Shaggers

28/8/2016 - 2/9/2016. 

Rendezvous 2016
Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club, Shag Islet, Gloucester Passage. 

Everyone who joins this virtual yacht club is automatically a Vice Commodore of some original location, in my case, my childhood home of Bucklands Beach – though I’m not sure that the prestigious BBYC that hosted the Louis Vuitton Americas Cup series would acknowledge me as their new 2IC.

Notwithstanding, the SICYC exists primarily to increase awareness of Prostate Cancer.  Having personally known of at least 5 friends and family members with this disease, it seemed like a worthwhile cause to support.  Also a good place to stop a while and have some fun.

Ray & Di Newton were here on “All That Jazz”, as were Jeff & Leigh Benson, with son and friends on their new cat “Tru Blu”.

 

For a largely volunteer run club, it was remarkably well organised, with live music and dancing, food & drinks, crab racing, kite-flying & BBQ on Shag Islet, plus many other fund raising activities; all generously supported by the hundreds of cruisers who come from everywhere to join in this annual event. 

The weather was overcast, sprinkling showers and threatening rain, but fortunately held off for most of the activities.

 

 

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Perhaps the trickiest bit to organise was the “hands across the water” with dozens of dinghies joined up to form an aerial view of the ribbon “P” logo, but even that went off with better precision than many a band practice or staff meeting. 

 

For the first time, Ch 7 provided media coverage, which will help further early detection of the disease that claims more lives each year than breast cancer does in women.

I joined up to become a “virgin shagger”, got my blue Vice Commodore  T-shirt, met some great people, lost a bucket, my Prada sunnies and a few other things, which indicates how good a time I was having.  Here I am enjoying a plastic of wine with Leigh.

 

 

On Monday a mass exodus left me sitting on my lonesome without a dinghy, so I decided to follow newfound friends across to Bowen and continue the party for another day or two. 

Then it will be back to meet up with older friends and family in Whitsundays.