The 2016 Brass Monkey Boating Weekend was a huge success, with 93 Cubs, Scouts, Leaders and Adult Helpers converging on Westernport Yacht Club at beautiful Balnarring Beach to try or practice sailing, compete in the Brass Monkey Regatta, and be accredited in sailing and power boating activities through Yachting Victoria.  

After a serene start to the weekend, with horses sauntering and dolphins frolicking in the water alongside the beach, we experienced some challenging wind and water conditions on Saturday.  So the experienced sailors took to the waters with the support of the members of the State Sailing and Power Boating Team, while the keen new to sailing members focusing on achieving the theoretical elements of their water activities, sailing or power boating badge or accreditation work.

Sunday dawned with fair weather and a following sea, so everyone took to the water with gusto, participating in a series of relay races around a simple triangle course following a Le Mans start.  The Brass Monkey Trophy, donated by Bendigo Bank, was won for the third year in a row by 1st/14th Brighton Sea Scouts, but with 80 other keen sailors gaining experience and confidence in a range of conditions, next year's Trophy is anyone's at this stage!

The Victorian Scouts State Sailing and Power Boating Team was thrilled to have helped people to figure out the literal way what a Brass Monkey is (lucky it doesn't affect us female sailors!!) at the wonderful Westernport Yacht Club - thanks to Adam Smith, Bronny Donnelly, Russell Jones, Lynne Dugay, Bruce Douglas, Jim Douglas, Will Palmer, Frank Jurovic and many others from the Club for their assistance and good humour while we put the Club and its resources through the Scout Test.  FYI you passed the test!!   And we hope you will invite us back again for future Scouting activities.

We were thrilled to discover a former Dairy Flat Sea Scout from New Zealand, a former Group Leader from 1st Blackburn Scouts and a former 1st Scorseby Sea Scouts Group Leader who later became a District Commissioner in Fiji assisting us and also participating in our opening and closing parades this weekend!  Once a Scout, always a Scout, of course!  And there was a lot of interest among the Leaders and Youth Members in the upcoming Women on Water Regatta, so we are likely to see some Scouts at the event this year.

Tracey 'Tea' Swadling, Victorian Scouts Sailing and Power Boating Team, Assistant Leader 4th Mordialloc Sea Scouts and WYC member