Heavenly Harbour City cruise wows the masses on a dream winter day

Tag : Kangaroo Skins
It usually takes a rock star, a president or the biggest ship inthe world to transform Sydney's serene harbour foreshores to dizzymayhem.
Yesterday it was an elderly man in white robes.
But for the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims lining SydneyHarbour's foreshores, catching their first glimpse of Pope BenedictXVI was a life-defining moment.
Sydney's largest cruise ship, the MV Sydney 2000, took the 81year-old pontiff on a spectacular ''boat-a-cade'' tour of thesouthern shore of Sydney Harbour.
The short trip from Rose Bay to Barangaroo at East Darling Harbourmarked his official entrance into World Youth Day celebrations on''Super Thursday''. It was a dream winter's day, with still harbourwaters and a light breeze as the Pope arrived at Rose Bay pier.
He received a traditional Aboriginal welcome to country by Gadigalelder Allen Madden and a small troupe of Aboriginal dancers clad inkangaroo skins.
The pontiff looked absorbed in the moment as he boarded the boatabout 2.45pm, smiling gracefully as he took his vantage point onthe middle deck with Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell nearby.
The Pope's vessel glided out into the harbour waters, guarded by aring of 13 security vessels, including police boats, jet-skis and atugboat spraying jets of water.
As he greeted selected pilgrims on the boat with him, the lightbreeze billowed his red elbow-length cape, forced him to remove hissmall skullcap, and ruffled his white hair.
He moved inside the boat to large lounge chairs and appearedawe-struck as he took in spectacular harbour views.
The pontiff looked particularly taken as the boat passed the OperaHouse on Bennelong Point and headed beneath the Harbour Bridge.
But these views were nothing compared with the sight of 150,000frenzied pilgrims from about 170 nations desperate to catch aglimpse of the pontiff as the vessel turned into Darling Harbour.
As the vessel docked at Barangaroo wharf about 3.30pm, the pontiffcame on to the boat's deck, bathed in sunlight and smiling broadlyat the sight before him.