Visiting Sydney by yacht
Events, anchorages and anchoring rules on Sydney Harbour. How to arrive by yacht.
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Events and harbour rules
Sydney to Hobart start
Saturday 26 December 2026, 1:00pm, off Nielsen Park. Exclusion zone 12:00pm to 2:20pm. A 6 knot no-wash limit applies from 11:30am to 2:20pm. Boats not in the race may not hoist sails from 12:00pm to 2:20pm. The race is 628 nautical miles.
New Year's Eve fireworks
31 December 2026, fireworks at 9pm and midnight. Speed limit 6 knots from 3pm. Exclusion zones from 8pm. Harbour Bridge transit zone closed 8pm to 12:45am. No-wash restriction until 2am. Vessels over 15 m are not permitted in Farm Cove. VHF channels 16 and 88.
Australian Superyacht Conference
1 to 2 March 2027, Sydney. Run by Superyacht Australia.
Dates from the NSW Government and Superyacht Australia. Listings for the Sydney International On-Water Boat Show at Darling Harbour give different November 2026 dates: 12 to 15 or 13 to 16 November.
Where yachts anchor
A 2016 Boat International charter itinerary uses these places on Sydney Harbour and nearby.
Athol Bay
Sunset stop. An overnight stay is possible.
Vaucluse Bay
Overnight anchorage.
Rose Bay
Final night of the itinerary.
Farm Cove
Lunch stop opposite the Opera House.
Sugarloaf Bay
In Middle Harbour.
Campbells Cove
Pontoon wharf near the Opera House. Sydney Superyacht Marina manages or supports it (Ocean Magazine, 2024). It closes on New Year's Eve and reopens about 1am on 1 January.
Boat International, 18 February 2016. Check current conditions with Transport for NSW.
Anchoring rules in NSW
90 days a year, 28 in one place
Marine Safety Regulation 2016, clause 17A. No more than 90 days at anchor in NSW waters in a calendar year, and no more than 28 days in any one bay or section of waterway. Tied to shore counts as at anchor. Longer stays need a mooring licence or other lawful agreement.
Channels, wharves and cables
Do not anchor in a navigation channel, where you obstruct wharves, ramps or moorings, or within 200 m of submarine cables. Avoid shipwrecks, reefs and seagrass.
New Year's Eve guidance
Transport for NSW advises anchoring three boat lengths from other vessels and showing an all-round white light at night. Farm Cove and Athol Bay fill quickly.
Sources. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Sydney Superyacht Marina
- Dockwalk SuperPorts: Sydney Superyacht Marina and d'Albora Rushcutters Bay
- Ocean Magazine: Sydney Superyacht Marina, 3 November 2024
- Jones Bay Superyacht Marina
- Superyacht Services Guide, April 2026
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: notice 57-2026, Port of Sydney entry point
- Marine Industry News: Jones Bay biosecurity status, 8 April 2026
- Superyacht Services Guide: Jones Bay biosecurity entry point, 13 April 2026
- d'Albora Marinas: Rushcutters Bay
- Sydney City Marine
- SuperyachtNews: yard directory
- NSW Government: mooring and anchoring
- NSW Government: Sydney New Year's Eve 2026
- NSW Government: Sydney to Hobart 2026
- Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
- SuperyachtNews: Special Recreational Vessels Bill passes, 5 December 2019
- Australian Border Force: bringing superyachts into Australia, 2015
- Australian Border Force: requirements for cruise ships and superyachts entering Australia
- Superyacht Australia: chartering, arrival and visas
- Superyacht Crew International
- Boat International: Sydney charter itinerary, 18 February 2016
- UKSA superyacht salary guide
- Bureau of Meteorology: Sydney Observatory Hill climate statistics
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