Before
you board, our team will have completed over 130 checks
in the preparation of your boat - on the engine and all
equipment. The boat will have full tanks of fuel and
water, the gas bottle will be full, iceboxes will have
ice in them and the fridges will be cold. The batteries
will be charged, the toilet holding tank will have been
pumped out, and the boat will be clean inside, and scrubbed
outside.
At
the start of your holiday, before you cast off from our
marina, we will run you through all the equipment on
board, including the use of safety equipment, do a complete
map briefing and show you boat handling techniques. The
aim is to ensure you feel really confident so that you
have a relaxing and fulfilling boating holiday.
On
board, we supply a map and a manual. The manual is full
of useful information, including:
Emergency
procedures and contact phone numbers
How things work - the engine, the stove, the toilet, etc
For the yachts - some basic sailing information
Mooring and anchoring
Navigating
Using the marine radio
Guide to the Gippsland Lakes - lots of information about where to go and
what to see
Itineraries (a repeat of the ones above)
Life
on the water is simple, and good, simple food that’s
easy to prepare and wonderful to consume is best. One
of the real pluses about the Gippsland Lakes is that
you can easily stock up with fresh food along the way.You have the time to enjoy the luxury of a long breakfast - anything from
fresh fruit to the full works of eggs, bacon, tomatoes, etc. Plan to make
the start of your day something special.
bread rolls (there are bakeries at Metung and Paynesville), selection of
cheeses, salami and ham, sun dried tomatoes, olives and lots of fruit
- all served up on a platter for extra ease
soup is another good standby for lunch, with those semi baked bread rolls
pasta - pre-prepared sauces makes it really easy, for example, your homemade
pesto or favourite tomato sauce, or the commercial varieties, barbecues
- there are many barbecues around the Lakes. You can order your meat
from us in advance and it will be on board for your arrival, pre-prepared
casseroles, such as lasagna, prepared in tin foil containers that cut
down the job of washing up chicken breasts to lightly fry, served with
green salad, stir fries done in the fry pan on board, fresh seafood that
you buy locally, Caesar and other salads, or dinner at one of the many
restaurants or hotels in the portside towns
fruit cake, lots of fresh fruit, chocolate, tea, coffee, soft drinks, and
perhaps the odd bottle of wine for gentle evenings in beautiful places
For last minute shopping there is a general store in Metung, and there are
major supermarkets at Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance.
Metung Village Store sells a good range of local wines, and they now also
have cryovac gourmet meat - perfect for on board because it keeps well and
tastes terrific. During the prawning season, you can usually get fresh prawns
at the village store, straight from the trawler.
To
charter a cruiser, you need no boating experience at
all.
For
the yachts, however, you do need to have some sailing
experience. Or you might like to turn your holiday into
an opportunity to learn to sail.
Learning
to sail as part of your holiday is a great way to gain
real skills. We will spend time with you at the start
of your holiday to teach you the basics. Then you’re
free to keep practising at your own pace. And you learn
quickly because you’re in charge (and we’re
always just a radio call away for more advice). There’s
nowhere in the world that matches the Lakes as an ideal
place to learn to sail. Sailing lessons are good value,
and usually 3 hours with our sailing master is sufficient
to get you started.
Torch
| First aid kit | Personal medications | Camera and film
| Books | Sunglasses | Sun hat/woolly hat
Sunscreen - even in winter | Beach towel | Bathers | Mobile phone | Waterproof
jacket and trousers |Shoes with white rubber soles | Fishing gear | Biro
and pad | Binoculars | Bird identification book | Sailing gloves (yachts)
| Bedding, pillows, towels | Food and drinks | Garbage bags
Pets
| Too much perishable food | Suitcases | Eskies (at least
not on the boat) | Too many clothes
