A few weeks ago I went to a Harbour Cruise party – that was fun, amazing and beautiful – and I asked what the rates are to rent a cruise for a few hours (hey, who doesn't want to celebrate their birthday on a boat, right?) Oh, somewhere between $5000-9000, huh? Hmm, that doesn't quite fit my budget.
So I went out and found some other really cool 'boat-ish'/'water-ish' alternatives. Not exactly birthday celebration material with 400 friends, but still very enjoyable and best of all, very cheap. So here we go:
1. Rent a boat for $12 p.p. for 4 hours.
At Rose Bay Marina you can rent a four-hour charter from $340, which is fairly do-able. Have a go at what we did: we rented a half-cabin, 20 ft long cruise for 4 hours. We only paid $12 each as we were with 8 of us. It was awesome! And no, you don't need a boat license.
Sydney Harbour Escapes. Rose Bay Marina, 504 NSW Head Rd., Rose Bay, (02) 93284748
2. Watch races on water for $20.
My friend gave me this really cool tip: you can follow the fleet of 18 footers (aka Aussie 18) during the championship days (March/April each year) on board of a ferry! It's called the spectator ferry' and leaves every race day at 2.15 (at the Double Bay Warf) and comes back around 4pm. Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased at the 18 Footers office.
Australian 18 Footers Australia, Double Bay NSW 2028, (2) 93632995, 93635327
3. Kayak at the Sydney Harbour for $20 an hour.
Of course, there are guided tours that teach you how to paddle your kayak. It's not that hard (at least, that's what I think). So I went out to explore places I could hire the cheapest kayak and I found out I could hire a sea kayak on the north side for $20 an hour. That's cool! Plus the north side is a bit calmer which made kayaking more comfortable to me. Go, go, go!
Sydney Harbour Kayaks, The Spit Bridge Mosman NSW 2088, (02) 99604389, 02 99694590
So far my tips, but I bet there is so much more to do and so many cheap places to do it at! Leave a comment if you have any tips and tricks on boats so I can try them out - and review them later for you and the readers if you like!
