CRUISING IN COMPANY

The Christmas and holiday season have been a busy time for the Crusing in Company group both on and off the water, with lot more activities still in store while the weather stays warm.

Firstly, CiC continue to support the Saturday Casual Sails, first Saturday of the month. These sails are designed to provide an introduction to keel boat sailing in a more relaxed environment than the racing. If you know anyone who would like to give keel boat sailing a go, the Saturday Casual Sail might be the perfect introduction. Register on the CiC web page or call the Club for more details. Many thanks to Louise Harvey for her continuing organisation of these events. About 40 CiC members gathered for our annual Christmas BBQ in December. This year, rather than exchange gifts with fellow members, participants were asked to bring a gift to donate to a Christmas charity. I’m pleased to say a large bundle of gifts were delivered to the Salvation Army Christmas appeal that, hopefully, put a smile on the face of some children that may have otherwise missed out! Many thanks to Tracey for organising this event.

The Australia Day holiday saw 10 HYC boats head down to TCYC for the traditional Oz Day Rockingham cruise. Arriving Thursday afternoon, the boats had front row seats for the evening fireworks display, which is located on the end of the fishing jetty. The following morning saw the traditional Finska challenge taken out by TnT, and in the evening, a fantastic night was had by all at the Pink Duck, with most participants opting for a delicious “hot rock” cook at the table special. While the crowd dispersed on various days over the weekend, those remaining were able to enjoy some TCYC hospitality while watching the BBL action. Unfortunately, Lou ran into a few manoeuvrability problems when Rushmere arrived at Rockingham sans prop!!! However, Rockingham Sea Rescue were on hand to provide tow, albeit towards the “graveyard” end of Mangles Bay! Good to know there is help available when needed. Many thanks to John Gregory and Tracey for organising what was an excellent and memorable cruise.

Well, preparation are almost complete for the inaugural Geographe Bay Cruise being organised this year be HYC CiC and starting on Saturday 4th February. The cruise will see a total of 12 boats, 8 from HYC and 4 from other yacht clubs, complete a 3 week cruise to Quindallup, and return via stopovers Mandurah and Bunbury. Fair weather and happy sailing to all the participants!!

Cruising in Company Captain