for the cruise is the marina within Cockle Bay which puts the boats actually amongst the Darling Harbour Vivid displays .
Another highlight of the year was an invitation from SailGP to participate in the event as a “ VIP boat ”, which allowed us to observe the race from inside the race boundary . Watching these sailing boats battling at closing speeds of more than 50 knots a few metres way from your boat is an amazing experience .
First Friday events continue to provide an opportunity for members of the cruising community to socialise as well as hearing from some amazing sailors . Two of the highlights were an evening with Lisa Blair hearing of her record breaking exploits in sailing around the Antarctic , and our very own Nina Curtis sharing her sailing journey from a club junior , to winning the Sail GP championship . Other First Friday events included supporting Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie in launching their book on cruising Australia ’ s largest inland waterway , and hearing amazing stories from the commander of Broken Bay Water Police .
It was really pleasing to see some of the members of the cruising community join in the racing organised by the club . The cruising boats put in strong performances in their divisions with a number of series and regatta wins .
Implementation of the cruising component of the club ’ s strategic plan continues . Some of the key initiatives are - Alfreds Cruising continues to support the community sailing days by providing host boats as part of objective to build our community presence . - A successful Cruise Ashore to the Manly Wine and Spirits company to learn all about the art of gin making ( and of course sample some ) as part of our objective to provide alternative events especially during the winter months
- Our Alfreds Cruising Facebook page and monthly newsletter attracts more than 100 engaged viewers which is contributing to the objective of improving communication . During Covid this was one of our most effective ways of continuing the engagement .
I would like to thank my Cruise Committee John Groves , Roger Kennedy , Matt Kirlew , David Taylor , and Andrew Staal for all the support and efforts in organising the cruising activities and welcoming new members to cruising .
Finally I would like to thank all the member of Alfreds
Stay uptodate and informed of Cruising activites with the club via the Cruising webpage . Book for our Friday Friday events , read about our annual long cruisers ( Notice of Cruise ), plus helpful information from various seminars and events or sign up to our monthly newsletter . Visit : https :// rpayc . com . au / sailing / cruising /
The Alfred ’ s Annual 2020 - 2022 25