Arrival in Hobart and Celebrations

Well what can I say, you arrive in Hobart and moor up in the harbour to be greeted with 2 cases of beer. Traditional Boags beer from Tasmania. So dehydrated, and elated you drink a beer… I forced this down because I can’t stand the stuff myself! But its tradition so who am I to argue… so at 7.30am I have my first celebration beer!

We are moored next to Mustang Sally so I catch up with my old friends from the CYC, they have been in an hour or so and are pretty well into their celebrations. Plus Max’s sisters and family have all turned up dressed as pirates and are having a wild party time, its hilarious and pretty crazy!

We get sorted with clearing up the boat, or what is left of it.. this takes just under 2 hours so we are done around 9am. Then its off to my hotel, a bed, a shower fantastic… I stop off with Helen on the way for a drink we both enjoy… H on the Bacardi and coke and me on the vodka… has to be done as the beer really didn’t feel like a celebration!

We pick up our bags and head to Customs House which is already full of crew from the race and from the Melbourne to Hobart race, all at different stages in the drinking cycle, depending on the time of arrival! Unfortunately, the room isn’t quite ready so we have to wait in the bar…. Shame!

In the bar I run into the crew of True North, I know they came in before us and I owe them some rum because I ran into Les on route to picking up my bags, so good to my word I get them a jug of rum and coke so they are happy. I also find out that our upside down spinnaker hoist is legendary and was well spotted by everyone around us, who just happen to have been all the crews I met!! Very funny…

Finally the room is ready, and its fantastic to have a shower, get clean and spruced up ready for a day of celebrations. So after that straight back to the bar, meeting the rest of the crew and having a good celebration. Its not long before Skipper and first mate are a little worse for wear. But everyone is in very good spirits.

I head of to the shipwright arms in the afternoon with a few crew to meet with Bob and Jos. It’s fantastic to see then again, lots of hugging and introductions to all Bobs crew and practically everyone in Shippies! I get taken to the AFR corner, this is where the AFR Midnight Rambler crew stay and there is a photo dedication to winning the 1998 Hobart when the fateful storm hit and 6 people lost their lives. There was a lot in the press about this with it being the 10yr anniversary this year and a memorial is planned in Hobart to mark this tragedy which is always on crews minds each year of the race.

But back to the current year which carried good conditions and the celebrations in Shippies, as you can imagine this went on for a while and rather than end of night kebabs as you have in the UK, here it is pie!! So then it was back to mine and a nice bed for the night!

Unfortunately, in my celebratory state I lost my fleece jacket, so the walk home was not great… and did I mention that it was freezing… call this summer!