Captain Cate! Oscar winner Blanchett skippers her very own tiny tin boat during cruisy afternoon in Sydney Harbour
She may be an Oscar winning actress, but Cate Blanchett is also a woman of many other skills.
The Cinderella star was spotted playing skipper last week, chartering her very own tiny tin boat during a cruisy afternoon in Sydney Harbour.
The 45-year-old was at the helm of the small vessel, which she was spotted loading up with several children's games earlier in the day, no doubt to keep her three sons and new adopted baby girl Edith occupied with.
Captain Cate: CateBlanchett was seen chartering her own boat around Sydney last week
Not so 'bored' games: The 45-year-old actress was seen loading the vessel up with board games earlier in the day
Cate has been in an ebullient mood of late, thanks to the addition of little Edith, a baby girl she and playwright husband Andrew Upton adopted in the U.S.
Edith is the couple's only daughter and is no doubt being made a fuss of by her new family, who include their three sons, Dashiell, 13, Roman, 10, and Ignatius, seven.
Speaking of her joy at having another female in the hose, Cate's husband told Daily Mail Australia at the premiere of her movie Cinderella: 'It's very exciting'.
The Oscar winner later added to Sky News that she and the family are 'absolutely besotted' with young Edith.
Life's a drag sometimes: The Australian star dragged tables, towels and other items into the vessel after hauling a bag filled with an assortment of children's games and toys
Dishevelled: The Melbourne-born actress was her usual chic self as she clambered on board a little ruffled after ferrying items to and fro
'Fourth time round, it's extraordinary!' she said, adding: 'There's a lot of children out there who don't have the good fortune that our biological children do so it's wonderful, it's wonderful to welcome a little girl into our fold.'
Elegant as always, Cate, who plays the evil stepmother in the Disney classic remake, dressed fittingly for her harbour cruise teaming her flared jeans with a loose-fitting nautical style blouse and flat trainers.
She wore her blonde locks tied loosely in a low bun and shares to shield out the glare of the sun.
Doer: Cate loaded the boat single handedly before a friend arrived to give her a helping hand
Helping hand: The female friend passed the actress objects from the pier
All hands on deck: They fussed around getting the vessel ready for the afternoon
The Babel star loaded bags into the boat single handedly before a friend arrived to give her a helping hand.
Cate has been beside herself since she returned from the States last clutching her new baby, whose full name is Edith Vivian Patricia Upton.
Quizzed about the adoption laws in Australia when she announced the news, she told Fairfax Media 'I think it is ... well I haven't been through it here. It was in the United States.'
Chugging along: Once the vessel was stacked, it was time to take to the water
Ahoy there! Cate looked like she was a dab hand at handling the vessel as she steered confidently
Captain Cate: Wearing sunglasses to protect against the blinding sunlight, she appeared relaxed and carefree
Sweet escape: She didn't need any crew to help her take out the boat and chartered it alone
The family is due to relocate permanently to America at the end of the year once Upton's term as the Sydney Theatre Company's artistic director ends.
'We're all looking forward to spending more time together in one place. We spent nine years living in England and we loved it. But now we'd like to try America.
'They have terrific [opportunities in] television there and Cate has a very strong film career there, too, obviously,' Upton recently said.
Steely concentration: She stared fixedly ahead as she appeared to steer in a straight line
At the helm: She seems at one with the boat and water
What's that? At one stage the Hollywood star gasped at the view ahead
The couple mirror the lives of other high profile Australians, such as Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, who also adopted their two children through the American system.
Furness, an outspoken adoption campaigner, founded Adopt Change, a lobby group working tirelessly to overturn Australia's 'anti-adoption' culture, a hangover from the horror of the stolen generations and forced adoption of the 1960s and '70s.
In 2013-14, 317 babies were adopted in Australia, a 76 per cent fall from 25 years ago.
In Australia, adoption is controlled by the states and territories.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the federal streamlining of laws is being tabled for upcoming COAG meetings.
The good life: The ladies chatted amiably as the boat glided along
Bringing her home: The actress was seen holding her new daughter at Sydney airport earlier this month
'It's very exciting': Cate's husband, playwright Andrew Upton, told Daily Mail Australia the family were thrilled about the new addition at the premiere of Cinderella in Sydney on Sunday
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