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One of our favourite spring traditions is the annual sail past and review of the fleet. We took the ferry to the Island for the first time since last autumn’s Pig Roast. I wasn’t sure what to expect weather wise, since last year’s sail past, Karlos and I froze. The year before that, Meinhilde and our mother sweated it out.
Sail past marks the opening of the sailing season, and members of the yacht club are expected to attend. Our aunt normally feeds us a snack before the actual sail past begins, as we are known to be ornery when hungry! The dress code calls for white pants and a navy top, even for guests. Other boats coordinated their outfits and had matching shirts – something that looked really fun and maybe we’ll try that next year.
All the boats radio each other and line up in order before sailing past the Commodore’s anchored boat. As a non-sailor, I have no idea how they organize themselves. All the boats look so similar from far away, as most of them have identically coloured sails. This year there was just enough wind to catch in the sails, and we got close enough to the Commodore for a quick handshake.
After the sail past procession, we moored and settled in to a delicious barbecue. Our aunt is a whiz at catering these informal meals, since there is no refrigeration at the dock. Somehow we helped her pull together several dishes, including a barbecued pizza with blue cheese and caramelized onions, a barbecued aubergine dip with parsley and feta, and grilled saganaki. We are not mooches, of course, so we brought some bread, hummus, cheese, and the chocolate chestnut cake.
