Tas Jeanneau Rally 2014
The Fourth Annual Tasmanian Jeanneau Rally was held on the 22nd of March at Barnes Bay, Bruny Island. This year it was a ‘WATER’ theme and participants were encouraged to dress themselves and their boats any way they saw fit.
At around noon, the solid fleet of 12 yachts (11 sailboats and 1 powerboat) congregated in Oyster Cove. Here they were met by King Neptune who presented them with a Welcome Pack sent them on a short cruise to North Simmons Bay at Bruny Island.
After dropping anchor in the bay, skippers and crew donned their gear a came ashore for some drinks and nibbles on the foreshore. It was great to see so many made the effort to dress up. We saw pirates, mermaids, octopuses and even Poseidon made an appearance.
The current Jeanneau Presidents, Kim and Kerry (36i ‘Yarrakai’) had organised a dinghy race which really tested the crew’s rowing skills. The rules were simple, each team must row in pairs (one oar each) around a moored boat and back, with the winners advancing to the finals. Following many protests and a few wet backsides, it was Richard Bevan’s team from the 36i ‘Limousine’ taking overall honours in the dinghy race.
Skippers and crews then took a short walk up the road to the Kingborough Boat Club’s block where a buffet dinner awaited. The buffet features an assortment of smoked meats and salads from the Bruny Island Smoke House.
During dinner we held the annual prize giving ceremony. Prizes were kindly donated by Peter Johnson’s Ship Chandlery, The Derwent Sailing Squadron, Club Marine Insurance and Oyster Cove Marina. The best dressed crew was awarded to Ian & Wendy (42DS ‘Xantia’) whilst the best dressed boat went to Derek and crew from Ariadne’s Clew (39i). But it was Ian and Wendy from Xantia who took out the major award as they were announced the 2014 Golden Anchor recipients and the new Jeanneau Tasmanian presidents.
Once again, it was fantastic to see everyone enjoy themselves so much and get stuck into the festivities. The Jeanneau community is still very strong in Tasmania and only getting stronger as more boats arrive in our beautiful state.