Not ones to miss out on a good time, the Alfred’s Cruising Division threw their proverbial hats into the ring and were represented in the Pantaenius Pittwater Regatta 2025 – Div 3 by a crew of sailors who mostly choose to cruise these days, onboard a very comfortable cruising yacht, yet triumphantly and convincingly took out 3rd place in their division (reports are that they were coming first until the last race when their spinnaker twisted and allowed Kookaburra to overtake whilst they untangled). Skipper Leon Willson (Nirvana’s Kitchen) with a  crew of Greg Dunstan, Peter Crawford, David Williams, Bill Bixley and Chris Pines have an average age of 70, proving that experience still counts! Greg noted, “The Pittwater Regatta was a truly brilliant event both on and off the water which has really enthused us to get as many cruising boats as we can to enter next year.”

Away from racing, the most recent cruise event for Alfred’s Cruising was the Dicko Cup held across the Australia Day long weekend. There were 19 boats from the Cruising Division with the Cruising Division supplying fun beach activities such as volleyball (a match between the racers and the cruisers), and a game or two of roulette on a genuine timber roulette wheel from an old gambling den, with its own croupier supplied.

Now, as focus shifts towards the next First Friday dinner and seminar, RPAYC Rear Commodore Cruising Greg Dunstan has reached out to a fellow RPAYC member, David Hobbs with an invitation to be the next guest speaker for March’s First Friday evening dining and seminar. David Hobbs, who completed the gruelling 2024 iteration of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with his wife Allie aboard their boat Quantock, will share a first-hand account of racing from the deck of Quantock. Book your dinner today and join in the evening of fun at the club HERE.

Looking further into the future, the next major cruise will be the Easter Cruise, the destination to be decided. However, it may commence the weekend before the Anzac Day long weekend with a chance for a decent cruise due to the number of closely placed public holidays.

Everyone is welcome to participate in Alfred’s Cruising activities – if you would like to get involved, reach out to RPAYC Rear Commodore Cruising, Greg Dunstan –  rc.cruising@rpayc.com.au

or visit the Alfred’s Cruising page for more information