Happy New Year '24 from Sydney Harbour

A riot of noise and colour

Having lived in Sydney for over 30 years we were no strangers to the madness and excess that is Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. The fireworks are legendary and have been managed by the same family for the past 20+ years, under the guidance of several different artistic directors. We were fortunate to have a reasonable view of the harbour from my apartment in Mosman, which hosted a few NYE celebrations, and we have also had the pleasure of hosting guests out on the harbour on our skippered charter catamaran (TooUp) several years running. Although the events were toned down during Covid times, they have now come back with a vengeance. As we celebrated NYE 2022 in Santa Marta Coluombia, we hatched a plan with several Aussie-bound fellow cruisers to “raft up” in Sydney harbour for the much anticipated 2023 event.

We arrived in Sydney harbour mid-December, which marked the end of Part 1 of our 5 year odyssey from La Rochelle (France) to our home port of Sydney - the first time ITIKI had been in her home port and for us a significant and emotional homecoming. We reconnected with fellow cruisers who had shared our trans-Pacific journey and plans for the big night were finalised. We would not be doing this by halves, and would not be doing it again (well probably not…) so we opted for prime position in Farm Cove, right next to the Opera House.

Evening of the 30th, a few boats in place already

The time has come

After enjoying a lovely BBQ at Whiting Beach with family, we headed to the anchorage on the afternoon of the 30th and snagged a spot near our buddies on SV Miles Away. There were already quite a few boats in place but fortunately we could still get a good spot with enough swing room to stay overnight. It’s a rolly anchorage at the best of times, copping wake from all of the passing harbour traffic. This then bounces off the flat, sandstone walls lining the bay and heads back through the anchorage again! Not the most comfortable place! Things however settle down overnight as the traffic dies down and we do manage a reasonable sleep. ​

LawConnect passing Kirribilli

The next morning we are up early and catch a glimpse of LawConnect (winnder of this year's Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race) returning to Sydney. There are still quite alot of boats on their way to Hobart so this must have been a quick turn around.

Keith drops me and a fellow cruiser at Woolloomooloo as we thought a walk in the Botanic Gardens might be a nice way to spend the morning, but the barricades are already up and the queue for entry to the foreshore had started to move so we settled for a quick visit to the new Modern Art Gallery, which has a diverse display including indigenous artworks as well as a couple of nice cafes.

Outdoor sculpture at the Art Gallery

We spent the afternoon chilling, putting some ZZZZs in the bank, prepping some dinner and chilling the drinks. Entertainment was provided by the dozens more boats arriving during the afternoon. Pretty much every craft that floats, and a few that probably shouldn’t, end up on the water on NYE and it's crazy. We have anchored our boat hundreds of times in all sorts of conditions, sometimes in pretty crowded places, but we know that many people only do this once a year. They have no idea about scope or swing circle let alone actually setting their anchor. We put fenders out and keep an eye on things, offering our helpful advice if anyone seems to be dragging or swinging a little too close. Fellow cruisers even jumped on board another yacht whose new owner was struggling to set the pick. It’s a time for tolerance and friendliness and not being precious about personal space. Most people will be staying on their boats during the show and many of the smaller ones won’t be overnighting. RMS and the Water Police are doing the rounds in a very jovial manner, checking that everyone is behaving themselves and staying out of the exclusion zone.

Last year Columbia, this year Sydney!

Let the fun begin

Selfie on the foredeck

It was lovely to head over to SV Miles Away and join them and the team from SV Mowzer for dinner and drinks and the 9pm family fireworks. If you have never seen the midnight fireworks, these “family” ones will strike you as being pretty impressive - and they are probably better than the midnight fireworks in many places we have been – even dragging the kids away from MineCraft for a while. Then you realise that the midnight fireworks are going to have to be even more amazing to beat it! It will be worth the wait.

As we are a little older (I won’t say wiser…) than our intrepid travelling companions we take our leave and head back to ITIKI for a short nap, and a break from the liquid refreshments, setting an alarm for 11:30pm!

The Main event

We drag ourselves out of bed, remembering why we are doing this … It's going to be amazing!! We head up to the cocktail deck to get into position, a small tot of St Lucia’s finest rum ready to toast the occasion. The NYE concert at the Opera House is live streaming on our stereo, and under the glow of the Opera House sails we can almost see the performers on the stage. The old "coat-hanger" (aka Sydney Harbour Bridge) is looking her glamorous best, with a continuous light show casting colourful reflections over the massive fleet of vessels now lining the harbour. There are a dozen or so tall ships, their masts and rigging illuminated in a colourful and synchronised light show as they make their way along the harbour in a ghost-like parade of sail. 

