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Waikawa Boating Club members recently participated in a treasure hunt, which was not so much a race but a nautical and historical challenge.
As many as 18 boats took part in the hunt, which was the brainchild of rear commodore - cruising, Martin Cuthbert.
Participants had to follow nautical coordinates to find letters and numbers which, when put together, created a nautical, historic statement.
"We were challenging observational skills, nautical skills, accuracy and ability to follow very specific instructions," Cuthbert said. "Most participants dressed up as pirates and they had to exchange a drink or meal at a local lodge for a bag of 'loot'.
Waikawa has been a hive of club activity in recent times, with the arrival or a new start boat (pictured above), development of training programmes to upskill members and a beach cleanup.
Club members participated in a beach cleanup in early October and will do another again in March to see how the season of tourists and additional boats has affected the amount of rubbish found on local beaches throughout the Malborough Sounds.
"We were delighted to report very little rubbish was collected [in the first cleanup]," Cuthbert said. "We also gather the salmon farm and mussel farm staff are now regularly undertaking beach cleans."
As well as rubber duckie training, experienced members have offered to help others with anchor and stern line training. It was discovered that many members were nervous about handling their anchor in a bay and using a stern line, some more experience skippers have offered to visit each boat individually to help them to undertake the task successfully.
This Saturday the club are having a market day (9am-1pm), when anyone can sell 'boatie bits' they no longer require.
You can follow more from the Waikawa Boating Club on their Facebook page.
