Cruising

Bay of Islands cruise a resounding success

The Second ICOYC Commodores’ Cruise hosted by Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, initiated by Royal Thames Yacht Club, was a resounding success - going beyond normal “charter cruising in company” in many important ways. 65 sailors from seven ICOYC member clubs on 13 boats took part in a seven day cruise in the beautiful Bay of Islands, a four hour drive north of Auckland, NZ. Crew ages ranged from 4 to 86 years old and vessels ranged from the Tall Ship, the 145 ft Soren Larsen to the 32 ft Alibi making this a truly inclusive event for all members of ICOYC member clubs.

Beyond the excellent cruising grounds, the hosts, RNZYS’s PC David Charlesworth and his wife Bronwen, had arranged:

a guided tour of the Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum
a chance to join RNZYS Friday night rum racing
on the water viewing of the Louis Vuitton Cup in Auckland
a sumptuous formal dinner hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
a Maori dance demonstration and Hangi (a traditional feast)
visits to a private botanical garden and a separate beach party with talks from the owners
a day of informal fun racing (won by the youngest sailors!)
a visit to the Waitangi Treaty grounds and a supper at Roberton Island with a talk on Captain Cook
many informal walks and cocktail parties
and, (showing a magic touch!) seven consecutive days of sunny weather and moderate winds.

Watch the ICOYC website and the ICOYC Facebook page (click here) for more detailed reports and photos.

VANCOUVER CRUISE REPORT

Twelve boats and 44 sailors spent an unforgettable two weeks exploring the coastal waters around Vancouver, British Columbia, hosted by Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (RVanYC). Venues ranged from bustling Newcastle Island Marine Park, opposite the busy port of Nanaimo to the beautiful pristine Princess Louisa Inlet. Old friendships were renewed and new ones made.

The cruise was planned and executed by a team of RVanYC Past-Commodores (PCs) and Flag Officers led by PCs Bob Andrew and John Dew, ably assisted by the RVanYC staff. Following RVanYC tradition, everyone on the cruise pitched in to help as needed. The route took in the Southern Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast with a quick dash to Princess Louisa covering about 250 nautical miles in the two weeks. For a more detailed account of the cruise click here

For the photo gallery of the cruise go to: http://gallery.me.com/lagarrett/100203

CLOSING BARBECUE AT ALEXANDRA ISLAND

The dock at RVanYC's Alexandra Island outstation was converted into an exclusive outdoor restaurant for the closing barbecue. Prizes were presented, toasts made and Commodores exchanged burgees. Each cruise member received a laminated placemat, and each boat received a unique plaque from a local artist portraying sailing in the Pacific Northwest. Cruise chair, Bob Andrew heads the table with his wife Ann opposite.

FIRST ICOYC COMMODORES' CRUISE OPENING BUFFET

John Stork welcomes all cruise participants to the First ICOYC Commodores’ cruise opening buffet dinner in the RVanYC Star and Dragon at Jericho Station, Vancouver.