The Alfred's News | Page 8

Cruising News Cruising Update By Jim Cormack What a successful season Cruising have had so far with great attendances at First Friday Dinners as well as both Estuary and Offshore cruises. The highlights have been the Christmas Cruise to Lake Macquarie and Newcastle, The Australia Day Cruise to the Harbour and the Easter Cruise to Bobbin Head with outstanding numbers of members joining in the fun and frivolity of the broader group. This is not to mention the other cruises throughout the season that were enjoyed by many. Especially the ‘Pod Feast’, the ‘Progressive dinner’ and the Estuary Cruise to America Bay hosted by Ann and Eoin Asker. With all these successful cruises lead by our great group of volunteers we feel that Cruising has a solid future within the Club. So if you are interested in joining in; subscribe to Cruising News so you have the cruise details, come along to a First Friday Function and just get involved. We have now finalised the Cruise Calendar for the 2016-2017 season which can be found on the cruising pages of the website. However if you have any questions about what is involved either with an offshore or a local estuary cruise please do not hesitate to give one of the Cruise Committee members a call. For further information on our upcoming open water cruises we are holding an information session on 29th May for the2017 Coral Coast Cruise. Come along to hear about the plans for the cruise or even if you just want to get a bit more knowledge of what is involved with such a cruise. All are welcome. The Grafton Cruise information session is planned for Saturday 4 June. This is to advise people who are interested in cruising the Clarence River to join in with the Jacaranda Festival in November 2016 this will be a combined Cruise In Company and a Rendezvous Cruise for those that either have limited time or who are returning from Hamilton Island or other regattas in tropical Queensland. Volunteers please heed the call! As we are sure that you know, nothing happens in a club such as ours without a very significant input from those that are prepared to volunteer their time to assist with the running of the events that Cruising brings to you. It is the club’s lifeblood so get involved! Run a cruise, host a Happy Hour, participate in a First Friday but most importantly be prepared to associate with those who have the common aims of enjoying the fraternity and friendship of our Cruising Group. Upcoming Events and Estuary Cruises Friday 6 May - First Friday - Reflections on yacht deliveries with Geoff Sherman Sat/Sun 7/8 May - Yeoman’s Bay Sat/Sun 21/22 May - Smiths Creek Friday 27 May - Lighting of the Fire IdS Update and Soldier On Sun 29 May 10am - Information Morning for CC17 Sun 29 May - Portuguese Picnic Friday 3 June - First Friday Saturday 4 June 9am - Gathering to discuss Clarence River Cruise Sat/Sun/Mon 11/12/13 June - Long Weekend Cruise Akuna Bay late October to early November 2016 -Yamba, Clarence River and Grafton May to Oct 2017 - Sesquicentenary Coral Coast Cruise CC17 Information Morning Sun 29 May 2016 10am in the Pittwater Room Careflight The First Friday event in March featured guest speakers from CareFlight. CareFlight is a rapid response critical care unit to assist those who are sick or injured. During the accident which occured in February this year, CareFlight air lifted Bill Stevens to RNSH. If you would like to donate to this great service head to: http://careflight.org/support1/donate3/ You can donate as a one off or set up a monthly debit. Along with donations CareFlight as have some great gift ideas for purchase with proceeds going to Careflight. Photo: www.careflight.org