Brrrr.... It's Cccccold – by Gary

 As we head south to Tasmania the overnights are starting to get seriously cold.  The thermals, jumpers, jackets etc. are all gradually pulled out of storage.

Down below some furious knitting happening – more warmth needed, more warmth needed.

Arriving on the dock at Triabunna (east coast of Tasmania).  Just getting up at night to go stand a watch you have to budget an extra 10 minutes just to pull all this clobber on.  

Vicki has knitted us all some beenies. Keeps our heads nice and cozy but besides, 

allows us to melt into a Triabunna crowd.

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Walking Erskinville and Redfern – by Gary

 My neice took us for a short walk around Erskinville and Redfern, and of course I had to take a few photos....

A highly detailed vertical landscape on this designer terrace...

… with some Japanese inspiration... very, very elegant.

And the most amazing tiny terraces.

Unfortunately the Eveleigh Railway Workshop historical displays were closed (it was Sunday – I guess they were all at church), but it was interesting seeing how the site had been redeveloped as the Australian Technology Park.  According to the blurb researchers, entrepreneurs, incubator businesses, start-ups, mature technology companies and education organisations now share the site.

And then on to a working railroad.  Redfern (formerly Eveleigh) Station sits at the convergence of a myriad suburban train lines – wow!

So many platforms!!!

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NYE 2014; a Cracker Night Out – by Gary

While an estimated final crowd of 1.6 million people began assembling around the shores of Sydney Harbour for the city's famous New Years Eve fireworks display, Mojombo was shipping aboard its own private crowd – all ten of us; assorted friends and relatives from as far afield as Adelaide and Seattle.  We were to spend the night out on the harbour so numbers had to be capped – after all Mojombo has berths for only six!!!.

We were excited!  Press reports indicated Sydney City Council was investing a hefty $6.8 million on the event with over three quarters of a million on fireworks alone; a whopping seven tonnes of pyrotechnics including 11,000 shells and 25,000 shooting comets.  All just to make us feel good??? Nah! Council estimates this would be generating extra spending to the tune of $156 million as the city's hotels, bars, restaurants, taxis and tour boats filled up with locals and visitors.  And we were trying our darnedest to assist the economic boost with on-board catering included a selection of still wines, champagne, beer, prawns, sushi rolls, cheesecake and much more.  What a feast!  But nothing compared to the visual feast that was to come as 12 o’clock rolled around.

We were flying the Stars 'n Stripes to honour our fly-in Seattle guest Marilyn,.

Our official on-board photographer Nigel...

… and the rest of the motley crew including dear sister Julie who'd traveled from Adelaide just for the event!

We chose an anchorage in Berrys Bay with fine views of the Bridge, CBD and Opera House.

Meanwhile those crowds ashore were still growing!

And after a long wait 2015 was finally ushered in with an awesome bang!

A real cracker!

The press boasts:
“Sydney New Year’s Eve is renowned globally as one of the most spectacular events in the world.”
They say more than 1 billion people across the globe watching the show on television.  Well we were duly impressed!

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Christmas 2014 – by Gary

Christmas got off to a bit of a slow start.  Couldn't really get with the program – too many other things happening I guess.  Sure there was the Lego tree in the mall, (with its none too subtle message – i.e. buy me, buy me), wonderful David Jones window displays, and we saw lots of parties in the park.  In an effort to stir our festive season hearts we put up the Mojombo decorations, but it still wasn't happening.  

Flying to Adelaide to visit the extended family for the break we were starting to get a little warmer, but disaster struck – we'd left Zeke and Nina's presents back in Sydney.  Chocolate would have to do as an interim.  The big day arrived in our wonderful borrowed house (thanks Kerri) and with some appropriate carols playing in the background we kicked back and made some serious inroads into the chocky – yep now we are beginning to get in to the swing of things.  Then its off to the big family dinner at sister Lisa's – finally Christmas had arrived!

Yep the lego Christmas tree in Pitt Street Mall was a doozy – weighing in at 3.5 tonnes, built from half a million blocks, taller than a 2 storey house and wider than the family car, its baubles were as big as basket balls.  Just in case the message wasn't clear they had a kiddies play tables set up next to it.

DJs put up some seriously wonderful window displays – good stuff.

Some folks were definitely slipping in to the Yuletide groove.

We went out into the Sydney snow with our trusty axe, felled the tree,
dragged it back to the boat (on ice skates of course) and got it up
before the snow even completely melted off.

In Adelaide, Nina seemed pretty pleased with her Santa pressies.

Hail and hearty – the gang's all there!

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Drama in the City – by Gary

 We were in Sydney's city centre doing our tourist thing the day a lone gunman held coffee shop staff and patrons hostage; a serious situation with a tragic outcome.  Just fresh from hanging out with gentle Pacific islanders for the last year it provided my family an arresting splashdown into modern Australian society.

As the drama started unfolding we were just finishing a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House – and were unceremoniously ejected from the site with no explanation.  The security people were quite unpleasant.  We proceeded up to the Mitchell Library to see a special Lindley Dobbs exhibition - unwittingly walking towards the seige site.  Part way through viewing the exhibition we were again (politely) ejected without explanation.  Undeterred we headed for the Hyde Park Barracks Museum - conceivably placing ourselves in some danger as we passed quite close to the seige site.  After some time in this museum we were once again ejected, but this time we finally received some explanation.

Unsurprisingly, thwarted at every turn in our tourism endeavors, the response of working Sydney-siders, most particularly their press, their security and their law enforcement agencies to this situation became a major focal point of our outing.

From left to right:  Opera House, ejected, no explanation; Michell Library, asked to leave, no explanation; Hyde Park Barracks, asked to leave, explanation given.

We knew something big was happening – people everywhere were glued to their mobiles (yes, even more than usual).

As we passed by the top of Martin Place we saw press people arriving in force, frantically setting up and doing live reports back to base.

At Hyde Park a small army of friendly constabulary were also assembling ...

… with bikes!...

… highway patrol vehicles???!!...

… incident control vehicles and assorted emergency response vehicles.

Tasmania might'n have any jobs, but it's definitely looking better and better!

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Sail Boat Racing – by Gary

While in Sydney we were treated to some pretty impressive yacht racing - which of course particularly captured Zeke's imagination.

Maxis Round the Buoys
This was a precursor to the Sydney Hobart race, and featured the super maxis and pocket maxis that would compete in that race.  

This turned in to a strictly two horse race – a taste of things to come.  Here is Wild Oates thundering down to the finish line...

… closely followed in second place by the USA boat Commanche.

Extreme 40s
Now this was an absolute blast, Formula 1 style racing, but on the water.  These are hi-tech carbon fibre cats capable of speeds up to 35 knots.  Five man elite crews race them in a global series that brings the action up close and personal with spectators, running short in-shore races designed to maximise strategy and excitement.  This year's series traveled to Singapore, Oman, China, Russsia, UK, Turkey, France and held the final four day series in Sydney.

This is yacht racing like no other – bringing the boats right in close to spectators

Five men elite crews (wearing crash helmets) race around the deck furiously grinding, steering, ballast shifting and just plain hanging on.

These boats fly.  Courses are set to provide choices: turn right out of a gate for a longer leg that allows you to re-converge the fleet on starboard tack, turn left for a shorter leg that has you re-converging on port tack – the skipper decides.

The day we attended was blustery with 20 knot bullets.  That leeward hull is looking very close to burying itself...

Rooster tails a-flyin'.

Just look at that spray coming up, these boats are on a knife edge of control.

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