Owl and the Pussycat have a splendid time in Sydney! Our second warm and sunny Southern Hemisphere Christmas Day saw us in St. Stephens Uniting Church for a brilliant service, then enjoying the fabulous botanical gardens by Farm Cove from where we skyped family in Canada, USA and Germany.

Boxing Day the harbour went insane, it being the start of the 70th Sydney-Hobart Race. Jim was crazy and bold enough to manoeuver Sonsie into the watching fray, the crowded ringside seats along the start line. Boats were chock-a-block, left and right, in front and behind and every which way! The bay's waters were a-froth with all the jostling and movement on this glorious sunny day. Does any Australian not own a boat or know someone who does?!

All jam-packed as we were there were some tense moments but Sonsie survived unscathed thanks wholly to Jim's skill in getting Sonsie to pirouette like a ballet dancer in an unchoreographed nautical melee.

And then they were off, huge beasts on the wing, blasting past us in their unfurled glory! The throng of spectator boats chased along the dazzling display of sailing prowess, and Sonsie had no choice but to be jolly and join in and motor along the edge of the course with thousands of other craft. Fantastic!

The Sydney Opera House tour taught us much about the architectural glory of our illustrious neighbour. Its tiles glistened, changing colour and personality in response to the lighting. But despite our unparalleled view, Farm Cove is a rolly anchorage. It is not available to NSW-registered boats, and there is a 24-hour restriction.

Many of Sydney Harbour's plentiful bays are either as exposed to the swell from all the passing traffic as Farm Cove is, or crammed full of boats swinging on moorings. After studying the chart Sonsie motored under Sydney Bridge to join One White Tree in the calm of Rozelle / Blackwattle Bay for most of a week, then followed OWT back to Farm Cove bright and early on New Year's Eve to snag once-in-a-lifetime spots for the city's - indeed the country's - world-renowned evening show. More boating madness the length and breadth of the harbour that day as boats piled in to watch. Many flew their colours lending the whole day a fun, festive air.

If you had been in Sydney at the time, we would have loved to have had you aboard because the more the merrier on an evening such as this! As it was, a young, artistic couple we had met were able to join us for the show which was fun.

Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations more than lived up to expectations, surrounded as we were on the water by rapturous crowds enjoying the razzle-dazzle of non-stop, resplendent, whizzypop-booming fireworks of all colours and persuasions. This was a fantastic evening that we will always remember, a highlight of our wanderings aboard Sonsie.