A successful Cruise to RMYS, and two great upcoming guest speaker dinners.
Over the last weekend, October 10th and 11th, Chakana, Kirra Kirra and Solitaire made the not so long trek to visit RMYS at St Kilda as one of our monthly bay cruises. There, we found a delightful yacht club, which also being a ‘Royal’ club, offered a free berth for the night in their marina.
RMYS have just spent $1.7M renovating/modifying the interior of their clubhouse and now have a much larger bar area including a balcony, and for sunny days there is a beer garden on the roof. Saturday afternoon was one of those perfect days, and we were impressed with the stunning views across the marina, bay, port, and city skyline while enjoying an ale or two. We were also impressed with the friendly welcome. The 11 cruising members from Brighton stayed to enjoy a bar meal together.
The new pier is popular with the promenaders and provided ready access to the club and to Ackland St on Sunday morning for the obligatory coffee / cake / bacon rolls.
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Friday October 16th – Guest Speaker Dinner
Canal Boating – A Floating Home in Europe
The adventure of buying a canal boat and seeing Europe differently from the deck of their own boat, “Monchique”, a Dutch barge.
Join Grant & Delma Dunoon as they share their story of how an idea was planted that they could have a “home” in some of Europe’s most beautiful cities, and how that eventually led them to buying a Dutch barge with their friends and setting off on a UK/European adventure.
They will take you from the busy tidal Thames, across the English Channel to Calais and onto the waterways of Belgium, navigating commercial waterways, enormous locks, lift bridges, language barriers, a hot summer with water challenges, 7m tides and the Channel crossing.
During the talk, they will share their discoveries about buying and restoring a second-hand boat, the real costs of cruising, marinas and waterways, life on board, cycling the canals, the connections they made, and finding beautiful places that aren’t on the usual tourist trail.
As usual, after gathering in the Members Bar for the weekly announcements and members’ draw at 7:00pm, please join us in the Bayview Room for the dinner and talk. Everyone is welcome, but please book now, as bookings are essential for catering purposes. To book, please contact Reception on 9592 3092 or email [email protected] prior to the close of business on Wednesday October 14th. $40.00 per person is payable on the night, inclusive of a two-course dinner.
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Friday November 20th – Guest Speaker Dinner
The Loss of Tai Tam – Key ingredients for a successful mid-ocean rescue
Most of you will have seen news items regarding the recent sinking of Tai Tam in the South Pacific Ocean. Tai Tam, which departed RBYC in early 2026 to cruise to NZ and then on to the South Pacific, was a 2019 model, 52’ cruising yacht, lost after a collision with a sperm whale while returning from Fiji to NZ. Tai Tam’s owner, Jeremy Cooper, has very kindly agreed to speak at our November Guest Speaker Dinner and will cover the overall trip, key steps in preparing for it and how the crew, rescue services and rescue vessels responded. This promises to be a very informative evening, so keep the date clear.