Sailing around Australia; Familiarity

Familiarity

Somewhere, sometime ago I heard the saying that it’s so nice to have family come for Christmas and really nice when they leave.

This week we have been re united with some of our sailing family that we started off our sailing around Australia adventure with.

Unexpectedly, yet understandably, it was a really emotional moment to arrive at the same jetty and give both Eva and Brian a great big hug.

Leanne and I have been in the Gippsland lakes for nearly a month now and in that time we have had a good look around. We have experienced the peace, tranquility and the serenity of this beautiful area.

Just when it was getting a little too quiet and we were really ready for some familiar company, our sailing family Brian and Eva on Zofia (AKA the Zofians) arrived.

 Having sailed together for twelve months, from Mandurah to Streaky Bay, we got to know each other very well. That is why we can use the term family confidently. Having been apart for 8 months, we really missed the familiarity of that of type relationship.

Within moments of our arrival into Lakes entrance where Zofia had been parked for a couple of days, the hallmarks of our friendship reappeared very quickly. They were flying a hastily made protest flag, and both wearing costumes with two heads.

There was a protest meeting declared, to be held at the Lakes Entrance Pub later in the evening. The Sail Racing Rules 2013-2016 were discussed at length during the afternoon, fuelled by several beers and a couple of bottles of wine.

Unfortunately for the Zofians, both their’s and the opposing counsel were the only sober members of the convened committee, so several motions put, had to be dismissed as they were incoherent and therefore inadmissible.

What was declared and is now written in stone, is that they are legends for departing Port Linclon in June 2014 and sailing alone to Tasmania. Their tales of hiding from strong winds and cold days huddled in their boat have severely dented the Tasmanian Tourism association’s efforts.

The other thing that survived the protest meeting is, that it is so nice to be reunited and feel the familiarity with the Zofians. It’s has been a while since we laughed so much, even if the jokes are the same ones.

It’s also really nice to understand that we may not stay together for a long time, but we all know what to expect and are comfortable to go our own way, when the family leaves.

 

It's really nice to have the familiarity of Zofia anchored nearby.