Sunday 7^th October

Yesterday was definitely a 2XS Day.  The opening of the Tasmanian yachting season is a very big deal on the Derwent.  I had only ever seen this from the land – a great mass of boat, going in circles around the waterfront, then milling about Sandy Bay and the Eastern Shore.  It was all very exciting, for me, to be, as Pete would say, up close and personal.

We started off with a very splendid breakfast at the Motor Yacht Club, former home of 2XS and still a very nice place to be.  Eggs Benedict, beautifully cooked, for $5; barista-style coffee for $2.  A band was playing, pleasantly, on the deck – End of Conversation, a good name for a band.  We spent a pleasant hour or so there, waiting to win major prizes – Pete won a (slightly ghastly) very large polo shirt, grey with racing car insignia.  One of Tim’s friends at the next table won a bright yellow cap and some ancient wobbly aviator sunglasses.  Jan won an even more lurid polo shirt than Pete’s, which she said would go down a treat with her grandson.  The major prize – a jackpot of $1138 – well, we didn’t win that…

We loaded up 2XS with friends and food in Prince of Wales Bay and set off after 12 to join the line-up.  The weather was fine – not hot, cold, windy or raining.  (Well a little bit chilly…but nothing unbearable.)  Lunch was easy – sausages and salad stuff in bread and I, for one, enjoyed it all very much.  We joined our friends from the Motor Yacht Club and swung around the Governor’s boat to salute the dignitaries.  This all sounds very impressive and orderly but in fact it was a teensy bit chaotic, with boats of all sizes and abilities wheeling around in a confined space.  We actually had a collision, right in front of the Governor, whose boat was also very nearly involved in the fracas.  We were all too surprised, to put it mildly, to do anything sensible like getting out our videocameras to take proper note of The Incident.  2XS came off worse for wear with a small but visible dent and we were all left on deck, eyes popping.  A large boat, Southern Explorer came bearing down on 2XS, at what seemed an alarming speed, and cut in between 2XS and the Governor’s boat, leaving very little space and, as I said, a small but horrid dent.  Pete coped well with the temporary difficulty but he was just a bit shaken.

After these formalities we cruised on down past Sandy Bay and then slowly made our way back.  Did I say the weather was nice?  Well by then, it wasn’t… The men (Pete and Peter and Chris) all happily scampered around on deck putting sails up and down, and the women (Angela, Annie, Deirdre and I) - well we sat around inside very happily chatting. 

We were all off the boat, shivering faintly, by 6.15 and everyone was happy.