Water Sports, Sydney

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This event was a first for my wife and I. Thanks to Jackie we were able to see such a fun sport. We boarded the spectator ferry at the club and motored off the the starting line as the boats were boarded and preped. Aboard the boad bets were taken, drinks flowed from the bar and the fun ensued. The capatian followed the racing boats along the route anouning play by play events along the way. It really was an adventure with some boats not even making it to the start line let alone finishing. The Harbour traffic also proved interesting with the Sydney Harbour Ferry taking their right of way throughout the race.

Australia, and Sydney in particular is graced with wonderful weather most of the year. Many people are water sports fanatics and can be found on any given day enjoying the beautiful weather on the bay.

Kayaking/Canoeing seems to be a very popular sport. On the day we were traveling to Watsons Bay by Ferry, we encountered quite a few people enjoying the beautiful day on a kayak/canoe.

What a great way to enjoy the waters and get some exercise as well.

Probably the best place to launch your boat for a fishing trip on sydneys northern coastline is here at fishermans beach on the northern side of long reef headland , its also just a nice spot to relax with grassy areas for a picnic or drinks with friends .

Equipment: When towing your boat here and parking make sure you pay for the parking metre which is only a couple of dollars ,and when fishing buy your bait from a fishing shop first .

Waterskiing around a man-made lake towed by a cable that runs around the lake. This is reasonably priced especially when you look at the price of petrol for a ski boat let alone the cost of hiring one!! Back in 2000 I think this cost A$18 for an hour or A$25 for 3 hours. Be warned 3 hours of waterskiing can nearly kill you if you're not very fit. Great fun even if its your first time - in fact its the best place to learn. You are given a choice of a kneeboard, skis, single ski or a wakeboard (shown in the picture). There is also a kids waterslide and play area. Excellent fun and very addictive, but you should probably phone them first to see when it won't be too busy!! I think there is also one of these in Brisbane.

Equipment: Your swimsuit and a towel.

If you love being on the water, you may want to try renting a kayak and explore parts of the Sydney Harbour from off-shore. Sydney Harbour Kayaks in Mosman (one of Sydney's suburbs to the North) will rent them for about A$15/hr. They have both sit-on-top & enclosed, as well as single & dual kayaks available. Be aware that this place is not in the main portion of the harbour (i.e. not the one with the opera house and the bridge), but rather one of the other off-shoots of the very extensive harbour. Furthermore, I'm not certain, but I would find it very unlikely that the main harbour is safe to explore on Kayak in the first place - it is a very busy waterway, with endless ferries, tour boats, and giant cargo ships criss-crossing it every which way throughout the day. Regardless, the part that you can kayak safely out of Mosman is very picturesque and pretty, and you can easily spend several hours paddling about and exploring the little inlets, beaches, and rock formations that are found all over. Some breathtaking views there as well.

Equipment: Ummm... a kayak?

On Australia Day the waters arond the harbour were teeming with boats and ships of all sorts, there were races and cruises and hooning and it all looked like lots of fun from where I was sitting.

It seems as though every evening the whole of Sydney comes home from work and gets out on the water, we certainly don`t see anything like this on the thames.