The annual SMAC BBQ was held on Saturday afternoon of 7th August. With the weather forecast it was a bit of a gamble to be honest, but it had to be done otherwise it would have ended up moving into September.  The marina provides an extensive BBQ balcony and bar for berth holders, which is the ideal location with a view looking out over the marina in front and the club shed behind us for food tables and beer coolers. We now have this down to a well-organised routine. Bill Arnold collects our meat from the amazing Bransbury Park Butchers; Steve Kelly organises more food and sets up our club BBQ stove; somehow he also magics up a number of raffle prizes and Neville Merritt dons his apron and starts cooking. Food is funded by the club, bring your own drink.

This year all was going well, a pile of slow-cooked ribs and chicken was warming under the BBQ lid and burgers and sausages were beginning to sizzle when the first few drops of rain came. Within a short while it was pouring down, well not exactly down because the wind was blowing it sideways. Hooray for the shed, because it provided welcome shelter between dashes to the BBQ to flip burgers. Eventually the rain stopped, food was consumed and the prizes were raffled off. After more drinks, more improbable stories were exchanged and the last charred sausages were eaten we went our separate ways, another popular club fixture over for the year. Until next summer!