The Alfred's News Alfreds News November-December 2017 | Page 18

Cruising News December First Friday The evening will start with Christmas Happy Hour FROM 6pm and a sparkling wine on arrival will be available to all members. REMEMBER to bring your gift(s) for the Club's Christmas Giving Tree. A Christmas tree will be set up in Halyards to place gifts under. Gifts may include toys, non-perishables and gift vouchers. It’s best not to beautifully wrap your gift as they need to be unwrapped to check on safety etc. Just place in a gift or brown bag, or simply add unwrapped. If you wish to contribute a voucher - please hand to Reception and clearly identify that it is for the Giving Tree. All gifts will be distributed to local organisations supporting children and families in need. So far contact has been made with Bear Cottage, the Manly Warringah Resource Centre (Women’s' Refuge) and Royal Far West. The Giving Tree will remain open for two weeks from First Friday. SIT FOR DINNER AT 7PM - Dinner will start with a platter of 'nibbles and light snacks' on your table before the first progressive move. Our main course will be a chef cooked Christmas themed BBQ. Dessert to order will follow. Main Course will be accompanied by a buffet of vegetables and sala d. A progressive dinner allows everyone to meet old sailing mates and make new sailing friends - be prepared for two changes of seating during the evening. BOOK HERE: http://www.rpayc.com.au/cruising/first-friday-form RPAYC Mallorca Yacht Rally 5 to 21 July 2018 This year Trevor and Maggie Joyce from Mariner Boating Holidays escorted their first Yacht Rally in the Spanish Balearic Archipelago. Read all about their adventure as they circumnavigate the island of Mallorca over two wonderful weeks. The story begins in the city of Palma… The flight from Barcelona is the best kind – a quick half an hour with the calm Balearic Sea seemingly just beneath our wings. Palma de Mallorca airport is a little worn but we are through in no time. NB. If you arrive into Palma from a city outside of the EU, your luggage will come through on carousel 8 or 9, completely separate from every other arriving passenger’s luggage! Our Yacht Rally group are staying at a fantastic hotel in Mallorca's stylish, capital city of Palma. The décor is artistic without being over the top, the staff are terrific and the location is right on the edge of the old city, so after the long flight from Sydney, we relish the chance to take a walk in the morning. We explore the streets of the old town on foot, where each turn reveals a beautiful square or courtyard that surrounds us with a mix of Baroque, Renaissance, and Gothic architecture. We take a break in a square where a band plays a musical reflection of its musicians backgrounds; Majorca, Senegal, Cuba, Sweden, Dakar and Germany. The rhythms are mostly African and the lilting sounds and gentle percussion drift across the shaded square where we sip on a cool beer. At night, after a modest dinner a few members of the group venture to the Jazz Voyeur Club to listen to some cool, musical grooves. The billboard at the entrance says ‘Brown Sugar’ are playing; which definitely sounded like Jazz to me. Wrong; ‘Brown Sugar’ opens with a famous Mick Jagger standard and the lead singer, with his band, proceed to entertain the crowd with awesome renditions of Rolling Stones classics. The venue is small so we can easily talk to “Mick” between songs and he tells us the “Jazz is coming later". What a great night. Speaking to Rally participants the next morning we receive different reports of Palma; "classy", "fantastic Tapas at a tiny restaurant”, "brilliant dinner"! To sweep through Palma in just one day would be a crime, so we have one more day here. After that, it's on to the boats for two blissful weeks sailing around Mallorca. Want more information on the RPAYC Mallorca Yacht Rally? Visit the website, or read about the 2017 Mallorca Yacht Rally Here. To find out what options are available for you, contact Laura at Mariner Boating Holidays T: 02 9966 1244 | E: [email protected] | www.marinerboating.com