Sydney’s most exclusive party for NYE09 will be on the prestigious Superyacht “Platinum”.

Normally the private domain of the super rich, Platinum is a 38M state of the art luxury floating resort set over three spacious levels.

For NYE09, Platinum will be putting out the red carpet for a select few revellers. Enjoy expansive views of sensational Sydney Harbour on a New Years Eve celebration. Enjoy a gourmet cocktail-style menu all evening. Indulge in a glass of bubbly as you welcome in the New Year.

Inclusions:

* 5-hour Sydney Harbour cruise
* Gourmet cocktail-style meal
* Beer, wine, sparkling wine & soft drinks
* DJ and dancefloor
* “Front row seats” for the fireworks

Tickets: $750 per person

Call Flagship Cruises on (+61) 02 9555 5901

Or book online

BIG Boat Challenge line-honours winner Neville Crichton warned that someone would be killed in the race unless there was better crowd control.

After ending the three-year Challenge winning streak of arch rival Wild Oats XI, the Alfa Romeo skipper expended more time criticising the crowd control arrangements than he did dwelling on his boat’s 1min 10sec margin over Wild Oats XI, the Sydney-to-Hobart line-honours victor for the past four years.

Arguably the largest spectator fleet in the history of the race assembled on Sydney Harbour to watch most of the fancied maxis for the Sydney-to-Hobart clash for the only time before Boxing Day.

Wild Oats XI led for most of the two-lap event, but was passed by Alfa Romeo after the last mark when it lost valuable time grappling with a twisted sail.

“Better today than Boxing Day,” Wild Oats XI owner Bob Oatley said.

Crichton was in less philosophical mood, describing the situation on the water as “absolutely ridiculous”.

He urged the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) and NSW Maritime to address the issue and said he wouldn’t contest the Challenge again unless he had assurances about tighter control of the spectator fleet.

“I can tell you there’s no way I would go in another race like that. Someone is going to get killed,” he said.

“We’re doing 20 knots coming to these marks and you can’t just stop.

“There was just no crowd control whatsoever. It was absolutely disgraceful.”

Despite his concerns, there were no reports of any collisions or incidents involving the 15 contestants and the spectator fleet.

CYCA officials said there had been at least three boats patrolling the race area.

“We can’t be everywhere, we are under the auspices of the NSW government, we can’t take over the harbour,” CYCA commodore Matt Allen said.

Having run a boat charter company here in Sydney Harbour since 1982, I have assisted thousands of people in that time bring in the New Year watching fireworks on the harbour.

Here is my checklist of the top 5 things you should consider before booking any Sydney Harbour Cruise – for New Years or any other time.

1. What does the package include? I.e food, drink, music, etc?

This is very important to know from the beginning. On some boats, only beer and wine will be included, spirits will be an extra charge. If you are on a cruise you believe to be fully inclusive, it should be just that.

2. Are there any extra charges?

In some cases, depending on the wharf there may be an additional charge for the use of the wharf. With the busy traffic on Sydney Harbour, time slots are at a premium, so at most, the vessel will have 15 minute to embark and 15 minutes to disembark passengers.

3. Is the vessel safe and clean with a professional crew?

The best way to ensure you are with a safe and reputable company is to ask for feedback from previous companies. Are they positive/favourable? Is the company in good standing in the industry and experienced? Do they have a functioning website and customer service team? Not all cruise companies are created equally.

4. Which wharf will the boat be picking you up from?

This is important to know for arranging transportation to the wharf. With strict wharf time slots, it is imperative everyone arrives on time and knowing the where and how of the pickup point will help with this. If taking taxis, they should be called well in advance or if driving checking to ensure there is sufficient parking is advised.

5. What time will you need to be there?

On NYE especially, this is very important due to the congestion on the roads. If you are on the City/Eastern Suburbs side and need to get to NorthSydney for example, it will take a long time to get there.

Same also for after your cruise. If possible, I’d recommend driving to the pickup point and parking nearby as it is very hard to find a taxi after midnight. Most companies willcharge for additional time spent at wharves and if someone misses the boat, their only option will be to use a water taxi to transfer.

Paying close attention to my top 5 tips will ensure a memorable and stress-free Sydney Harbour Cruise. See you on the Harbour.

Sydney Harbour is one of the finest natural harbors in the world. Some tourism publications refer to it rather cheesily as the “The Jewel in Sydney’s Crown”. But one thing’s for sure – a visit to Sydney Australia is incomplete without taking a Sydney Harbour Cruise.

But which Sydney Harbour cruise, that is the question? Probably the cheapest Sydney Harbour Cruise you could take is on one of the many ferries that go up and down the harbor. Probably the best one to take is the Manly ferry which steams right down the middle of the harbor and across the heads to the surfing beach of Manly on the so-called Northern Beaches.  You can purchase a day tripper ticket for $17. This will give you unlimited travel on all regular Sydney ferries, Sydney buses and city rail services within the Sydney suburban area. You could take a ferry across the harbor to Manly and either go for a surf or swim in the harbor or dine at one of the many restaurants. There is also a heritage site on the old quarantine station in the national park.

There are many ferry wharves on the harbor with lots to see and do at each stop. For instance, you could take a ferry to Watson’s Bay below South head and walk to the cliff tops to the notorious “Gap” – a suicide spot. There is an anchor from the ship “The Dunbar” which was wrecked while trying to negotiate the harbor heads at night during a storm in the 1800s. For lunch or dinner you might like to stop at the world-famous seafood restaurant “Doyles” – just up from the ferry wharf.

Another ferry trip will take you across the harbor to Taronga Zoo if you’re interested in seeing  native Australian animals.

A ferry trip the other way will bring you to Darling Harbour, where the Maritime Museum, casino, aquarium, monorail are based. Further up the harbor are the interesting villages of Balmain and Birchgrove. Lovers of 19th-century architecture will be drawn to this stop. Across from the villages is Birkenhead shopping centre – housed is a renovated tyre factory.

But the best way to see Sydney Harbour is on your own Sydney Harbour cruise vessel.  You can charter or hire boats as small as the water taxi through to a fully-fledged 125 foot superyacht. It depends on what you want to do and how many are in your party. If it’s a business trip you may want to charter a luxury motor yacht of 40 to 60 foot. With or without catering.

Many people regard a Sydney Harbour Cruise as the highlight of their trip to Australia. With good reason. It’s hard to beat a sunny summer’s day on a charter boat on Sydney Harbour. Day or night. And if you’re in Sydney for New Year’s Eve, the best way to see the fireworks is from a cruise boat on the harbor.

There are many Sydney Harbour cruise boat charter companies operating on Sydney Harbour. One of the best is Flagship Cruises. It’s been in business since 1982. And boasts the crème de la crème of luxury charter boats for Sydney Harbour cruises.

Here is a good video showing Sydney Harbour from the air