Day 3
I had to sail alone today. I dropped both Meredith and Tim off at the ferry dock close to the airport. Tim had an appointment aboard the helicopter, and Meredith was slated to work aboard a Wadadli Cat with several members of the press.
The winds were very favorable, and I was able to take a shortcut between the mainland and Boon Reef. When I arrived at Ffryes beach just before noon, there was already a lot going on ashore, but the music hadn’t started, and the anchorage was still mostly empty.
That changed quickly – I’d anchored close to shore, and it turns out I was right in front of the loudspeaker system. Soon, the local powerboats, packed to the gills with revelers, arrived. Then the racers trickled in, and suddenly the anchorage was rockin’!
The venue was great, and the water taxi stayed busy, ferrying racers to and from shore. The bars were doling out liquid refreshments, and the DJ animated the crowd until it was time for the daily prizegiving ceremonies.
Then the revelry truly began. The music blared throughout the anchorage, and the crowd danced to the beat. Unlike typical island events, the show stopped around 10 PM, as the water taxi service stopped then, and all the sailors had to return to their boats.