To kick start February, floating mini-festival Ship Faced Cruise sailed back into port for another round of decadence on Sydney Harbour. Waiting for the boat to dock, it was fairly easy to spot the shipmates from the land-lovers by their enthusiasm, brightly coloured clothes and exposed skin. As the boat came in, it was obvious the cruise would be packed. Fluoro-clad youth materialized out of nowhere to join the queue for the boat, causing the line to quickly swell to a massive length and snake its way past Cargo Bar back toward the road.

On-board, the Bella Vista boasts a large main room which acts as a dance-floor, chill-out area and thoroughfare for the rest of the boat. Each space on the boat brought something different to the party. Starting with Guy Tarento and finishing with Starfuckers, the downstairs room brought a vibe similar to that of Big Day Out, while upstairs was a little more club-land, but far from chilled out. There was your obligatory half-hour warm up where people took in the sights outside before hitting the dance floor, but by the time the Stoney Roads DJs had taken to the stage, following Guy Tarento and Go Freek downstairs.

Stoney Roads pushed a party-centric vibe that switched between house, electro and wobblish sounds, with a focus on the bangers. Andrew and Ed from the Stoney Roads rocked up in their pirate best and certainly had the attitude to match the attire, playing a DJ set that would have put a smile on even Blackbeard’s face. Their crowning moment came when standing over the decks, side by side with hands in the air, they dropped I.D.G.A.F.O.S. by Dillon Francis. I’d never heard this song before, but the sweet little melody is fitting for a boat trip and even listening to it now, I can’t help but sway from side to side like I’m still on the harbour.

Those below dancing to Stoney Roads and then to Miami Horror DJs would have missed it, but the crowd upstairs being treated to Sticky Bandit’s set would have seen a helicopter fly over, shooting footage to immortalise the day in film. At this point, the day’s heat was at its most intense and as the requests for sunscreen picked up, so too did the vibe both on the upper deck and below. Fritzle brought something heavier, injecting a bit of 2-step into the mix as well as some really good sounding glitchy house. Above or below, everybody was having a great time.

Starfuckers performed their closing duties well. They are masters at pushing the sound that makes you want to cut shapes and their time closing out the main deck of the Bella Vista was a class act. It was good to see that there was a nice selection of DJs (about eight spread across five hours and two levels), without the number getting overbearing – each artist was able to develop their own style, while still sticking to that main theme of ‘if it bangs it plays’.

When the boat had docked and people started to make their way to the tune of Knife Party’s Internet Friends courtesy of Starfuckers, there were many sorry to see the party finish. You could tell by the number of people headed to the after party that everyone was keen for the day to continue. And why not? You can never have too much of a good thing.