The Bay Cruise has been and gone for another year. It was enjoyed by and participated in by 15 boats in total from the MBBC.
Merv and Marlene from “Rimfire”, and Mick and Gayle from “C-Jade” were both able to join the cruise for the two nights at Southport at the VMR on Wednesday and at the Yacht Club on the Thursday. Merv and Marlene travelled down in the Motor Home, whilst the Hamiltons hosted Mick and Gail on “Grecher”. Hopefully both of their boats will be back and operational in the near future.
The cruise began on Saturday 17th September at the RQYS grounds at Canaipa on the North Eastern tip of Russell Island. “Sunshine” and I had travelled down in company with David and Susie James-Brown in “Kai’ Mana”. A four hour trip with the tide behind us all the way. We arrived and anchored up in the creek, got organised with raising the previous Bay Cruise flags, getting the dinghy in the water, and tidying up, and then went ashore for the 2.00pm sign–on.
With 85 boats listed to take part and in spite of the 28 newbie “virgin cruisers” there were a lot of old friends to catch up and re-acquaint with, as well as our own good members. So a few wines were shared, some lies told, and following the usual cruise welcome from the Commodore and Committee we enjoyed the “Sarge’s” attempts to hand out fines, exhort money, or produce outlandish tutus and suits for alleged miscreants to wear for 24 hours. All good fun.
The following morning we up-anchored and headed south to the SYC’s “Dux Anchorage” on the northern end of South Stradbroke Island where it was the start of the cruise’s kids and adult organised activities. Our Bay Cruise club delegates John and Maria Elliott, with John the Bay Cruise elected Rear Commodore this year, were the organisers, arrangers, supervisors, and main culprits of numerous team challenges of varying degrees of difficulty and/or stupidity, which more than adequately catered for most of the cruise kids activities and because of that a lot of their parents as well.
That evening we gathered for the Trivia night at Dux, where the MBBC distributed the club donated port, cheese, and biccies. Whilst our collective brain power was not enough for any of our 3 or 4 trivia teams to have come away with the winnings, we certainly received a lot of recognition for the port.
On the Monday morning we moved again further south to the grounds of the Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club “Southern Haven” situated just south of Tipplers on South Straddie, where we spent the next two nights. On Monday the MBTBC crew did us all proud with their Italian themed evening and luke warm “spag bol” followed by a number gathering around the camp fire and joining in with the sing-a-long along with some of the (slightly) musically inclined cruisers.
Following more kids activities during the day, the Tueday evening saw a couple of films shown on the large screen on the outdoor carpet area of the MBTBC. The early evening was appreciated by many.
Wednesday dawned with all moving south again past the Seaway and into the Southport Aquatic Basin (Bums Bay) where some went off on organised trips to Seaworld, some took advantage of the VMR and did a radio course, and others just rested their eyes behind closed eyelids. Then to the VMR for the usual round of Committee updates, SYC berthing arrangements for the next day, the “Sarge”, and evening spit roast meal which was followed by the “Casino” play gambling night for the adults, whilst the Elliotts (with a couple of helpers) ushered all the kids into a backroom for more prize orientated games. The kids all had a ball, as did most of the adults.
The next morning we all moved to the Southport Yacht Club Marina, where between the SYC and the Cruise Committee, they managed to squeeze all the boats into berths. It was very well organised and coordinated by Peter Shaw of the Bay Cruise Committee. A number of both Committee and senior cruisers were given areas of the marina to look after boats that had been previously allocated both their berth and the exact time they were due in, and without too much anxiety, all were berthed and ashore well before lunch. Some of us took the time to avail ourselves of the laundry facilities there, and still be free by lunchtime, and ready to observe the afternoon fashion parade put on by Musto and the SYC for the cruise benefit.
My offer of being a model in the parade was politely declined.
That evening at SYC we had a buffet meal followed by a “cent” auction style giveaway of a large number of donated prizes/items. Everything from bottles of scotch to two 2L tins of very good red paint – that I am still wondering what I am going to do with – GT stripes anyone?
The next morning we had the Commodore salute and sail past just south of the Seaway on our way back north to the clubs south of Tipplers. It is a spectacular sight seeing 85 boats all dressed up and in line passing the Commodore’s boat and acknowledging his and the Committee’s work for the cruise this year.
The sailing challenge began soon after at the Deep Hole where the challenge is not so much that of winning a sailing race, but of participating in an event whilst underway whether or not the boat was sailing was deemed immaterial. A couple of noteworthy occurrences at the start line at which I officiated at, was the extra points gained by Geoff off “Buragin” as he 180’d in front of the oncoming fleet and proceeded across the start line backwards with a number of cruise kids dancing on its bow to rather raucous music. Also of note was the Martys on “Real Thing” trying to throw Tim Tam bribes to me, failing to make the distance between boats, so promptly doing a 360, came back and picked up the (still) floating Tim Tam, and eating it themselves. They lost points for that. Mind you, I need Tim Tams like I need a hole in the head, but that was not the point.
That evening we had the usual committee briefings and the Sarge at the Gold Coast Boat Clubs grounds, and following a BYO BBQ there was the annual cruise Talent Quest. We had the talented Marty family again flying the flag for the MBBC, where this year Emily was acclaimed for her Acker Bilk clarinet rendition, and was ably supported by Therese’s banjo along with Brodie James-Brown on percussion.
A few of us headed back on the Saturday morning missing the final evening at the BOAT club, but I have been told that the Elliotts were again to the fore with the tryathlon on the Saturday.
Thanks to all who joined us, it was a fun trip, and especially thanks to the Elliotts. John and Maria did a brilliant job right throughout the cruise in all the roles that they were responsible for, and bought nothing but praise and a lot of recognition to the MBBC from all who participated. Well done to both of them.
David Mason-Cox
“Sunshine”
MBBC Participants in 2011 Interclub Bay Cruise
John and Maria Elliott with David, Deanne and Dominic Sea-All Sea Ray 30
Greg and Cheryl Hamilton Grecher Bavaria 38 Mike and Sue Kinder Mahogany Riviera 3800 Chris and Therese Marty with Emily Real Thing Austral 8M
David and Susie James-Brown with Brodie Kai’ Mana Honeymoon 30
Peter and Zac Dwyer Poppy-D Regal
Tony and Wendy Kelly Quoll Fastback 32
Sharon and Barry Felschow with Jamie and Ryan Sunseeker Haines 19C
Ian and Sandra Rogers Spindrift Heaney 39
Geoff Craig Buragin 50’ ex pilot boat
Jock Mulligan Idle Mind Swanson 32
Barry Kidman Soak’n Tent Macgregor 26
David Mason-Cox Sunshine Displacement 34
Mick Drew and Gayle Kratzman C-Jade Sea Ray 30
Merv and Marlene Waldron Rimfire Fastback 32
