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If
you don't go cruising on Sydney Harbour at least once a year you must
have rocks in your head,
or to paraphrase an ex-prime minister, you're "camping out".
And of course for most of us
over-mortgaged/rent-squeezed Sydneysiders, owning a yacht ain't getting
any closer - and
who's got the time to maintain the thing anyway? Well the good news
is that because of the
economic realities of Sydvegas, the glorious harbour is a very under-used
resource. And
thanks to the fun-loving crew at Rhythmboat
Cruises, you can enjoy a thoroughly memorable
night out on Sydney's surprisingly underpopulated waters for as low
as $49-59 including buffet
or between $90-110 including buffet & drinks.
On
the night we embarked for purposes of this review, we'd settled on a
Comedy
&
Salsa
cruise, which certainly sounded festive though the only connection I'd
ever made between
these two activites was the hilarity of my attempts at salsa many years
hence. Adding to the
eclectic nature of the night, I'd decided to invite my most cynically
intellectual friend - as I figured
when I'd run out of superlatives about the grace and majesty of our
harbour, he'd be there to
chew my ears off about his latest pet political peeve until evening's
end. And sure enough, as
the Rhythmboat
vessel glided out past the panorama of Sydney's CBD, the sight of those
monolithic capitalist structures was setting him off, as branded-building
by branded-building
he bemoaned the conspiratorial evils of Australia's most neon-lit companies.
Once
we rode under the ever-breathtaking Sydney Harbour Bridge and out into
the expanse
of the harbour, however, my
friend became surprisingly serene. I thought at first he may be
sharing my slight giddiness, as my legs had been landlocked for a loooong
time. But no, even
the most mentally-encumbered soul cannot help but be deeply touched
by the healing watery bliss of
this wonderful body of H20 ... It's heaven out there on the wave, and
gasping in that fresh, dare-I-call-it
sea air was doing wonders for my appetite. Predictably, much as an airline
feeds its passengers as
soon as possible in order to calm and balance their nerves, so I knew
that an announcement
of the buffet wasn't far away.
I
love buffets - they're a frenchified more diplomatic way of telling
you that it's "All You Can
Eat!". I have to confess that I'd deliberately not eaten lunch,
and was pleased that my indulgence
would be evened out by the office party group who occupied 3 or 4 tables,
with their bird-like
secretaries for whom two scoops of salad constitutes a silly season
loss of control.
After
I'd been back for my third helping, and my friend, who had at first
sniffed at my
shameless gorging, had also been back for his, we relaxed with our second
glasses of wine and
looked forward to the entertainment. And we'd lucked in this night because
the entertainer was
magician-comedian Adam
Dean. "Magician-comedian" ... an irregular concept to
be sure, and
yet so brilliantly realised because this guy's sardonic wit matches
his talent for illusion and sleight-
of-hand. Without offending anyone, even though relentlessly teasing
selected members of the audience
by seemingly stealing their money and destroying their most valuable
accessories, Adam Dean
restored my faith in the relevance of cabaret entertainment. Laughing
joyfully with the rest of the crowd,
I turned to my cynical friend and was delighted to see him also caught
up in the moment, he'd
certainly left his cares and concerns onshore.
From
there some exquisitely fit Brazilian dancers came out and performed
a range of dynamically
lithe salsa routines, and then after three or four songs they persuaded
a large number of people
from the audience to join them. Of course my well-fed torso was going
nowhere near the dancefloor,
though I did venture to the top deck for some night air and to admire
the twinkling beauty of our city.
My friend, who often curses Sydney and then follows up by saying he's
moving to Melbourne, was very
unusually at peace that night. And as the large birthday group, the
romantic couples and the increasingly-
merry corporates danced away downstairs, I looked forward to the possibility
of further developing
a more intimate relationship with the harbour - maybe a lunchtime cruise
next time, or joining the
Rhythmboat folk when the Cunard
Queen Victoria and QE2 rendezvous in Sydney Harbour on
February 23 and 24, 2008. Be well worth booking in advance for that.
www.rhythmboat.com.au
www.comedycruise.com.au
 
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