3rd – 6th April 2026

Cruise Captains: Rose & Steve

Weather: Rainy/Windy — S 18–25 kts, gusting to 30

Yachts Registered

Seven yachts made the passage to Canaipa for the 2026 Easter cruise, representing a strong and enthusiastic fleet:

• Brittany Rose
• Moonglade
• Curlew
• Danu
• Phase Two
• Celebration
• Aquatherapy II

Thursday 2nd April — Pre-Cruise Dinner

The cruise got underway in the best possible fashion with the traditional pre-departure dinner, held in the Squadron’s private dining room on the Thursday evening. The turnout was exceptional, with more than twenty sail cruising members gathering around the table in what turned into a spirited and convivial evening.

A particular highlight was the appearance of the Squadron CEO, Karen Baldwin, who made time to visit the group, wish everyone fair winds, and express her appreciation for the members’ ongoing commitment to the sail cruising programme. It was a warm and fitting start to the weekend.

After dinner, the group moved through to the auditorium for a short briefing and the welcome introduction of two new sail cruising members who would be joining the fleet for the first time:

• Johnny and Deb — Aquatherapy II
• Mal and Trish — Celebration

Both new crews received a warm welcome from the group, setting a friendly tone for the days ahead.

Friday 3rd April — Passage to Canaipa

The fleet departed in reasonably good conditions, each yacht making its way up to the anchorage at Canaipa. The standard radio check-in schedule was conducted as the fleet spread out along the passage, though proceedings were complicated somewhat when Brittany Rose developed a VHF reception fault, leaving her unable to receive transmissions from more distant vessels. Moonglade stepped up admirably, relaying the schedule between the outlying yachts and the fleet coordinator.

Sundowners at 1600 were a resounding success, with most crews making the trip ashore to the clubhouse. The southerly was building by this point — around 20 knots against an incoming tide — which made for a lively and somewhat wet dinghy ride to the pontoon. No one seemed to mind greatly.

The scheduled navigation quiz was quietly set aside for the evening. With everyone in high spirits, catching up with old friends and welcoming new ones, the mood was simply too good to interrupt. As cruise captain, I’ll happily accept responsibility for that particular breach of the programme — it felt like the right call at the time.

Saturday 4th April — The Games

Saturday belonged to the gladiators — and gladiatrices. The centrepiece of the day’s activities was the eagerly contested egg and spoon race, held on the expansive lawn of the Canaipa clubhouse grounds. In a nod to competitive fairness (and perhaps a touch of theatre), dedicated Racing Eggs were introduced for the occasion to ensure a level playing field across all participants.

The honours went convincingly to the newest members of the fleet. Johnny and Deb from Aquatherapy II swept both the male and female events, winning by the narrowest of margins in what was described as a display of composure under pressure. As the report notes with a knowing wink: Se solo i fantasmi del Colosseo potessero testimoniare — if only the ghosts of the Colosseum could have borne witness.

The Easter Egg Hunt that followed brought its own drama. Participants were handed small coloured tags by Rosalie as the starting clue, with the hunt spreading across the grounds and into the surrounding gardens. The grounds themselves — lush, tree-lined and opening onto the water — provided a wonderful backdrop, though it was later revealed that the area beneath the long room had recently played host to a snake. Erica, the partner of caretaker Peter, had spotted it some days prior and has since enrolled in a snake catchers’ course. A detail confirmed as entirely true.

Saturday Night Dinner

The evening dinner brought the whole fleet together around a long table, the kind of gathering that sail cruising does best. The setting was relaxed and convivial, the food plentiful, and the conversation animated — as it tends to be when sailors have a full day of competition, sunshine, and fresh air behind them.

The prizegiving was held over dinner, with the following honours awarded:

• Egg & Spoon Champions (Male & Female): Johnny and Deb — Aquatherapy II
• Navigation Quiz Winner: Erwin — Moonglade
• Navigation Quiz Runners-Up: Peter and Rosalie — Danu

Erwin from Moonglade took out the navigation quiz with a composed and accurate performance, with Peter and Rosalie from Danu pushing him hard for the honours. Congratulations to all the winners.

Sunday 5th April — Russell Island & Sundowners

Sunday brought a change of scenery with the group making the short journey for lunch at the RSL Russell Island Branch. The venue was perfectly suited to the occasion — relaxed, unpretentious, and very welcoming of a hungry crowd of sailors fresh off the water. A generous spread of various dishes was consumed with considerable enthusiasm.

The afternoon wound back at anchor, with sundowners hosted aboard SV Danu. The cockpit filled nicely with crew from across the fleet, and the dinghies gathered alongside in their own informal raft-up — a sight that never gets old. The stillness of the late afternoon anchorage, sheltered water glinting in the lowering sun, made for a fittingly peaceful end to the weekend’s activities.

Monday 6th April — Return Passage

The fleet weighed anchor on the Monday morning and made the return passage home, carrying with them the memories of a weekend that had delivered everything a good Easter cruise should — company, competition, camaraderie, and just enough weather to keep things interesting.

Closing Remarks

It was Rose and my genuine pleasure to serve as Cruise Captains for this adventure. The weekend was excellent and the weather may have done its best to test us, but it could not put a dent in the spirit of the group.

To all who participated: thank you for your camaraderie, your good humour, and your willingness to get into a dinghy in 20 knots to come ashore for a drink. That says everything about this group.

We look forward to many more cruises together.

Rose and Steve

Cruise Captains — Easter 2026