Mandura Crab Fest and Boating

Last Saturday I had my first sailing lesson on the Swan River. I am taking a beginning course through the UWA gym. I have lessons once a week on Saturday mornings. So far, I have learned basic parts of a sailboat and have used the main and jib sails. We get to maneuver the boat with one to two other people in it, with one person being the skipper. It is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

After sailing I went to Mandurah, a city located about an hour south of Perth by train. I went with 8 other people from UWA. Our plan was to rent a boat and travel around the Mandurah harbor . It turned out that a crab festival was going on at the same time! Bonus! We rented a motor boat for three hours and traveled around.

Here are the boats for rent.

I'm on a boat, but it didn't go very fast.

Part of Mandurah looks like a series of cul-de-sacs, but instead of streets there is water. It was a little like Venice, but less crowded and the houses were really big and looked expensive. Most had a yacht moored outside the home. There were several vacant lots and homes for sale, so if anyone wants to move, here is your chance. We also saw GIANT pelicans, cormorants, and several other birds. We stopped at a smaller harbor where chairs were set up for a wedding, attempted to go to an island, and mostly just puttered around in the water.

Boating was fun, but a little stressful because we had to drive the boat. There were a few moments when we were confused about the signage/boating on the correct side, but we managed. That is, until we had an encounter with the water patrol because we were exceeding the maximum capacity. I was afraid for a moment that we were going to be fined hundreds of dollars but we got off with a stern warning from the boat rental man. What fun!

Imagine: you could live here

Luckily, the species Gumby is not usually fished recreationally.

After returning the boat early (because the water patrol escorted us back), we went looking for some tasty treats in Mandurah. I didn’t eat any crab, but I started my dinner off with a wonderful waffle from the “Waffle Experience” booth. I had an apple cinnamon waffle with berry syrup. Later, I paired this with a pile of chips and fish, complete with “tartare” and tomato sauce (ketchup).

Then, after walking around a bit, I shared a nice healthy piece of chocolate mint fudge with my friend Robin. I also purchased a bar of lavender soap. We stayed for the sunset, listened to some music, and then headed back to Perth on the train. It was a very nautical day.