Esperance Bay Yacht Club

From the moment we arrived, the Bloke began obsessing about how we would manage to get out of the pen. The six rusted poles got bigger on each of the 12 days we stayed. As always a plan was being hatched but in the meantime we were being hosted by an incredibly active and lively club, possibly one of the most vibrant of the regional coastal clubs. If your sailing club is flagging a bit, get down here and see how it's done. There are heaps of juniors and they have focused their fleets so they are not fragmented by too many boat types.

They held their 50th Anniversary Celebrations while we were there and the membership was mobilised to get the newly extended but still unfinished clubhouse into tip top shape. When we arrived it was clearly still a work site. By the time we left and the big night was attended by around 150 people, the windows had all been cleaned and had decals applied, limestone retaining walls were built, reticulation trenches dug and filled in,  roll out lawn installed, granno paths poured, tiling laid, carpet laid etc.... The club was crawling with volunteers. The same ones day after day. It was an impressive display of project management and club member commitment! Country people are like that. WOW

No longer a building site, EBYC heralds an exciting next half century. They even arranged for the council to sweep the parking out front!

The sailing program for senior members involved boats penned around us on the jetties. They thought nothing of  their version of 'around the cans' racing. On the first Saturday it was their Islands Course. A lazy 5-6 hours, 30nm around The Islands (just some of the closer in ones anyway). That it was going to blow 30kn was of little interest. It would be what it would be. This is R A C E day. This is Esperance. No matter what would transpire, it would be topped off with a quantity of beers in the cockpit with 'the crew' ahead of presentations to salute the victors. That would make it all be 'alright' apparently. We wonder if Kevin Hall, the skipper of Tomara still thought so when he was faced with replacing the main halyard and a cracked spreader after the race - ouch! These are vigorous seas. We'd declined the invitation to join any boat (despite the being asked) because our friends were down from Perth  and the day becoming a sightseeing day. We had looked out to sea above a turbulent Lucky Bay and both Leanne and myself had commented in a whimpering voice 'OMG, we were sometimes sailing in THAT!

'Shot of Courage' getting ready to go

Anger Management about to pull out

A Beneteau named Eagle Rock - formerly owned by Ross Wilson now skippered by Gordon McWilliams AKA 'fossil'.

Flaunt it.

Pre-race manouvers

....and the start line is... which way exactly?

Ready, set, BANG and they are off!

See you in 5-6 hours landlubbers!

Other examples of courage from EBYC members is their annual Esperance to Albany Race. They generally have a night stopover at Investigator Island. They don't pull into Hopetoun. In fact they all marveled that we went there. How did you get in? How did you get anchored? We did, I admit, get legend points for that. They don't go there. We were obviously too dumb to know otherwise. But we never said it was easy did we?

Also on the EBYC radar is Geographe Bay Race Week. This is a 3 week commitment for these guys. In addition to the 1 week of racing off Busselton, they must negotiate Esperance to Busselton and return via Capes Leeuwin and Naturaliste, first one way and then the other and without the luxury of waiting about for 'suitable' conditions like we had. They just deal with what's on offer LOL! Now that is tough stuff. The Great Australian Bight is also part of their bit of the pond. Who would of thought of popping across and back for Christmas? Mark and Del did that in Norlee a 34' S&S  (no shower and doubtful WC, BTW!). I'm glad the Bloke didn't try to sign me up for that kind of gig. I feel like we are in a floating Hilton by comparison. Thank you Del and Mark for lending us your book chronicling your Xmas exploits. We salute you, your trip was epic!

The Bloke says to watch out at Geographe Race Week for Tim, the skipper of Anger Management!