Captains Blog 10th January 2008
Just ten days into 2008 and the champagne and fireworks of the festive season are fading in the memory. We had a great Christmas Day cruise, followed by an equally successful Boxing Day cruise. But the highlight of the holiday period for me was our New Years Eve cruise. We sailed at 10.30pm in order to be out on the river when midnight rolled over to welcome the New Year. That’s just how it worked. We popped the champagne corks and the intimate group we had on board joined in wishing each other all the best for 2008. The fireworks in Blenheim shone out across the river and the Marlborough countryside as we made our way gently back to dockside. I just want to say thanks to everyone on board that night because it was a lovely way to start another year on The Opawa.
And now into the summer season we head. We welcome back Bailey to the crew. Bailey was with us for some of last summer and now returns to add her experience both in the kitchen and behind the bar.
The river is looking good I am pleased to say. The hot weather that Marlborough is famous for is here, but there is still plenty of water for us to cruise. (Actually since the river is at least partly fed by springs, we are rarely in serious danger of running too low on water).
And we’re getting ready to start our wine tasting on board The River Queen. The idea is to offer an entirely independent tasting of Marlborough wines. All the wines we have on board are Marlborough wines, many from boutique wineries and all wines that I have tasted myself. (It’s a tough job I know, but someone has to do it). We plan to offer a flight of Savs – after all Marlborough is world famous for Sauvignon Blanc. Our selection of Savs will include a couple of different Savs from the Wairau sub-region and the world-trophy winning Vavasour Sav from the Awatere sub-region, as well as the Two Rivers Sav, which is made from grapes grown in both these areas. We’ll also look to offer a flight of other excellent wines from around the region, in order that we can showcase the fine range of different grape varieties available in Marlborough. The region is known for its Pinot Noir but what about the Framingham Montepulciano? Or the Charles Wiffen Merlot? Both fantastic reds that are not so often associated with the area. And in terms of other white wines, try the Huia or the Allan Scott Pinot Gris or perhaps the Framingham Classic Reisling. Or how about the Te Whare Ra Gewurtz? So many to choose from, so little time…
Happy sailing.
