RQYS Mainsheet 2021

Sail Cruising Group

REPORTS

Organisers John Higgins, Peter Shepherd and Rosalie Dolan remind readers that, for many years, Squadron cruisers arrange an annual cruise north to the Whitsundays which, they politely note, ‘have generally contained themes with combined dinners and parties …’ SAIL CRUISING GROUP 2021: cruising north in company

Q&A sessions were held from January to July 2021 to keep participants informed. Shirts and burgees with the ‘Fun in the Sun’ logo were developed so that all participants were easy to identify. The cruise departed on 17th July 2021 – just before the Brisbane lockdown – with 19 Sail and 7 Power vessels on the cruise. The first leg was Brisbane • Mooloolaba • Wide Bay Bar • Garrys • Big Woody • and then to Bundaberg. The leg across Hervey Bay to Bundaberg saw stronger than predicted winds with sails reefed and power boats heading west to calmer waters. Jade Blue making an energetic coastal passage from Urangan to Bundaberg. Pic: Sail Cruising Group

The cruise was divided into several legs that could accommodate durations of two to six weeks, depending on which leg was chosen.The leg finish times were aligned to the various race weeks at Keppel Bay, Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island – should participants want to race.

In the face of COVID stress and worries it was decided to plan for another cruise north to give our fellow Sail and Power cruisers a chance to relax and have fun in the sun. Planning for the trip began in earnest in October 2020 with a Preliminary Plan sent to all who had expressed an interest. The organising committee decided that fellow cruisers from Moreton Bay would also be invited and interclub flyers were produced and sent to many organisations around the Bay. The opportunity to release all of the pent-up cruising emotions with a long cruise north proved very attractive, with 26 Sail and 15 Power cruisers initially expressing an interest.

GROUPS

07 3393 5550 | multihullcentral.com Your Onsight Yacht Broker Located RQYS Old Marina Office

C ENTRAL

Y ACHTING

Mainsheet 2021

33

rqys.com.au

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook