BOATING CONVERSATIONS

The first ‘Boating Conversations’ evening supported by the CYCSA Marine Academy was held on a wet and chilly Friday night at the Club. The topic of Winter Sailing in Gulf St Vincent attracted an enthusiastic crowd of around 60 people. Many who joined us were new members keen to learn alongside long-term members willing to share experiences. The focus was the use of yachts through winter with conversations straying to general cruising between the Club and Kangaroo Island. The evening was hosted by Marine Academy instructor, Rod Hunter, who was joined by Club members, Paul and Louise Hicks, the owners of a Duncanson 34 named Impulse who many would have seen on the water in Gulf Saint Vincent and along the coast of Kangaroo Island. The main topics of conversation were passage planning, knowing your destination and alternatives if the weather doesn’t permit your plan to be fulfilled, dressing warmly and keeping safe and, most importantly, managing pet’s safely on your boat. A particular focus was planning for winter weather using forecasting, observations and synoptic charts along with the importance of onboard checking of your barometer and keeping a lookout. Paul and Louise shared information regarding the importance of leaving early and the consequences of being out in wild weather in the latter part of the afternoon. They also highlighted being flexible with your return journey in case the weather makes returning home unsafe. Favourite destinations in Gulf St Vincent were shared, in particular, Edithburgh, Black Point and Port Vincent along the west coast of the gulf. Note was made of the new Club moorings at Edithburgh, Stansbury and Black Point (see the Club website). Port Vincent Marina was highlighted as a favourite in winter because you can plug in a heater as all other destinations require a hot water bottle for some extra comfort and warmth. Destinations along the northern side of Kangaroo Island were shared including American River, Rocky Point and the Bay of Shoals. Rod explored with Paul and Louise the challenges of a safe anchorage especially when exposed to northerly weather events. Further wisdom caught the attention of the audience and included the caution required when picking up private moorings and keeping your boat safe when there is wind against tide. Paul and Louise told stories of the beautiful coastline of hills, cliffs and sandy beaches and anchorages near their home marina at Wirrina along the east coast of the gulf. A word of caution, based on experience, was to keep a reasonable distance from the cliffs to protect yourself from the strong gully winds and pull your sails down well before approaching the marina. Closer to home at the CYCSA when the weather doesn’t permit for longer passages, Mark Hutton highlighted the option of a sail up the Port River in winter with an overnight stay at the Quarantine Station anchorage as an option. For those very wild winter weather nights the safest destination was highlighted by Mark and Kate to be staying on board your yacht in the CYCSA marina enjoying the hospitality and services of the Club whilst having a heater plugged into the 240 volts. After the presentation the evening continued with members new and old staying on to share and explore places to go, experiences to have and tall tales of the sea. Many guests booked in for a Bistro dinner prior to the formalities and judging by the popularity of the first session, we may see even more people attend in future as we look forward to ‘Boating Conversations’ as a regular event on the Club calendar. Look out for future ‘conversations’ on the Club’s event calendar and Facebook page, mark it in your diary and join us for a great social evening at the Club for some great tips, inspiring stories and a few laughs.

Sallyann Geddes

Useful resources are available on the CYCSA website and the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron website.