Commodore’s Notes

Groundhog Day has arrived. Covid returns so we are shut down for a week or two then allowed to reopen with a limit of 50 members then they lift it to a few more.
Masks are required to be worn inside and outside until you are seated. The masks can be removed when eating or drinking. You must put the mask on if you’re ordering at the bar or using the facilities.
It’s very difficult keeping up with all the rule changes but we are managing to do it brilliantly.
Our much loved Committeeman, Jamie Trigg and his lovely wife Tansi have moved up to Port Douglas for six months and will be returning to Lorne around February.
If they don’t we will be rounding up a posse and dragging them back to Lorne. The worlds best and coldest beer is still flowing with Hutch and the girls doing a sensational job under the difficult circumstances.
We are still running $2 pots on Wednesday nights and Toss the Boss on Friday nights with free sausage sizzles and a crayfish raffle (if Steve and Kaide can get out to the cray pots).
The raffles are still going along quite well with members being very generous. We have been able to donate around $12,000 to local charities over the last year.
Last Friday night we had the reigning World Sausage Roll Champion, Ric Addison arrive with 140 of his prize winning sausage rolls.
They disappeared in the blink of an eye. I was selling raffle tickets and wolfed one down but by the time I had finished selling tickets they were all gone.We have our marquee set up outside pretty much permanently with a couple of new gas heaters running so it’s warm and cosy inside or outside even on the coldest evenings.
Where else in the world can you buy a pot of the worlds coldest Carlton Draught for $2 and get a free feed of a world champion sausage rolls?
Remember our facilities are available to members for weddings, parties, anything.

RECENT EVENTS

We have had bugger all events this month, the Covid restrictions have forced us to postpone them to later in the year.
We were allowed to run our Major Fishing Competition on the Sunday of the Queens Birthday Long Weekend.

MAJOR COMP NUMBER FOUR Sponsored by TOM DAWSON, LORNE CONCRETING

The conditions were pretty much perfect with a heap of anglers having a go.
There were 13 boats in the comp so the beach was full and there were vehicles with boat trailers parked all over the place. Our lack of boat trailer parking was on display for all to see.
The comp was a great success with lots of fish weighed in with huge Tiger Flathead dominating the scores.
These fish are usually quite rare in our neck of the woods with the occasional one getting caught in 50 plus metres over the summer months but these ones were caught in 20 metres or less.
There were also plenty of good size Snapper, King George Whiting, Sand Flathead, Sweep and a Club Record Equalling Garfish.
As usual we served up a magnificent roast lunch which was free to all the competitors and only $10 to all the non fishing members.

The winners on the day were:

First, Tilo DeBon with a huge Tiger Flathead = 3228 points
Second, Paul Staley also with a big Tiger = 2801 points
Third Dick Davies with a monster club record equalling garfish = 2750 points

In the Junior section Dusty Dawson won with a Tiger Flathead that was the second biggest one for the day = 2986 points

 

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

WINTER CUP COMPETITION NUMBER TWO

Sunday the 4th of July. Sponsored by Gary Keane Brick, Block and Scaffold.
As usual the weigh in will start at midday with the cut off time of 12.30pm. A scrumptious mixed grill will be served up free of charge to all competitors and only $10 to members.
Our fishing comps have been very successful this year with number of anglers out having a crack increasing. We are the most proactive Angling Club in the state and possibly the whole country with 10 comps every year.
All members are more than welcome so come and have a go.

60TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER

We have had to move the date to the 9th of October because of the Covid rules.
It was sold out, so everyone that booked will still have a seat. For those that can’t make it please let Ange Quinn know by email, info@lorneaquaticclub.com.au

 

WORLD SAUSAGE ROLL CHAMPIONSHIPS Sponsored by LORNE CENTRAL

We will now be holding it on Saturday the 30th of October which is on the unofficial Melbourne Cup Long Weekend. This gives everyone plenty of time to practice their cooking skills.
If anyone out there would like to test run their product we have plenty of hungry sausage roll connoisseurs at the club most nights who will help you out. We have a panel of local celebrity judges lined up and huge prizes for several different categories.

 

PENINSULA KINGSWOOD COUNTRY GOLF CLUB RAFFLE donated by Heath Wilson.

