HISC Oktoberfest Cruise, October 21, 2023 - Lake Boca

Firstly, the weather could not have been better for the HISC gathering to celebrate Oktoberfest. Temperatures were mild, with a nice gentle breeze as we gathered on Lake Boca. Affection arrived Friday evening to scope out a good spot for the raft. Imagine and crew arrived at noonish Saturday, and Chris Whitlock on Summer Wind arrived soon thereafter. The host boat raft of three was ready for the arrivals. By early afternoon Commotion arrived, set another anchor and tied up to the raft. By afternoon others began to arrive, and before happy hour began we had a line of eight boats including Larry Geller on Plush Toy, Lady Gray, and Duet.

By 4:00 PM, bratwurst and knockwurst were sizzling on the grill in anticipation of the evening feast and events. German recipe inspired foods were the fare of the evening. Larry Geller brought some delicious sauerbraten. With the large crowd scattered among the raft, each boat set out their dishes to share. Imagine also had a cooler full of Oktoberfest beers for guests to taste. Too many names to list here, but our best count on attendees is thirty three. Several “landlubber” guests arrived via tender from Silver Palm Park, courtesy of Barrie Soloway with his Boston Whaler. Evening events included costume judging, desserts, chicken dancing, and trivia. Our grandmaster winner was Diane Wickliff for her culinary skills, costume, and knowledge of Oktoberfest trivia, but she was aced out by Jamie Remacle with her rendition of the Chicken Dance! Judy and Jeff Keiser were also winners as they danced a great polka aboard Affection.

By evening land-based guests were ferried back to the dock, while the cruisers continued festivities. Unfortunately, Lady Gray also had other commitments and had to depart around 2030 hours, leaving the remaining cruisers to socialize among the raft. Unknown to us, a celebration was going on in Boca Raton west of the lake. Without any announcement, we witnessed a spectacular fireworks and drone show that lasted nearly thirty minutes courtesy of Asplundh celebrating ninety-five years in business. Afterwards, Plush Toy slipped her lines to return home leaving the remaining rafters to wind down the evening, but we were still in for another spectacular event. SpaceX launched the Starlink 6-24 mission from Cape Canaveral on a Falcon 9 at 10:17 p.m. It was an awesome thing to see, even at 175 miles away, streaking across the sky. It was a highlight of the evening. It was then time for me to get some sleep so I cannot say who won “last man standing”.

The weekend was a resounding success, with many thanks to the hosts and to those that pitched in to help along the way.

Michael Duvall