It was so crazy to see just how many boats were all filtering out and how quickly they were all moving.
It was genuinely like watching little insects all scurry away from something.
Some of them went really fast too. There was a second batch of boats like 40 minutes later, what's that about? I wonder if they only let ppl out in bunches.
I reckon these people are similar to those sports fans who leave earlier to beat the traffic / crush to get home 🤣
I imagine the boat ramp is a pretty significant bottle neck at these events.
Oh, it's also a major source of entertainment.
You have a great combo of late night, alcohol and a bunch of people who only take the boat out every once in a blue moon yelling at their partners as they try to get their boats back on the trailer.
Look up Credit Card Captain or Willem Powerfish on Youtube if you want a bit of a flavour of what you'd see there.
It is very entertaining. I’ve previously lived close to an inner west boat ramp and you can hear and see absolute mayhem after the midnight fireworks. Lots of arguments and daft behaviour.
I wonder how many of those people overlap with the people who like to park their boat and trailer combo in some random narrow street for most of the year/s.
The venn diagram would be a nigh on perfect circle.
Peak Sydney
There is an exclusion zone around the harbour bridge that is rigidly enforced. After the fireworks end, boaters near or blocked by that zone , stay put until an all clear is given over maritime radio (it also gets projected on the Bridge). That's what would have triggered the second wave. The reason for the delay is that they need to move a number of the barges out of the way that would otherwise block these mass migrations of boats.
out of context it kinda looks like people evacuating a war zone
Dunkirk had great fireworks.
Every year I work the NYE evening at the northern boardwalk of the opera house, where they film the ABC broadcast. Every year we hang around for 1-2hrs packing up some things and waiting for most people to disperse from the area. The best part of that after time is just watching all the boats get released.
The way it works in and around the harbour/quay, is that no one moves until fireworks give clearance, all the pyro barges leave first, then its ferry’s zipping in and the larger party cruises going back to dock, then finally it’s all the private boats. It’s like a water stampede of music and partying with the occasional police boat siren keeping them inline.
It’s always absolute hilarity watching them all scurry away under the bridge and back up the river.
Excuse the video quality and text, it was a Snapchat I sent in like 2024 I apparently don’t record it every year.
That's so interesting. Yeah thanks. I loved watching it all haha
I was one of those about 20 years ago, had a small (25 foot) yacht anchored near Cremorne and even back then motoring back to middle harbour was scary as hell, boats going everywhere in the dark, the water choppy with wash. Can’t imagine how bad it is now.
I randomly ended up on a boat also 20ish years ago but we stayed anchored overnight not far from the Man O' War steps because the captain had been drinking. It was a beautiful sunrise.
There's quite a few restrictions an exclusion zones on NYE.
Speed is limited to 6 knots until 2AM for most of the harbour.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/using-waterways-boating-and-transport-information/boating-on-sydney-harbour/sydney-harbour-major-events/sydney-harbour-new-years-eve-2025
except for old mate who is clearly on the plane doing waaaay more than 6 knots
Why? It's not like they have work that day. Why not just sit in the water and the ambience and enjoy a glass of wine while you take in the city lights.
Man id be anchoring in a nearby bay and sleeping it off. Be so tired getting back to the ramp and putting it on the trailer then driving home fark
Must have been having a good time
Do you need to pay to boat into the harbour for NYE? Or if you have a boat you can just go?
It’s all free and you can just go, but there is exclusion zones and times I would imagine getting home after would take ages too with all the people trying to get boats back to the docks or trailers at every point.
Nice thanks.
And so began the Great Pirate Era!
Do people not know how to video on this sub?