#83 NOW January 6, 2006 2000—UTC +11 hours (New South Wales, Australia) Anchored out in Double Bay, Sydney (S33’52.3 E151’11.2). Temperature 67 Happy New Year from Down-Under, The past two weeks have been a steady diet of new sights and sounds. Sydney is a remarkable city with a lot to offer. It was good to share Christmas and New Years with my youngest daughter and her mother. Keeping up with a 21 year old is no easy task. The first order of business was to arrange transportation for the week. Sydney has a wonderful train, bus, and ferry system and for $40 ($30 US), you can have unlimited use of this network. I can assure you that we certainly got our money’s worth. Of course there was the obligatory shopping, a visit to a wildlife park to see koalas and kangaroos, an afternoon at famous Bondi Beach, and ferry ride to Manly to check out this sea coast resort/party town and beach. On Boxing Day (the day after Christmas), the famous Sydney to Hobart race starts. This race has been going every year since 1945. This year there were 85 boats jockeying for position at the start line when the starting cannon fired. The huge maxi racers with their bellowing sails festooned with all sorts of sponsor advertising were soon ripping down the Bay and around the Heads at the harbour entrance. We quickly pulled up anchor and followed the fleet for several miles down the coast with our cameras working overtime. The six hundred plus mile race is known for its rough seas and challenging conditions. For me the highlight of the week was a night at the Opera House listening to a great year-end performance of Viennese waltzes performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. There is only one word to describe the Opera House “Awesome.” It was a fitting finale to a wonderful year. New Year arrived with a bang, and I do mean “BANG.” Sydney is known for its fireworks. They have several barges in the Bay and then practically blow up the Harbour Bridge. Anchored in Double Bay we had a front row seat of the spectacular display from the deck of Done Dreamin'. What a show! After Steph and Janene left, I spent two days visiting the Maritime Museum. This world-class museum is a treasure house of seafaring history. I could write several pages on all the impressive displays they have. For me, the full size replica of Captain Cook’s ship, the Endeavour, was the best part. I could picture Captain Cook and Joseph Banks along with some of the other officers sitting around the large table in the Great Aft Cabin, discussing their discoveries, and planning their itinerary. This was the true age of discovery, equivalent to man walking on the moon in our day. Adventure is calling and I must move on. Tomorrow, I am leaving this fair city and will work my way down the coast to Eden, which is located on the Southeast tip of Australia's mainland. This is the jumping off point across Bass Strait to Tasmania. Once there, I hope to explore its many little bays and inlets. My good friend Jim Barstow will once again be joining me along with another retired Captain Dick Ferg for the passage to New Zealand. Life is a Cruise, Larry -- Larry Rick Done Dreamin' Nordhavn 40 #33 Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/Dads%20Web/doneDreamnHome.htm