Sydney - Sailing, Skyscrapers, an Opera House and Beaches

Tuesday the 30th of September

After a good night sleep, which was well needed after a crazy tim in melbourne, i got up early to go Sailing. I had booked a two day sailing course in sydney harbour with a lady called Annie Bennet. I took a taxi up to where the course was as I had not a clue where I was going. I was staying south of the harbour but the course was at a place called Clontarf which is north of the harbour. The taxi took the Harbour tunnel and 25 minutes later we arrived at the marina. Here I met Annie the Istructer as well as Kit, Ian and Annette the other students, a good mix of students with Kit being a 60 year old retired Aussie, Ian being and English nurse and Annette being a german student. Annie, the instructer, is english but has lived here for a lot of her life. I can see why.

We headed out onto the boat, a 40 ft Catalina. I dont know much about boats yet but she seemed fairly beautiful to me, maybe because its only one year old. The course started with a tiny bit of theory and a few knots but Annie soon had us releasing the anchor and heading out into the Harbour. She believes the best theory is in the practice. I had already sailed for a week in the greek islands and I knew I loved it, but this course just reinforced that feeling. Sailing fast up into the wind with the Yacht tipping over is great fun. We sailed around for a few hours, constantly practicing turning (tacking, jibing) with each of us students getting a go at the Helm, and sailing up and down wing. Im sure to onlookers the boat looked like it was acting irratically and going nowhere. One really cool thing we did was learn how to deal with a man over board while under full sail and then sailing back to get him (no engine). Unfortunately we practiced with a life buoy and not a real man, but cool none the less.

We dropped anchor at a beautiful quiet sheltered beach in the harbour, where we relaxed and ate our packed lunches. Then after lunch off we set again around the harbour, lots more practicing. All the time the weather was amazing and when we got back to the marina after an amazing and tiring day sailing around the harbour i was considering moving to Sydney.

After the lesson, Kit offered to drop the rest of us students to the ferry from Manly to the City, apparently a much longer but more scenic way than a boring and expensive taxi. But before he did he brought us on a scenic drive around, up to a few view points where you could see the harbour and manly beach around manly beach itself. It was really great for a complete stranger to do this for the rest of us, considering he could easily have just dropped us straight off and gone home.

After the drive Myself, Ian and Annette went for a Pizza and a drink at the manly warf. Again an amazing setting beside the water. We sat outside as the sun was going down. A long way from home at this time of year. Afterwards in the dark we took the ferry back to the city. Despite all our sailing around the harbour, which is pretty big, I still hadnt really set eyes on the Opera house. The ferry from manly lands in the city right beside the opera house. As we approached , it was like something out of a dream with the Opera house lit up infront of the skyscrapers and the Harbour bridge also in view. (of course my camera had died at this moment).

Wednesday the 1st of October

Up again early and back up to Clontarf for the second day sailing. This time I took a bus with Annette and we did pass over the sydney harbour bridge. The bus dropped us off 25 minutes from the marina but this wasnt a problem as we walked to the marina along the harbour shore in the morning sun. One student less, Ian was working, we headed out again. The sailing was similar and as a team of people who initially couldnt sail at the end we were doing pretty well. This time we went right up to the Opera house and the harbour bridge. Again for lunch we anchored off a lovely beach near some house valued at 20 million euro. Nice if you can afford it.

The two days sailing around the harbour was the best possible introduction I could have had to sydney. I was immediatly in love with the place, due to its shoreline and harbour without having so much as walked around the city centre. This day I did get the ferry straight bac and saw the Opera house in daylight. It is still amazing but didnt quite match up to that first night time viewing. I strolled around the city for a while to get a feel but after sailing I found myself in bed early again.

Thursday the 2nd of October

The hostel had set up a Beach walk from Bondi beach to Coogee beach so i jumped on the band wagon with a Belgian girl from my dorm, Joke (pronounced Yoka). A bus took us to Bondi Beach which is pretty impressive in its natural setting but all the topless girls added to the spectacle. The surfers at bondi were also well worth a watch. The walk was very scenic and took us along a few of the headlands with the guides giving us a few interesting facts along the way such as where Peter Andre shot a video. Who gives a toss.... At one beach we had half an hour for a swim. Getting into the water was heaven after walking around in the sun and 33degrees celcius air. The walk finished up at coogee beach, another sun drenched spectacular beach in the city of Sydney. How do I put it, oh ya, I want to live here.

Friday the 3rd

I walked for hours around the city getting great snaps along the way. First i walked up to the Botanic Gardens, a lovely park right in the city centre. The park goes right up to the harbour and right up to the Opera House. There were great vantage points for pictures of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. I went into the Opera house and after a good few hours I got back to the hostel wrecked from walking in the heat.

After a few hours kip I went and met Mickey from Melbourne. By pure chance he was in sydney for this weekend. We grabbed some food in a resto with some of mickeys friends and then had a night on the town, ending up in a few bars and clubs in Kings cross, the main nightlife spot of the city.

Saturday the 4th

Spent the whole day in the pub with mickey and his mates. Great craic. the pubs were full all day, probably because the weather was not all that great. I love sydney. The party all the time here.

Sunday the 5th

Again pretty much spent the whole day in the pub. This time it was with Aodhan and Jenny. Aodhan is a lad from dublin I met when I was in Argentina. One of his friends in Sydney is Jenny O'Malley who used to live right beside my cousins the Tanseys in Ballina. Great how I can meet people so close to home in Sydney. Anyways the plan was to head to Manly and area on the beach in sydney. Manly rugby league were playing in the grand final of the rugby league and there was a jazz festival in manly that day so it was a good bet for a bit of craic. Myself Aodhan and Jenny saw a few boys playing jazz on the streets and then we headed into one of the bars to watch the grand final. The crowd in the bar were mental during the game because manly won 40-0. The celebrations started straight away and Im not one to walk away from a victory celebration. After the match the live music started in the bar.

To get to manly from down town sydney the best way is to take a ferry. A taxi is also possible but much more expensive. We had noted the time of the last ferry back to the city, 11.30pm. We let the bar at 11 and got to the ferry terminal at what we thought was 11.10pm. Unfortunately none of us had changed our times with the daylight savings from saturday night so in fact the time was 12.10. We missed the ferry and lived that whole day 1 hour behind. Then we had to wait hours to get a taxi home. Bad ending but a brilliant day

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