Ice Breaker? What ice? Boy, did Mother Nature miss the mark (again) this year!
The Club's first cruise of the year, April 24 - 26, was once again blessed by great conditions from beginning to end, as Sucia Island (Fossil Bay) greated us with warm, sunny days, calm nights, and gorgeous sunsets.
A few last minute cancellations trimmed our count from 20 to 12 people on seven boats...five on the dock, two on buoys, as a minus tide didn't allow for everyone to be on the dock.
Our SYC group consisted of:
- Jill Allen & Jake Brown
- Amy & "JB" Batres
- Kim & Bob Giles (Co-Hosts)
- Michel Labarre
- Kevin Philips
- Pat & Bob Simpson (Co-Hosts)
- Sandra & Bruce White
With dry trails and perfect weather, hiking was popular. When we all weren't up at the shelter for our Saturday campfire and "Sucia Trivia" gathering, the picnic tables on the dock and personal lounge chairs were "go to" gathering spots for meals and socializing. Speaking of campfires, Kevin Phillips gathered up enough driftwood, delivered in his dinghy, to put any modern day Paul Bunyon to shame. The fire pit was well stoked deep into the night.
Meals? It was more like a continuous food fest...interrupted only by brief lulls to recover from sustained food comas! To make anyone not there feel sorry for us, consider these "meager" rations we endured:
- Friday Heavy Appies - From "nibbles" to "mains", the food offerings worked out well. When was the last time you had lamb chops as an "appie" on the dock? Thank you, Michel Labarre for that!
- Saturday Breakfast - After toasted bagels, cream cheese, salmon (lox), yogurt, granola, fresh fruits and orange juice, a long hike was in order...but, also, to prepare for the Sucia Trivia contest later that night. Kudos to co-host Bob G for bringing the Club's two Blackstone Grills so we could enjoy toasted bagels! And, if that wasn't enough, Amy & "JB" Batres fired up their grill, too, and cooked bacon and eggs for anyone who wanted to make a bagel "Egg McMuffin".
- Saturday Dinner - Oh, well...just another "ho hum" meal...chili-dressed brats and hotdogs (meat grilled, buns toasted on the Blackstone's), grated cheese, condiments, potato salad, ceasar salad, two kinds of chips (the left overs of which were later "claimed" by some very rude crows), and the pièce de résistance...tuxedo cake! After dinner, everyone retired to the firepit for the Sucia Trivia contest.
- Sunday Breakfast - "Leftover" bagels, lox, cream cheese, fruits, and juice anyone? That's one way to pack food away from Sucia...eat it up!
Saturday night's "Sucia Trivia" contest consisted of 17 questions developed by Co-Host Bob Simpson. The winners (with the most correct answers) were: Amy Batres (11), "JB" Batres (11), and Bruce White (10)...each won a $10 Starbucks gift card.
Thank you cruise hosts Bob G, Kim, Bob S, and Pat for getting us off to a great start of the SYC cruising season!
