An overcast, warm morning greeted us at Manly Cove this morning, with a light nor-easter from the get go promising an ideal sailing day for the 25 guest we had coming from Care Culture, Fighting Chance, Plus Disability, All Abilities and Ability Options, plus Sailability regular Hanlin Tan.
Fortunately we had an abundance of volunteer sailors as well today so we were able to get 6 boats out on the water. It meant that despite the numbers all our guests could be given a half hour or so each on the water.
As is typical with a nor-easter it was dead calm on the pontoon, so boats arrived back at a very leisurely pace. But as it turned out, in amongst the moored boats and further out into the bay there were some real bullet gusts coming through to keep the skippers honest.
It also seems that the ferries operating out of Manly have turned into rabbits. They just multiply. What with the whale watchers and the regular fast and commuter ferries, getting out and back across the ferry lane has become something of a sport. A nice challenge for the skippers, and great fun for our passengers who get a kick out of the wash generated by the ferries.
A special word for the carers today. The clients were mostly young and full of energy, making for an interesting morning on a crowded club deck. Maybe I am just getting old, but the carers seemed to be not that much older than their charges. Today they did an outstanding job of helping us get clients fitted with lifejackets and down to the pontoon so that the turn around time for the boats was kept to a minimum and as much time as possible was spent on the water. Having 3 or 4 clients already kitted up and good to go is a boon on a busy day.
