One of those beautiful mornings that Manly has been throwing us for the last month or so. A pleasant breeze, a relief from the hot weather the rest of Sydney is experiencing, lots of interesting friendly people and you have the perfect recipe for a good day’s sailing.
Our core crew of Barry, Ray, Crosbie, Ariane, Tony, Mal, Denis got out early and rigged 5 303’s and Alan’s 2.3 in record time. Barry rowed over and picked up Charlie’s Chariot, which needed a good wash down as the sea-gulls had been having a party on board. By 9.30 a.m. we were ready to go. Lucky, that, because Maureen, Alan, Megan, Judy and Sam had arrived, and were eager to get out there on the water. Sam’s family, Peter, Ben and Emma watched him from Charlie’s Chariot to make sure nothing could go wrong.
Bob was an excellent Sailing Coordinator, making sure that all roles were filled, and working efficiently. Crosbie was Pontoon Manager, Barry the Support Boat Driver, one of our new volunteers, Phil, the observer with Chris, and sailors: David, Mal, Joely, Helene, Ray, Ivan and Jackie. The wonderful Jenny was First Aid Officer, and Registrar, while Ros took over the time keeping, with Phil’s wife, Shauna, in this role later on. Kevin was the pontoon helper, Ariane helped with life-jackets, and up on deck, Carina was the cook, helped by Stuart, Terry and Phil, so everyone was kept busy. Tony really found the packing up the best part, as he is responsible for getting the fuel to refill Charlie’s Chariot, help bring the boats back up the ramp, pack away the lunch items, etc.
We were thrilled to have new volunteers Terry, Phil, Stuart and Ros to help today. These four really got thrown in the deep end, and found out what organised chaos and hard-work is all about. They all went home with big smiles on their faces, though, and will come back next time.
Our friends from Housing Connexion: Diane, Rob, Duncan and Jackie came down and each loved their time on the water. Rob elected to go in Charlie’s Chariot, as he finds it difficult to access the 303.
Inala brought their bunch to have Morning Tea with us, and only Jonathan went for a sail.
Denis had a double lot of sailing because he was feeling extra fit today, and even felt able to take the controls of the boat for a short time. Shelley and Peter brought Juliette down for a sailing lesson, accompanied by her Dad, Tony. Craig and Jon arrived soon, and were taken for a long, settling sail.
Gaynor brought her charges: Stuart, Carlo, Dirk, Danielle, Robert, May, Brad and Steve. They all enjoyed their sausage sandwiches, then went to buy Fish and Chips to eat in the park, after their sail, of course.
Peter took over the controls of Charlie’s Chariot after Barry went home, and was the finisher upper, refueller, and packer away.
A very social, busy day, with everyone really having an enjoyable time. Our idyll was slightly spoilt when Tony decided to go for an unexpected slide and swim as he was packing away the lunch things. This gave Denis the opportunity of giving him a ride home. Hopefully, there is no lasting damage, and everything will be OK next time.
