On Saturday, we took a fortuitous ferry trip across to Manly, and the timing was such that we saw the pre-race running of off-shore speedboats in Sydney Harbour. On the way over to Manly, there were many sailboats flying their spinnakers out near the opening to the entrance, as the winds were fresh and strong that day. Here’s one of the more colorful sails.

There are many companies that offer “thrill” rides on jet boats. They strap in 16-24 tourists and speed around the harbour, jumping ferry wakes and spinning donuts. You can hear the screams of delight from the deck of the ferry.

In this photo, you can see the boats gathering to watch the speedboat race. There is a magnificent masted sailing ship that docks in Darling Harbour, just northwest of the bridge. If you look closely, you’ll see the yellow buoys that mark the course for the speedboats.


The speedboats with the Sydney skyline in the background

One of the larger and colorful boats