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A Taste of Italy – Sailability's fund raiser
As strong southerly winds plunged us into winter temperatures, a small corner of Wellington was transported, just for an evening, to the warmer climes of Italy. Guests at the recent Sailability fund raising dinner at Lowry Bay Yacht Club were treated to a four course dinner prepared by Sailability Club Captain Don Manning and his team. It was a family affair; Sue, Don's wife had spent the afternoon transforming the club into a Trattoria, with red, green and white balloons, table centres and napkins adding an Italian splash. As if that wasn't enough hard work, they'd organised an identical event at Evans Bay Yacht Club a week earlier.
Ladies from Altrusa greeted guests with a welcoming glass of bubbles, while guitar duo, Geoff and Titus, both live-aboard yachtsmen, entertained as 'The A Pier Band'.
Guests were treated to a warm welcome from Warren Rankin, president of Sailability before chef Don described the courses to follow: Antipasto, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Penne Marinara, Vegetarian Risotto, Veal Marsala, Chicken with tomato and basil, Warm grilled zucchini and potato Tuscan salad, followed by Tiramisu, berry coulis, coffee and biscotti. Here's something I learned; who would guess that Tiramisu is a modern invention, dating only from the late 60s?
Manning is something of a charitable super hero: the dinner was his brainchild, he sold most of the tickets, encouraged sponsors and as mentioned, slaved for hours over a hot stove.
To maximise income, raffle tickets were touted, with some great prizes up for grabs, including some classy Gill wet weather gear courtesy of Burnsco Marine and a board full of Lotto tickets. As most of those present had some connection to boats, these were popular choices: one to keep dry, the other to keep solvent, both an issue with boat owners.
This didn't stop the 96 guests at Lowry Bay and the 94 guests at Evans Bay from being a generous crowd. Later in the evening, a bottle of champagne was auctioned, raising a whopping $170. which added to a very healthy total of $5000. Manning reports that the evening had also encouraged more sponsors for the charity.
So how will this money be used?
Sailability is a charity which provides sailing opportunities for people with disabilities. If you happen to pass Seaview Marina on a Tuesday or Wednesday, keep an eye out for their dinghies with rainbow coloured sails, slicing through the waves.
Funds raised will help Sailability to maintain boats, transport sailors to the venues and provide safety boats. With a waiting list of fifty sailors, there's still a lot of work to be done, particularly with the International Hansa Class National Championships and Kiwi Cup being held at Seaview Marina in January next year.
By popular demand the Sailability Annual Dinners are to become an annual event. If you can't wait until next year to support Sailability Wellington, check out the website http://sailability-wellington.org.nz and get in touch: a spot of volunteering will warm up the winter.
