Never Launch a Boat Like This

At The Pleasure Cruising Club we take training very seriously. We know of many stories that new boaties take their boat out for the 1st time and run aground or run out of fuel or have berthing accidents causing tens of thousands of dollars of damage. Before you can take one of our boats on a maiden voyage you must attend our boat school courses. On the water there is no RACV to provide waterside assistance to boat owners. We however provide fleet support and provide a number you can call if you have any questions while out on the Bay.


Quick Quiz: What is the correct fuelling procedure?

The Answer:

* Berth the Boat, have all your passengers leave the boat and stay well clear.

* Turn off all electronics

* Fuel the boat with the correct fuel in the correct cap. (Some caps are for water and its a common mistake to put water into the fuel tank)

* Fill up to the 1st click never overfill.

* Turn on the electronics

* Turn on the engine blower and remove the vapours from the engine bay for at least 4 minutes.

* Start your engines

*Invite your passengers back on board.

So attend our skipper school and join the club and enjoy safe boating.



Did you pass?



Out attached photo is an actual accident for a new boatie who had the wrong instructions to put the boat into the water!

Friday, 12th March 2010

Today was an amazing boating day. Winds were from the South less than 10 knots and not a cloud in the sky. We were off to Sandringham Yacht Club, called "Sandy" for short amongst boaties. It took about 50 minutes to arrive from Docklands and we phoned the Marina Manager and had a berth waiting for us. Our plan was to stay for Friday and Saturday night at the yacht club and sleep on board on the Mustang 38 Royal Sports Cruiser.

Friday night we invited the relatives over for dinner at the Club and had a great meal and had a few drinks at the bar. Being a member of "Sandy" is great. Its a brand new club house with sensational views and facilities and the staff are very helpful. We then crashed on the boat at night to the gentle sound of the wind through the rigging.

Next day on Saturday we stayed put at "Sandy" and my six year old said but dad what were we going to do today! The answer was simple, we asked lots of friends over to Sandy and the kids have a ball going playing on the boat. We had several of our friends arrive at different times and they all enjoyed themselves on the boat. Also is great to slow the clock down and spend actual quality time with your family and Kids. You get the board games out and play on the boat, but remember to switch off the iphone and put the laptop away!

At Sandy they had a fund raiser so we were also entertained with live music. We thought we should have our six year old go to sleep at 8:30pm but the music was still going. So our family decided to dance to the music on top of the Mustang's foredeck under the stars! How cool was that!

Today was a day well spent! Tomorrow, Sunday a new adventure, we head from Sandy to Queenscliff across the Bay.

www.pleasurecruising.com.au

A Happy wife is a happy Life!

Many people ask me about boating in Melbourne and what you can do. I am a member and owner of Pleasure Cruising Club (http://www.pleasurecruising.com.au/) and get to use a Luxury Sports Cruiser's as part of timeshare arrangement. So I'll publish a journal of of the great times we have to inspire other boaties to do the same. "Once a boatie always a boatie"


Today Wednesday the 28th October 2009 I went on a date night with my wife on the boat. Just got back from overseas and we needed some quality time away together, "a happy wife is a happy life". We arrived at Williamstown Marina at 4:30pm and loaded up our gear and cruised down to Yarra's Edge marina on the Mustang 38ft Sports Cruiser. It only took about 30 minutes cruising down the Yarra river at 5 knots. The winds were gentle and the water was calm. We organised a booking at the Marina the day before which cost $50 for the night. When we cruised to the Bolte bridge we rang the Marina and they met us at the berth and gave us a hand to tie up the boat. We went to their office and registered in. A bag of towels and soaps were provided. We sat on the boat my wife read a book and I went about my business tinkering on the boat finding lots of things to do. We went to on of the cafes at the Marina and ordered dinner. The owners were great and brought the food to the boat and ate there. The boat is equipped with plates, pots and cutlery so it was great to have a dinner on the boat. After dinner its only a ten minutes walk up to Crown Casino where we saw a movie. After the movie we had a romantic walk back to the boat and stayed on board the boat overnight. We woke up to have magnificent weather conditions, no wind, no clouds and clear blue sky. Had a shower on the boat and found another cafe and had breakfast. Took about 30 minutes to have a gentle cruise at 5 knots back to Williamstown. We stopped at Pier 35 and filled up the boat which cost about $70.00 in unleaded fuel. Left the boat there and went to work the next morning. My wife had a great time and so did I. She is keen to do it again. Stay tuned for our next adventure.

Yarra's Edge Marina: Service was great, recommend them. *****