Our Nordic Tug “mini-vous” – fun and relaxation at Port Browning!
Port Browning Marina on Pender Island was a great place for our “small” rendezvous. Well, the idea was that it'd be small, but in the end 20 boats showed up for a casual gathering on September 6-8, hosted by Tom and Terry Easterbrook on Pilitak and Blake and Rhonda Erickson on Sea Fury.
Blake and Rhonda spent Friday preparing a gourmet seafood chowder to anchor the Friday night potluck, which also included a great selection of entrée and dessert options. Barbara and Gerry from Spree polished off the evening with plenty of chocolate ice cream.
Just in case we were still hungry on Saturday morning, Blake broke out his chef ensemble, vintage Coleman stove, and antique waffle iron and made fresh waffles for each of us. Tom worked alongside him cooking up Canadian bacon. Terry made beautiful fruit kabobs for those who wanted to feel a bit healthy.
After breakfast people casually visited one another on the dock and on their boats. It was a great way to get to know each other and share ideas for outfitting and maintaining our Nordic Tugs.
Even better, the Easterbrooks posted a question sheet on the dock, where we could help each other with boat questions. For example, one person wanted to know how to maintain their black rubber rub rails, and someone else replied, "Vaseline!".
Barb on Spree gave demos of her favorite gadgets, including a high tech device for feeding line through a mooring buoy without killing yourself (see West Marine: Robship Hook and Moor Telescoping Boat Hook) and the Docking Stick (see Amazon), which makes it much easier to grab a cleat from your boat in challenging docking conditions.
On Saturday night we gathered at the Bistro for a relaxed, mildly boisterous dinner. The gathering broke up Sunday morning, right on cue, just as the cold and breezy weather came in.
Credit and thanks for this mini-vous account goes to Robbin Young aboard Anita Marie. Also, go to the Members Forum on the PaNNTOA website, where
Robbin and others have posted more comments on their mini-vous experience. (It’s titled “Port Browning Mini-Vous” and you’ll find it posted in the “General
Chat” category.) Please add your comments as well!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.