Februar y 2015 27reflections
When a problem arises as can happen it
is nice to know that there are others who
will respond. It's the rule under which
we cruise and through the years we have
assisted a number of other vessels in a
variety of situations, feeling that if one
day we ever needed any help we hope that
others would indeed assist us.
'People' are the key factor and we
sailors can make our cruising experience
as social or as isolating as we choose.
For our part we generally love to
meet up with fellow cruisers and share
the tall tales and long stories of where
they all have been. Tell each other our
exploits, our adventures.
It is always nice to find an unoccupied
anchorage, nice to have a day or two of
quiet solitude. But then we hanker for
the gossip and chatter of other boaties.
A crowded affair generally means a
time for great sundowners. Or, if time
permits and the weather suggests that
a stay is needed, then a game of boule
or cricket on the beach. Many of these
events have been followed by a BBQ
and lets people get off their boats and
mingle, making for a great experience.
Brian and I love coming into an
anchorage after a days sailing and
discovering that we know others
anchored in the area. We love the
sundowners on the many isolated
beaches that we have explored and when
we all come to the beach we are all the
same. It is a levelling of who we are and
allows us to be what we are: 'sailors'
cruising the rivers and coastal waterway.
Over the 20 plus years of our cruising
lifetime we have kept a book that
contains the cards of fellow boaties that
we have shared anchorages with. At
the end of each season I take my book
ashore and keep it by the phone. It has
been such a handy tool when friends
call, they invariably identify themselves
by their boat name. I quickly grab the
book and look up the vessel and owners
in question. It has saved many an
embarrasing moment as I freely admit
that I remember the boat names more
easily than the owners' names.
The book has also become somewhat
of an historical item as we sometimes
flick through it and speak of various
boats and their owners that we have
met that we no longer see. Either the
boat has been sold, or maybe had a
name change or, as has happened,
the owner has moved on to a more
permanent place.
Whatever the reason our boat book
has brought hours of discussion
relating to the cruising fraternity.
One of the nicest surprises of this
season has been the opportunity to
meet people who have owned a boat
that Brian built in the early 1990s. Brian
had built a Cuthbertson and Cassian
(C&C) 36 and for whatever reason our
C&C 36 underwent five name changes.
We were sailing down the inside
of Fraser Island, just north of Gary's
Anchorage when Brian suddenly
shouted, and there coming towards
us was our original Lady Anne, now
named All Seas.We glided over to her and spent a
most enjoyable 15 or so minutes talking
with her new owner and his friend. The
waters were calm and after our initial
hello we exchanged information, each
excited about meeting the other.
Earlier in the season we had
attended the Shag Island Rally and for
three days had sat with Wendy and
her husband Wayne. Of course our
discussion centred around cruising
and of boat building.
We were intrigued when they said
they too had owned a C&C36. It was
on the day they left that we found out
that Wendy and Wayne had previously
owned our Lady Anne, they had called
her Wendy J. Small world!
As we cruise from one anchorage to
another we often join up with friends,
share a drink or three, a few books,
a favourite recipe or a tip about that
secret fishing spot. Over the years we
have been very lucky to meet up with
others whom we have cruised with
in rallies and in small groups both
overseas and in local coastal waters.
Cruising is a remarkable lifestyle,
made all the more enjoyable by the
many wonderful people that we have
met. I have to say it is arguably the one
place where men and women can come
together and speak about anything
nautical, listening openly to each other.
Cruising people have a passion for
adventure and when they find others in
need they are generally willing to assist
in whatever way they can.
At the start of this story I said
cruising is all about 'people'. Those
we have met and others that we hope
we will continue to meet along the
way so that we can share the good
times together.Anne Wilson
Having returned from a
leisurely cruise in the Canal
Du Midi, Anne is working
alongside Brian to complete a
major overhaul of their boat Hybreasail.
Then when the provisioning has been
completed they hope to cruise north to
the warmer waters of the Whitsundays.An afternoon gathering.
MAIN: The dinghy shuffle.“Over the 20 plus years of our cruising lifetime we have
kept a book that contains the cards of fellow boaties.”