It was a day of discovering Hillarys Yacht Club however, keelboats, dinghies and paddle craft were at the forefront of on-water activities to promote the opportunities available across the sections. Stands for Angling, Dive, Power and Cruising in Company were there with flag officers and staff ready to take membership enquiries.

Eleven keelboats were in constant motion taking a total of 273 participants out for a 45-minute sail on an ideal sunny morning, at least after the first run, and the wind finally caressed the sails into shape. Ninety-six tried their hand on a tiller in a dinghy whilst 50 went for a paddle.

Many thanks to the skippers and crews of the following keelboats who made either five or six trips from 9 a.m. to well after 1 p.m.: Resolute, Seachange, Stelfred, Mulberry, Kind of Blue, Blue Chip, Comfortably Numb, Farrouk, Perle, Catabatic and Covert Operation. Your commitment to this annual event is greatly appreciated.

Commodore Kerry Lewis thanked Louise for the efficient organisation of the day and all those who contributed to a very successful promotion of the Club at the thank-you drinks and eats function afterwards. The very positive reaction of some guests may well lead to memberships with some skippers even picking up new crew members. As Des said: “There’s no such thing as a free ride”.

John Bird