Clipper kicks off regatta schedule on magical Moreton Bay

Clipper kicked off it’s cruising calendar in the last weekend of April, with its three-day regatta on magical Moreton Bay.

A Clipper 36, several Heritage 40s, two Hudson Bay 50s, a Cordova 48 and three Jeanneau sports cruisers made up the fleet of 12 boats.

Captains and crew covered the anchorages of Couran Cove, Blakesley’s, Peel Island and Myora.

Convening at Couran Cove Marina at South Stradbroke Island on the Friday afternoon, all were impressed by the recently refurbished and reopened resort, friendly staff and upgraded facilities.
A feast of succulent king prawns and salads freshly prepared by the resort restaurant were enjoyed at the dock party with live entertainment comprising of a guitarist playing on top of the Hudson Bay Hydra Swim platform.

The next morning the fleet headed up to Blaksley Anchorage – a great beach anchorage north of Canaipa Passage. The kids thought it was a top spot and had fun playing on the beach all afternoon.
Brett and the boys debuted the charcoal spit roaster on the beach in preparation for a beautiful sunset dinner with side dishes provided by each boat. The boys learnt a lot about this popular style of roasting and agreed their ‘plating up’ skills may require a bit of practice before the ‘Clipper Chef Pressure Test’ at the next regatta.

Sunday dawned and just like the day before, it was a gorgeous still and calm morning, perfect for the cruise to Peel Island to spend the day. Late afternoon, the boats then headed to North Stradbroke Island to anchor at Myora for the evening. The group were picked up from their boats in the Cap Camarat 8.5 centre console and driven to The Little Ships Club for afternoon drinks and then onto the local football club for a bbq buffet dinner.

“Originally we were planning to hold the regatta over Easter, but I’m pleased we held off because we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect run of weather,” said managing director, Brett Thurley.