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 First and foremost – Everyone had a great time!! The weather co-operated with good Gulf crossings for those who had to cross and for those who came from the U.S. We had a record 35 boats and 75 people, so we continue to grow. The event started on Friday as boats began to arrive from about 1100 on. This year, we set up a table on the dock for members so members could check in and receive the program for the weekend, a nametag, and pick up their mat and pennant if they had ordered one of those. Catherine Russell, Lori Crompton and Audrey Burke took turns getting everyone registered. This went quite smoothly, helped by a hand-held radio set to 66A so the ladies knew when and which boat was coming in when they called the marina for docking instructions allowing them to have the nametags and other goodies ready to go when the people arrived. Isn’t technology just wonderful!! After everyone was settled in, the first event started a 1600 with BYOB Cocktails & Appetizers. This has become an annual tradition, which is very popular, and, you never know exactly what you are going to get for an appetizer. They can range from chips and dip, to crab, smoked salmon, pastry puffs, and all sorts of other exotic things. After a couple of hours we were sufficiently appetized and were just about ready to go back to our boats when a short but amazingly heavy downpour occurred, which brought the party to a fairly abrupt end! However, many of our stalwart CanoeCovers moved under the trees and just carried right on. Actually, the shower was very refreshing after a hot, humid day and it reminded many of the type of shower you get in Hawaii, where you dry off almost as fast as you get wet. Afterwards, we all returned to our boats and had dinner, many members walked the docks visiting and just enjoying the evening, as it had cleared up completely. Saturday dawned bright and clear, and at 1000 hrs. the Open Boat commenced. For those who haven’t been to a Rendezvous, this is where we all walk around each other’s boats to see the differences between them and to appreciate the owner’s creativity in improving and maintaining the boat. This year the Aqua Miss was on everyone’s list as we all wanted to see what had been done to it by the new owner’s, Dick and Valerie Reitenbach. They had the boat completely refurbished and updated by Canoe Cove who did a marvelous job. It was a real treat to see this vessel brought back to life as a virtually new Canoe Cove. At 1400hrs. the Horseshoes and Bocce Ball games commenced, and these games were enjoyed by many of our members. 1600hrs. the cocktails and appetizers were out and the door prizes were given away. This event is great fun, and this year we had enough prizes so that every participant went away with something.