Cruise Leaders: Tom, Linda and Maggie May Koenig

WOW!!! Beautiful weather (albeit a little windy on occasion), very few bugs, warmer water, and lots of CMCSers. 18 Boats participated, some early in the week, some on Wednesday and Thursday, many on Friday, and a couple on Saturday. In alphabetical order, attending yachts were: Annabelle, Avante, Barefeet, Catfish, Chase the Clouds, Escapod, Four Seasons, Freestyle, Gopher Baroque, Island Time, Judy Judy, Miller Time, Samphire, Sea Puppy, Tanglefoot, Trust Me, Tyrolia and Wind Swept. (If I have missed anyone, please let me know.)

Our festivities began with a cocktail and snack social on Dog Beach on Friday evening which lasted until sundown. The special event during this get-together was presenting the Yellow Flag to Kim Brown of Trust Me….apparently Kim doesn’t have his dinghy trained to stay right by Trust Me when he plops in the water without cleating off the painter???? I know, you were really excited about being on our cruise or you had a lot on your mind, right???

On Saturday at roughly 10:30 am, those who were willing to bravely course through the Tunnel of Love (aka Cheedix Cut) with their dinghies went to Cayo Costa beach to have lunch, socialize, walk the beach in search for the perfect shell or throw the ball for our furry family members. The trip through the tunnel was a little harrowing because the tide was carrying us through faster than we wanted to go, hence we got lots of practice fending off all the monsters lurking under the water just waiting to puncture our rubber boats. Fortunately, we all made it (as far as I know), using our skill and experience against these critters.

It was a rather windy weekend. While we were at the beach, Wind Swept decided to move herself over between Miller Time and Island Time!!! Lucky as we were she managed to stay away from both boats….hmmm. Time to reanchor and then keep one eye open all night.

A Deserted Beach + CMCS Cruisers = a Wonderful Cruise

About 2:00 pm we headed back to rest a bit or get ready for another cocktail and snack social on Dog Beach and a very long Bean Bag game. The turnout to play was larger than expected, so it went on a bit. However, the two winners, Glenda, from Sea Puppy and Jane from Catfish were happy. At sundown again, most everyone went back to their boats to enjoy dinner or just crash.

Sunday found most boats leaving for home, another port or anchorage. Some of us planned or decided to stay until Monday. Good idea!!

Respectfully submitted,
Tom, Linda and Maggie May Koenig – Cruise Leaders
s/v Wind Swept

Cruise Leaders: Bev & Bob Duff and Rose Ann Hoffman & Paul Steinman

First off, Many thanks to RoseAnn Hoffman and Paul Steinman for all their hard work on the Oyster Fest for EPOL cruise. The cooperation of Legacy Harbor Marina was wonderful. We had 16 boats taking slips at Legacy Marina including: Air Supply, Tanglefoot, Lazy Susan, Trust Me, Kestrel II, Sea Isle, Windy City, Wayward, Areal, Blank Check, Desperado, Win, Old Glory and Escapod. It was a full marina!

There were 47 people in attendance for the Oysters with the “CMCS Shuckers” doing their best to keep up with the demand. The “Shuckers” were Ray Gherardini, Bob Duff, George Uppern, Cecil Hazen, Kim Brown and Don Lawson. For those who preferred their oysters cooked in some fashion, we had gals Carolyn Preston , Dory Branik & Marlene Tracey on the frying pans and Al Eastman manned the grill. Many hands make short work for whatever the chore! The oysters were good and gone in short order!

Shucking Oysters at EPOL Cruise

I have to add, and members please make note of this for future events! Reservations are a must for these food events. Just for your information ~ 25% of the attendees for the oysters had not made reservations by the Thursday evening prior to the event. That was our last opportunity to change our Oyster order. We plan on at least dozen oysters per person.

I understand that the Pot Luck was enjoyed by all and way too much food was available for all those with healthy appetites.

True to our name “. . . Chowder Society”. Thank you to all participants!

Respectfully Submitted,
Bev Duff