Valentine's Day Weekend Cruise Report

It was great to see so many members attending our Valentines Day cruise to Deanbilla on 13/14 February 2021 with 22 people and one dog in attendance. We had seven boats at anchor in the bay: Rhythmic (Phil & Heather), Affaire (Shane & Sue), Nicky C (Ian & Debra, Graham & Cheryl), Purrfik (Ray), Skimble (Paul & Monique), Kestrel (Richard & assorted offspring) and Playtime (John & Julie) plus it was amazing to see those members who made the effort to come across on the ferry and join us at Deanbilla, so special thanks are due to Bruce & Lyn, and Wolfgang & Birgit. Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and it was a very pleasant downwind sail to Deanbilla in 10-12kn N-NE winds across a calm bay. Some took the opportunity for a swim at Horseshoe Bay on the way. Sundowners was held ashore on Saturday afternoon in very pleasant company, Prizes (champagne, chocolates and roses of course!) were awarded for the dress-up (couples/romance theme) and also for the 'how well do you know your partner' quiz. Richard & Deb might have found some of the questions a bit alarming being a father/daughter pair but everyone joined in the fun in good spirit. The receding spring tide resulted in a few tenders being stranded high and dry and led to a challenging trip back to the boats for dinner and after-dinner drinks. The night at anchor was a gentle rocking action, possibly due to a slight swell but maybe it was all that Valentine's Day romance! Sunday morning started off a bit drizzly but that cleared up quickly and didn't dampen a stroll into Dunwich for coffee and cake. A strong southerly change was forecast and with news of 30+ knots hitting Gold Coast seaway, most of the fleet decamped early for the trip home.