Seeing the lights

I have a few professional connections to Vivid Sydney this year: I work in the festival’s on-site police HQ once a week and I also help out Sydney Tall Ships, which has a couple of vessels plying Sydney Harbour each night.

I had the most awesome view of the drone show two weeks ago from the lawn outside the onsite HQ and last night I got to see the festival from the water aboard one of the Sydney Tall Ships fleet, the beautiful Søren Larsen, a brigantine built in Denmark in 1949.

The weather was perfect for a night on the Harbour – calm, clear and not too cold. Though I did raise my eyebrows when a young woman boarded the boat in just a spaghetti strap dress and thongs in mid June.

Needless to say the crew were digging out a blanket for her to huddle under pretty soon into the trip.

DD and I had the most lovely, relaxed evening. While the crowds can get a bit overwhelming later in the week, Tuesdays are more easygoing.

We boarded the ship at 5.45pm and cruised to Lightscape in the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens, then past the Sydney Opera House, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, around to Cockle Bay and back to Circular Quay.

After we disembarked we wandered to Vivid Fire Kitchen in Barangaroo for a couple of chicken skewers, then admired the view of Sydney Harbour Bridge from the rooftop bar at the Palisade Hotel before heading home.

Awesome. 11 out of 10. Totally recommend.

Here are some happy snaps: