Skipper's cruise and reception plans for Lord Howe

by David Salter on 9 Jul 2004 A skipper never really needs an excuse to take his boat cruising, but Carl Sriber has come up with a beauty.

He’s sailing his classic S&S 37 Suraya to Lord Howe Island in this year’s BBQ cruise-in-company fleet because he promised to attend a wedding reception on the Island. His own.

Suraya will be one of up to ten yachts making the leisurely passage in early November, twice the number that participated in the inaugural cruise last year.

Details of the fleet were firmed up when intending skippers and crew assembled in early July for their now-traditional Quiet Little Drink at the Orient Hotel in Sydney.

Nigel Stoke (Fidelis), the unofficial convenor of the cruise, tendered apologies from Jose de la Vega (Pascha), who’d phoned in his regrets from the beach at Ithaca in the Ionian Sea. This was immediately topped by David Champtaloup (Caprice of Huon), whose excuse was that he was hosting a dinner for the Prime Minister.

The cruise has no rules or fees and its only fixed point is the celebratory BBQ to be held at Ned’s Beach on Tuesday 9th November. All proceeds of that function go to the Lord Howe Island Central School.

Boats choose their own times of departure. Most will leave on the preceding Thursday or Friday, allowing at least three clear days for the passage and plenty of R&R ashore before heading back to the mainland.

John Quinn, who raced his immaculate Cole 43 Polaris of Belmont to Hobart and Lord Howe for many years, will be cruising over in his new yacht, Bounty Child.

Max Whitnall, owner of the elegant S&S 42 Vittoria, expects to be still recovering from an operation in November but has generously offered his yacht to a fearsome foursome of Sir James Hardy, Norm Hyett, Colin Betts and David Salter (immediately dubbed the ‘Old & Ugly’ syndicate at the QLD).