We were going to sell tickets and draw the raffle at the Sausage Roll night but because that has been postponed we will now draw it on the new date. If anyone who purchased tickets wants a refund just tell Hutch or myself and we will happily oblige.

FISHING REPORT

The FADS were removed in May as is the normal practice so that migrating whales don’t get tangled up in them and also over the winter months with cold ocean temperatures they don’t achieve much. They will be redeployed in November.
This season they attracted plenty of Yakkas and Mackerel but the Yellowtail Kingfish only appeared a few times and were too clever for us again.
We’ve had a few issues with the launching channel recently after a few days of huge swells taking all the sand away and tumbling big rocks into the middle of it.
A big thanks to GORCAPA who moved the rocks to one side with their tractor. The fishing has been been great this month with plenty of snapper being caught and quite a few good size ones amongst them.
Also there’s been a few school sharks coming in which is good news because they have been quite scarce for a few years now. The run of flathead has dropped off slightly but there’s still plenty about and as mentioned before lots of huge Tigers being landed.
Still plenty of gummy Sharks about and King George Whiting are still on the go which is great news because they normally go off the bite in the winter.
Our local professional fisherman Warren Norton has been catching some unusual fish in his nets lately. He caught a kingfish last week which he occasionally gets over the summer months when the ocean is warmer but never in the winter with the temperature at only 14 degrees.
He also caught two spotted ling which are normally caught out off the continental shelf. The sea is always full of surprises.
I took Hutch out in my boat the other day and he caught nearly all the fish with some nice big snapper amongst them. He showed me up so I won’t ever take him again.
The pier is still fishing well with reports of Salmon, King George Whiting, Flathead, Snapper, Calamari, Grass Whiting and even Sweep being caught.

 

POINT GREY REPORT

Nothing much to report on the Point Grey Redevelopment from last month as we await the VCAT decision. There has been enormous interest in the range of notices on the external white boards at the entry court of the clubhouse. The main point of interest is on the large photo of the Point Grey Redevelopment site with the markings of the proposed route by GORCAPA (the loopy loop) in red and the preferred alternative internal routes favoured by the club members.

Members have had the chance also to place a green marker as to where they would prefer the boat wash and its very obvious preferred position is in the similar location to the south to the building where it is now with in excess of 100 green markers compared to 5 in the location that GORCAPA recommends.

There are other interesting notes on the board of happenings at the club which are an interest to all.

As soon as there is a decision from VCAT we will issue a special notice on our website.

Ric Addison
Vice Commodore

PAPER NAUTILUS

I found an undamaged one on the beach near Cathedral Rock recently and decided to do a bit of research on them. Technically they aren’t a shell at all but an egg case made by a small pelagic octopus called an argonaut. They get the name paper nautilus because they are a similar shape to the true nautilus but they are paper thin.
There are several different species that make similar but different size shells.
Unlike other octopus they live close to the surface and not on the sea floor and are found mainly in tropical and sub tropical waters all over the world
The females grow up to 10cm and make shells up to 30cm while the males are tiny and only grow to 2cm.
The males only live a very short time until they mate then die but the females live for several years and go through quite a few blokes in their lifetime. They probably should be called Elizabeth Taylor instead of Argonaut.

After mating they build the shell, live in it, lay the eggs and stay in it until the eggs hatch.
They catch air and trap it inside the shell which causes it to float so they can travel many hundreds if not thousands of kilometres during this stage. After the young leave the mother abandons the shell and that’s what we find washed up on the beach.

MERCHANDISE

We have new stock of top quality navy blue hoodies along with our range of different colours of short and long sleeve tshirts. Also caps, stubby holders, stickers and gift vouchers.

 

COFFEE

Jason is having a well earned rest at the moment but will be back for the school holidays opening from Friday till Monday. Still brewing the best coffee, hot chocolate and tea anywhere. Drop in and give it a try.

 

COURTESY BUS

Our bus will be running on Friday’s and Saturdays. If anyone out there can help us out driving it please let Hutch know. Please be generous with your gold coin donations. Phone 0408 041234.

 

Cheers,

Commodore

Thanks to our sponsors:

KEANE CONTRACTING BRICK/BLOCK and SCAFFOLDING – Gary Keane
SURFCOAST GARDENING – Kerry Webster & Rob Dalziel