The frantic pace of racing most weekends through Spring and Summer makes way for a more relaxed time around the Club as Autumn leads into Winter. In our last members’ survey, most suggested the best thing to do at the Amateurs was simply to hang around on the deck, before and after sailing.

On the eve of the year’s longest night, bathed in the luminous glow of a full moon, Sydney Amateurs marked the winter solstice with a soiree! A spirited company of crew members and esteemed guests, from the ship James Craig, revelled in a fabulous rollicking celebration.

We all have our foibles. Among my lesser obsessions is the urge to waste inordinate amounts of time fossicking on the internet for old images of boating on Sydney Harbour. The detail in glass-plate photography from a century ago is endlessly evocative.