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Each summer, The Boston Yacht Club members organize a cruise to
make use of their yachts and yachting skills. A large part of
the cruising operation is sharing the experience with fellow BYC
members. This summer co chairs Jennifer and Jim Flanagan and
Christie and Jan Van Heek pulled together an event that totally
encompassed the cruising purpose. Thirty-five boats (a record,
I think) and between 89 and 107 people attended the functions
they organized at the different ports of call they chose for the
“Round The Sound Cruise”, the name given to the cruise for the
summer of 2010. The official cruise dates
were from Saturday, July 31st through Saturday,
August 6th. There were five ports of call during the
week—Padanarum (South Dartmouth), Cuttyhunk, Nantucket, Martha’s
Vineyard and finally, Red Brook Harbor in Pocasset. The
Commodore’s Dinner was at the Great Harbor Yacht Club on
Nantucket. This is a new facility with every amenity you could
think of. The food was delicious. And the Commodore’s Dinner,
always a highlight of our cruises, was only one of many feasts
we enjoyed. The first dinner we attended was a welcome potluck
supper at the South Dartmouth Yacht Club (BYC members really
know how to put one of these on). At Cuttyhunk we had cocktails
on the beach followed by a typically wonderful New England Clam
Bake. Cuttyhunk has, kind of, grown up since the last time I
was there. Quaint gift shops, a museum and lots of places to
grab a bite to eat. One story deserves telling. I went for a
walk to see the new sights in the area and ran into a BYC member
on a mission to the grocery store—which, by the way, only takes
cash and personal checks—no credit cards. We were soon to
learn that most shops only take cash and checks. On our way
back to the marina, we stopped at a charming gift “shack’ and my
friend found a cute bathing suit cover up with a lobster print
pattern. She wanted it—but didn’t have a credit card with her,
nor did she have enough cash. The proprietor of the shop told
my friend to take the dress back to the boat, make sure it fit
and bring the money around later in the day or in the morning.
“Just put it in the black container on the side of the store.”
What do you think of that!!!
Then it was off to Nantucket, one of my
favorite spots. Jim and I along with the Barnets made a trek up
Cliff Street to Something Natural for sandwiches and were not
disappointed. This is where you select your bread, your filling
and toppings and sit at picnic benches on their lawn to enjoy
your “naturally made” sandwich. The weather was great which
enhanced our picnic experience.
And then came the ride to Oak Bluffs. Ours
was not fun at all and judging from cocktail talk later that
day, it wasn’t fun for many others, as well. I consider
myself lucky because we now power and the ride was just short of
two hours. I don’t know what the winds were and I am not sure
of the seas—but I would like you to believe the seas were giant
and wind was stronger than the one the big bad wolf used to blow
down the little piggies’ house. Anyway, we were swamped over
and over. Sea water found every pinhole on our craft. Tinky
was soaked. I was soaked sitting on the port side of the boat.
Jim couldn’t take his eyes off the sea for fear of running a
lobster pot—we didn’t. Arriving at Oak Bluffs was terrific.
What a sense of relief.
We did not participate in the scavenger
hunt, scheduled for one afternoon while we were at Oak Bluffs.
Some BYC participants found a lady sitting on the stern of her
boat soaking her feet in a foot tub with an umbrella shading her
head. It wasn’t part of the hunt, but it should have been.
The final stop at Red Brook Harbor had a
little surprise for us. The third Friday of every month is a
fuel festival. Fill up with over 50 gallons of diesel and the
price drops 50 cents a gallon. This day it dropped from $3.49
to $2.99. The gas dock was very busy—and when you consider the
price of diesel on Nantucket at the Boat Basin was $5.50 per
gallon this was the true bargain of the trip!!!!!
Our farewell dinner at the Chart Room at
the top of the docks was another really delicious treat. You
could tell by the joyous sounds from our somewhat private room
how much fun everyone had. I have not mentioned the variety of
ages on this cruise. There was a gorgeous contingency of young
children that, to my way of thinking, had a blast. As Commodore
Phil DeCarlo mentioned at the Commodore’s Dinner, this is the
future of the BYC. At this point, I must mention the oldest
participant—at the age of 83, he aptly represented the senior
set –never missed a party, a dinner, nor a drink! A terrific
example for all of us to follow.
There will be many more stories to tell and
many more cruise events to talk about—I’ve only touched on
some. Ask Jennifer about the Nantucket Vase project. Ask about
all the pets that enjoyed the cruise. Ask about the new Whaling
Museum facility on Nantucket. And better yet, plan on coming
along next season.
If our committees continue to plan
adventures like this to enhance our sailing and yachting
programs and our clubhouse facilities, the future of the BYC is
safe.
June & Jim Zieff
june@junezieff.com
"The Little Boat"
8/11/2010
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