We were celebrating the 35th anniversary of Bluffers Park Yacht Club. Rob and I were in attendance at the party for the 25th, with all its fireworks and fanfare. Rob wasn’t able to attend this year because the opportunity
of a fishing expedition on the Bad River was called the same weekend, so I had to make do without Yondering’s skipper.
A
bright, sunny day with light wind brought perfect conditions for the
ceremony. I enjoy seeing everyone dressed in blue and white as a
nautical nod to tradition. The day was a bit cooler than expected, but
jackets kept us comfortable by
the water. The order of events are now part of the BPYC ritual: the
piper piped; the Board was introduced; we honoured our missing in a
memorial address; the flags were raised; awards, awarded; and the start of the season
toasted with a strawberry mimosa.
Dick called on several of the founding members that had built the club to raise the flags. Very appropriate, I thought, for the anniversary.
Caroline
kindly extended an offer to me to crew Awful Beloved, which had just
had new main and jib sails rigged. This was AWs season shake down, and the
skipper was up on deck tweaking the halyard for a bit, while I made
myself useful as
the helm. We sailed past the Commodore and gave the traditional luff as
she inspected her fleet.
Upon
return to the dock, I left Caroline to get ready for the evening party
and take up my station at the cocktail bar. Kaarina’s chosen concoctions
for this event were Salty Dogs and Caesars. I ended up pouring gin and
rimming glasses
with Malden sea salt flakes and lime zest. Very tasty! Although I was
busy with the pour, I did manage a few breaks to the oyster bar, to
slurp some freshly shucked.
I consider it a small miracle that the
club managed a sit down meal for close to 200 people. The largest
number of attendees on record! Despite the volume, all the plates made
it to the tables with the cold food cold and the hot food hot.
A truly delicious meal, which I enjoyed in the company of Caroline,
Kaarina and Mike; Aldo and Alex. We skipped the dessert course for
drinks on Alex’ and Aldo’s boat, tunes cranked high and sometimes
singing along.
Then it was back to the clubhouse to dance for a few hours before a solid sleep on the boat. My first overnight of the season.
Salty dog:
1.5 oz gin
.75 oz aperol
2 oz grapefruit juice
Splash of tonic water
Rim with
sea salt flakes (Malden) sprinkled with grated lime zest
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