Smile McGill remembers...

We began with just a few boats in 2006. Like-minded people sharing our love for traditional boats.

2007 saw this grow into a flotilla of 27 boats coming from Toronto on Lake Macquarie, Central Coast and Canberra, joined with our local and South Coast devotees for a weekend of fun in the sun, showin’ off nautical expertees or lack of, gawkin’ at some of the prettiest clinkers and carvels you’ll ever see, the telling of tall tales and true of adventures and misadventures on the high seas,(fuelled by the firewater at Pelican’s Restaurant) and generally just messin’ about in boats.

Our good friends at Pelican’s Marina and Restaurant, Robin and Heather, gave us full use of the marina for the weekend, so our out of town guests could berth their boats right where the action is and not worry about trailering for the whole weekend.

And action there was - Friday kicked off with a bar-b-q at Mal and Carmel’s where over 60 folk gathered for top tucker and an ale and a peek at mad Mal’s marine motor museum, where Blaxland, Simplex, Hardman, Clay, Stuart Turner, Vinco and others, were urged to chug and cough their way into our nostalgic hearts and fill the under house shed with enough 2 stroke and 4 stroke fumes to euthanase the lot of us.

Saturday morning saw the start of the inaugural Pelican’s Challenge - the brainchild of Paul and Liz, it involved cruising around the Inlet answering questions and riddles on landmarks that had to be found. Morning tea and damper was served up by Jeremy and Heather at the aptly named Paradise Point.

Round 2 of the challenge concluded with lunch back at the marina and then the comical “Backwards Race”, whereby contestants rowed, paddled, motored, sailed and steamed their vessels in reverse around a bouy and back to the finish line. The lack of steerage in reverse was a minor impediment to the eager participants.

That night we dined at Pelican’s Restaurant overlooking the marina and our boats all snugged up at their berths. The wine flowed, the beer bubbled, the seafood sumptuous and the tall stories got taller.

Sunday morning got underway albeit haphazardly, with some hesitant starts, one or two complete fail to starts and some breakdowns resulting in towropes from the “oh so reliable” diesels.

A procession out the bay, under the Narooma bridge, along past the boardwalk, down the channel to pretty little Bar Beach and a peek at the open ocean. The return trip saw an impromptu stop at the low tide sand bar for a swim.Lunch at Brian and Elizabeth’s boat shed spilled over into Col and Carol’s boatshed and for those that still hadn’t satiated their senses with exhaust fumes from their petrol pet or craved the tremulous vibrations from spinning flywheels, a trip to the shallow reaches at the top of the inlet was proposed.

We had a small sailing contingent of 3 vessels that graced our waters - a beautiful 20 foot owner built ketch, another classic owner built canoe yawl and the ever popular Hartly 16 TS (all local boats) - and we are keen to see more sailors so we can organize a regatta.

SINCE THEN...

Every year we see old friends reunite and new ones made in a common bond - a passion for traditional craft. Each year we hope to see those friends back again and with others in tow as word spreads about our friendly festival.