Cruising Sunday - 28/8/11

CRUISING SUNDAY – 28/8/11

Following on from the postponed weekend at Bribie on the 20/21^st August due to inclement weather, it again looked bleak on Saturday for the trip over to Bongaree. It was raining and not altogether pleasant, although the forecast predicted it to clear with a fine day and only a couple of showers. Good enough, so we went.

Scott and Roseanne Garven with “Miss Toorbul” called late Saturday to say that they were already there and enjoying a “quiet red” but had a tide problem with getting back into the creek at Toorbul and that they would be away in the morning. Clive Moorhouse also called early Sunday to see what time we would be arriving as he had spent a very enjoyable evening at White Patch, so he was at Bongaree when the rest of us arrived.

I left my mooring just before 10am on the Sunday morning and caught the start of the yachties getting away to a spinnaker start in their Cowan race on the way over. Quite the spectacular sight.

The water was as smooth as a baby’s backside and with an outgoing tide it was an easy ride over and we were soon anchored up near Clive just north of the Bongaree jetty. Pretty soon after we were joined ashore by Ron and Emma Tschannen and family aboard their Whittley “Scott Free”, Ian Rogers, who ventured over on his own in “Spindrift”, and Mike and Sue Kinder along with Doug and Pam in “Mahogany”. Also along by road were some more of the extended Tschannen family, and old Touring participants Gary and Fiona Semenoff and kids.

The Barbie was fired, food was quaffed and washed down, a few lies were told, although not as many as the yachties and fishos generally tell, and a good time was had.

Following the successful discussion solving of most of New Zealand’s news and problems, some of which had been mentioned in passing by a number of those present emanating from there, we then headed back to our respective boats and retuned across the bay to find that the conditions had not changed from when we went over.

It was such a shame and with a tinge of disappointment to return to the club to find that the yachties had had to call off their race as the wind had died and they were hampered by having to legally finish the race before dusk. They looked so good at the start too.

Nevertheless – we had a ball. What a fantastic day to be in a boat.

Next month we have the Interclub Bay Cruise starting on Saturday 17^th September at Canaipa Point and finishing a week later at the Gold Coast Boat Club’s “Anchorage” just south of Tipplers. The MBBC will be represented with a number of boats as people are starting to come out of the woodwork and get interested in the trip.

A week or so ago John and Maria Elliott who are our Bay Cruise delegates spoke at our monthly Thursday get together about the forthcoming cruise and what to expect, and they will be along again at our next monthly Thursday night just prior to the Cruise on Thursday 15^th September at the club. Join us there.

David Mason-Cox