Day 1 - The Departure

We were greeted with a fine, yet slightly overcast day on the day of our departure.

The first Cup shock came with the 'late scratching' of Ian Scott. He was ably replaced however by daughter Melinda and the cruising party were safe in the knowledge that their shower rose wouldn't 'mysteriously' disappear.

The majority of us met at Rosemeadow Drive for a shuttle bus trip to the dock, the 'non-residents' parking their cars in the visitors area, relying on Barry to pull rank and avoid us receiving a 'nasty' letter under the wiper blade or worse still, being wheel clamped over the next 7 days.

According to Chris and Peter, sitting down back in the stalls, Clive directed the driver to take the long way round, but we still arrived in plenty of time to check-in, board and have a beer in our hand before setting off in a spectacular exit to Sydney Harbour....






As we moved slowly away from our mooring in Darling Harbour, the mighty Harbour Bridge was clearly in our sights, yet from our lofty position on the pool deck, it didn't seem as high as it usually does....




The closer we got, the lower it seemed until we passed underneath it with just a few metres to spare. We were glad the ship was full and thought the subsequent ballast may have helped us slip underneath....



Some Bridge climbers got lucky and enjoyed a close up view of the pool deck and the excited voyagers at the start of the trip....



As we passed under the Bridge, we glanced towards the quay and noticed the 'Rhapsody of the Seas' in port, loading up for a 10 day cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu....



From our high vantage point we were able to get a slightly different view of the Opera House that a few of our cruising party are familiar with from the deck of the 'Doegon'....




The city skyline under greying skies....



A look back at the magnificent harbour as we make our way past the Eastern Suburb Harbour beaches, bound for the heads....



And finally a long view of the city skyline as we say goodbye to Sydney for a week....



The ship approached the heads, the party began and tunes began being belted out by an energetic Caribbean band....





Before nightfall set in, everybody took the opportunity to let the hair down, enjoy a few beers and cocktails and look forward to a week of relaxation....







The 'Cup Cruise 2008' was underway!!!!