This year’s Rendezvous went off without a hitch – glorious weather, 72 boats and almost 200 WONDERFUL Grand Banks owners, guests and sponsors attended this year’s “Back to the Island” Jimmy Buffett-themed event!
A steady stream of Grand Banks of all shapes and sizes arrived at Roche Harbor on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the main festivities kicking off on Thursday. We started the day bright and early, with some famous Lime Kiln donuts and coffee and an excellent series of seminars. Thursday was a packed day, with afternoon events including the Cooking Demo at McMillin’s Dining Room and a trip to Westcott Bay Shellfish Co. We finished off the evening with our ever-popular potluck and wine tasting, sponsored by NW Explorations. This year we also did a blind wine tasting, with attendees bringing colorfully decorated wine bottles to taste and vote on their favorites (there are quite a few artists in the group!).
Friday kicked off with a little bit of “BOGA” (boat yoga) and then our seminars resumed with Art Hebert’s presentation “Creative Solutions for a Bad Day at Sea.” Attendees also enjoyed a presentation on GB windows and frames replacement from Seaview Boatyard – a common maintenance item on GBs! The afternoon concluded with a Cheeseburger in Paradise lunch, sponsored by Seaview Boatyard, and our Sponsor Appreciation event, where our owners visited with all of our GREAT sponsors (we can’t do it without them!). A scavenger hunt encouraged some additional participation! Thursday night wound up (definitely not down) with the opening of the “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere PSGBOA Bar” – where we served margaritas and tequila shots and danced the evening away to live tunes!
We still had plenty in store for our last day, Saturday. George Sass, Global Director of Marketing for our presenting sponsor, Grand Banks Yachts, joined us for a company update. S3 Maritime shared what’s new in marine electronics, and then it was off to the Friday Harbor Farmer’s Market for many of our guests (while some chose to just hang out on their boats – after all, it was a BEAUTIFUL day!). On Saturday afternoon, the group welcomed Steve Scalzo, former President of Foss Maritime, who shared insights into the tugs of Puget Sound.
Saturday also presented the opportunity for PSGBOA to present a special award to Brian Pemberton, former President of PSGBOA, former Rendezvous Chair and a PILLAR of the Grand Banks community here in the Pacific Northwest. As he moves on from PSGBOA, our entire organization will miss him dearly.
Our Saturday night dinner was held at the Pavilion this year, with guests enjoying the amazing sunny courtyard and indoor-outdoor ambiance of Roche Harbor’s fabulous grounds. An Italian “festa spiaggaia” greeted us and it was delicious, as usual! We got through our business of electing the new Board, handed out a few prizes, and had a fantastic time! A sweet send-off for all!
Check out photos of the event on Facebook!
2018 PSGBOA Grand Banks Rendezvous in Roche Harbor, WA.