And finally the moment is here. The countdown begins and the entire anchorage joins in the chant…. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

Well the fireworks did not disappoint, the carefully choreographed display filled the city and harbour skies, lighting up the water like lightning for a full 13 mins. The thing you notice most about being in the thick of things is the noise. On video and on TV it sounds like pop guns, but standing on top of your boat it’s more like bombs going off. The sound really hits you in the chest! The ooohs and aaahs and squeals of delight from the boats around us only just audible between explosions. It goes on and on and on with fireworks on top of buildings and along the length of the harbour. The display reaches a crescendo with the much anticipated waterfall of light cascading off the deck of the bridge as lasers and searchlights bounce their beams off the prolific smoke that is now rising above the coat-hanger. It is impossible to watch everything at once! The smell of cordite reaches our nostrils now and finally the show is over with loud cheers rising up from the crowd around us.

Happy New Year and Happy New Cruising Season!

Happy New Year!

The Morning After The Night before

As the ash starts to settle the madness starts again. Although it’s not permitted to enter the exclusion zone until 00h45 you can move within the anchoring zones. The smaller boats start to move first and gradually the anchorage starts to clear out. After the calm of the last few hours we start bouncing around again and the harbour turns white with boat wash. After about an hour or so we look around to see who is left and who is staying. There are a couple of boats that are a little too close for us to overnight, and after a few quiet words about swing circles and our need for sleep, they decide to head home. We finally get to bed around 2am.

It’s a slow start the next morning and there are even fewer boats around when we surface. There is a fine coating of pyrotechnic ash covering our white deck, despite the rain we had overnight. Those brave souls who anchored right on the boundary of the exclusion zone now look like they are anchored alone in the middle of the harbour!

All in all it was a very special night. Wonderful to meet up and enjoy the fun with friends and fellow cruisers with whom we shared our last Christmas and New Year, as well as our trans-Pacific journey. A very fitting celebration of the end of Part I of our cruising adventures and a spectacular introduction to the start of Part II… 

If you are heading to Australia and planning to tick "New Year's Eve in Sydney Harbour" off your bucket list here are a few tips...

Top 3 anchorages to watch the fireworks

1. Farm Cove – between the Opera House and Mrs Macquarie’s chair this is the prime location. You get a full view of the bridge and Opera House and along the harbour as well. You can pick up guests in the dinghy from Woollomooloo. Downsides: It's packed, it's rolly, it's mad and you need to get there by mid-afternoon on the 30th if you want a good spot, and you want to stay the night.
2. Athol Bay (Near Taronga Zoo) – If you get there early it will feel like you are anchored in the middle of the harbour! Important to get as close to the exclusion buoys as you can, allowing for your swing circle (no part of your boat can go over the line!) Check you have a clear view of the bridge. Ferries continue to run to Taronga Zoo wharf and that’s a great place to pick up guests in the dinghy. Downsides: It's rolly and you need to make sure you are well into the middle of the harbour to see the whole of the bridge. 
3. Rose Bay – If you don’t fancy being in the thick of it, you can get a reasonable vantage point in Rose Bay, looking all the way down the harbour. Make your way out to the edge of the exclusion zone so that you don’t have your view blocked by the gin palaces that occupy the big boat commercial zone (off Woollahra Point). Rose Bay Wharf or Woollahra Dinghy Dock are good spots to pick up guests. Downsides: It is a some distance from the centre of the action.

Tips for the best New Year’s eve you will ever have

1. Prepare in advance: Check the RMS website for information on events in Sydney harbour, including an up to date map of the NYE exclusion zones, restrictions on movement, free anchoring and commercial zones. This will help you pick your preferred location. Exclusion buoys will usually be placed by the afternoon of the 30th.  
2. Having chosen your spot, plan what time you want to be there, and make sure you have enough supplies for you and your guests to last the distance. Getting that last minute bottle of bubbly at 10:30pm on 31st of December is going to be challenging, wherever you are anchored. 
3. Got guests coming to join you? Aim to have them onboard by 5pm on the 31st at very latest, road and foreshore closures start taking effect from then making it difficult to get around the city. Physically check that your pick up point is appropriate and accessible, from water and land (in all tides!). And of course make sure you have enough life jackets for everyone on board (including dinghy trips). 
4. Have an exit plan. Exclusion zone is in place until around 00h45 so you can’t cross the harbour until then. It gets a bit mad with powerboat wash once the limitations are lifted so be prepared to wait until things settle down, or even to stay the night where you are.
5. Don’t peak too early! The 9pm fireworks are great but it's definitely worth staying up for midnight! A nap in between is totally permissible and may even save you a hangover…

Its impossible to fully appreciate the show from just one position. Take a look at the official video which incudes some amazing aerial footage. (Apologies for the ads).