Aqua has kicked of her new year with one of our biggest traditions: the News Year's Dinner! An exciting event where we look back on the previous year, but also look to the future, as the ZeilCie has presented their new calendar full of great sailing events!

While we enjoyed our dinner at Colours World Food in previous years, this time we were warmly welcomed at Toledo, who arranged a wonderful three-course tapas dinner for us. Bread, dips, cold and warm dishes, both vegetarian and with meat galore! In between the courses, a few people held speeches. First came the board with a warm welcome and look back at all the great activities of last year. Lastly, they gave their heartfelt thanks to all the committees of Aqua who put so much effort in keeping our association running.

Following the board came another speech, this one with a more personal note. After five great years at Aqua, it was time for me to go to my next adventure, so I prepared a little speech and a big present for the association, as a way to thank them for all the good times, and for them to remember me as well. Very hopefully, the new building of the Waterscouting will be finished this year and the board can then hang my decorated our blades in a prominent place. Again, my thanks to Aqua for five greats year, and I hope you stay Wrikking Awesome!

The final speech came from the ZeilCie, who had planned and prepared the big events of the new year, like the summer sailing week, small cabin boat weekend and intro weekend! They presented the dates on a beautifully made calendar in the form of a classic 'strippenkaart'. For those born after 2004, a strippenkaart was piece of paper you stamped in a machine so you could travel with the bus or tram. This costs only €19,88 and was good seven multiple-day events! How that is possible with the current inflation, we can only guess. But a big thanks to the ZeilCie, we are all looking forward to many more sailing adventures! Let hope that Fryslân is ready for us as well.

The dinner ended rather abruptly at ten o' clock, when the restaurant closed and politely kicked us out. As it was a busy weekday, the box of stracciatella ice cream in Jelle's freezer survives another day...