The 1st Annual Selene Prawndezvous at Mañana Marina in Ladysmith, BC, on Vanvouver Island was well attended and a great success. 11 Selenes filled the brand new linear transient dock at this newly renovated marina. In fact, they were still busy installing power and water on the docks, preparing the new gathering area, building the picnic tables, and landscaping the grounds. This new marina will soon become the home of Selene Americas West Coast Commisioning Office and Service Center.
We started arriving on Friday, settled in, connected with friends, old and new, and checked out the marina. We made plans to go to the on-site restaurant, 1948, for dinner, and Jenni (Indigo Moon) went up and asked how large a party they could accomodate, then made a reservation for 14. It was a wonderful meal and everyone enjoyed telling stories of their trip here (most had come from the Selene Rendezvous in Roche Harbor, WA), and compared boat stories and cruising plans for the summer.
The next morning, Dylan (of Selene Americas) and Dean (SaltHeart) went to town to the infamous bakery in Ladysmith and got a fabulous selection of donuts, scones, and huge, decadent cinnamon buns for all to enjoy. The weather couldn't have been better as we all brought our coffee, tea, etc., and gathered on the dock to enjoy all the baked goodies.
The rest of the day was spent mostly sharing boat stories, helping each other troubleshoot boat issues, or exploring the area. Several more Selenes arrived during the day, to make a total of 11 on the dock. A few surprise guests showed up by land without their boats including John Topliss (Ocean Osprey), and Derek and Karen Riley (Sea Pal), and it was great to visit on the dock with old friends.
At 4:00, everyone gathered to set up for dinner. There were literally hundreds of prawns in containers just waiting to be boiled. We all brought a dish to share, and the fun began. We all ate more than our fill of prawns; there were so many left and they didn't even cook all they had. A few announcements were made, and thank yous were expressed for coming, and also from us to the marina staff and owners for hosting this first of hopefully an annual Prawndezvous. When asked if we'd like to see this happen again, there was a resounding "Yes!!!" from the crowd.
On Sunday morning, most of us prepared to leave - some continuing north, some heading back home, some just planning to stay out a bit longer in the beautiful Gulf Islands and San Juans. We saw each other off, and bid farewell to our very accomodating marina staff and new friends. We wish this new marina loads of success and think they are on the right track to make it a true destination marina resort along Vancouver Island.
Be sure to check out the Prawndezvous photo album in the Photo Gallery on this website.