in the harbor to watch the Boxing Day start of the Sydney Hobart race. Our friend Brian, of the m/v Furthur, is making his way around the world "one party at a time"- and graciously hosted a group board.
I'm the shortest here, why did I feel the need to duck?
It was pretty insane on the water, and we were happy to be on the big powerboat with stabilizers! The size of the maxiboats out there racing made even some of the megayachts look like plastic pool toys. Jamie got to drive Further for a stretch on the way back.. I have pictures for blackmail at some later date.
A few days later, we braved the crowds on the water in Totem to anchor out and watch the New Year's Eve fireworks. Heading out in the morning of the 31st, we staked out a prime spot with views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, then wiled the hours away.
spectacular summer weather!
Things got a little hairy as the day progressed and the wind piped up. Everyone with a boat seemed to be out to party, and anchoring skills were severely lacking... but there weren't any mishaps, and everything was handled with plenty of good humor.
As for the show? I could try to put it in more descriptive words, but I can't. It was simply the most spectacular fireworks display we've ever seen.
the eyes say it all
the bridge was one of 6 coordinated sites for launching the pyrotechnics
I don't think we would have braved the crowds if we hadn't had the capable hands of Hyo & Mike on board. They came down from Brisbane to start their land travels in Australia with us. Knowing we had the extra help on board made it less daunting, especially after seeing the madness of the harbour for the Sydney-Hobart start. After getting a half-decent night's sleep anchored in the harbour (oh, the party boats... just as things slowed down- the sun rose. another excuse to crank up the tunes! *sigh*), we played tourist and did some waterfront sightseeing.
It hardly felt like the waning days of our spectacularly unstructured life. I've started work now, and there's a chance the children will start school before long. But we're trying to keep taking things one day at a time, and keep our cruising spirit fresh.