<![CDATA[Albany Motor Yacht Club

<![CDATA[Albany Motor Yacht Club - Commodores Blog]]>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:25:44 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[Commodore’s Report July 2026]]>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/commodores-report-july-2026Commodore’s Report July 2026

The main activity in June was the cruise to Abingdon, which was organised by Terry and Mandy starting on15th June. The weather for the week was blisteringly hot (similar to last year)
Six boats took part, namely Lady Farrington, Scotch Mist, Laird Tommy xx, Zephyr, Enterprise 111 and Kerry Anne V. Start points and times were staggered with Zephyr, Enterprise and Kerry Anne departing early. Scotch Mist and Laird Tommy met up at Penton Hook lock on Monday afternoon and cruised together to Baths Island in Windsor. Philip, aboard Kerry Anne had booked into Windsor Marina. Tony & John were held up in Romney lock for 30minutes as the gates would not open. John called the EA emergency number, and the emergency lock keeper gave advice. We think a Le Boat crew had pressed all the buttons which sent the lock into shock mode!
The fleet was widely dispersed on the Tuesday, with Chris and Lin heading for Wallingford and Geoff and Sally finding a spot at Goring. Scotch Mist & Laird Tommy moored at Henley on the Mill and Marsh Meadows. The mooring fee (£15 per night) is paid through an app, which is not the most user friendly.
The start from Henley on Wednesday morning was accompanied by a minor drama, as the electronic control for Scotch Mist’s port engine misbehaved, preventing gear engagement. Laird Tommy completed a circuit of the island to offer help, by which time a “switch off, switch on again” routine had solved the problem. A long, and hot cruise followed to Pangbourne, where no visit is complete without a trip to both the pie shop and the cheese shop to stock up. Lady Farrington, having set out late from Windsor Marina, joined Scotch Mist and Laird Tommy at Pangbourne for the evening. Tony & John watched the England v Croatia game in the World Cup.
On Thursday the fleet all gathered at Wallingford, and crews enjoyed a bankside “Bubbles & Nibbles” tea before Jon & Geraldine left for a romantic evening meal to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
A staggered start on Friday allowed for a gentle cruise onward to Abingdon, taking advantage of buying ice cream from the jovial lock keeper at Clifton lock. Mandy and Terry had booked the moorings in the area behind Abingdon lock. They with Chris and Lin and Philip, had arrived early and set up tables and chairs on the bank, festooned in bunting, making a very welcoming sight for the later arriving crews. The Abingdon site in hot summer weather is truly idyllic, with ample shade provided by the mature trees. The Albany dogs (Ernie the labrador and Donnie and Jasmine the Italian Greyhounds) could run free with no risk of them straying or coming to harm. The site even has shore-power available, enabling the boats to enjoy all the comforts of home!
On Friday evening, eight crew members took a leisurely walk into Abingdon (the walkway over the weir was open, unlike last year) Here they enjoyed a very good meal at the Crown & Thistle.
Saturday dawned overcast and humid, but this did not deter John, Chris, Geoff and Terry from inflating their dinghies, and going for a dinghy trip to Abingdon. On the return leg, the heavens opened in a torrential shower, catching three of the dinghies while in the lock. Spirits were not dimmed, however, and the sun soon came back out.
Mandy & Terry had booked a meal for the Saturday evening at the King’s Arms at Sandford lock and transported the entire Albany contingent aboard Lady Farrington for the cruise upriver. Mandy excelled herself with Hors d’oeuvres and prosecco provided during the journey.
On Sunday, the crews organised a BBQ to end the activities. This proved a great success with exotic alternatives to the usual BBQ fare, such as minute steaks, salmon parcels and halloumi burgers, all washed down with beers and wine and followed by various after dinner tipples. Many hands made light work of clearing the site and taking down the bunting ready for an early start on the return trip on Monday morning.
The early start was slightly delayed while Terry used his engineering skills to retrieve the toilet key which had become stuck fast in the lock.
Vessels again made their own way back, Scotch Mist and Laird Tommy putting in a very long day to moor at Caversham as there was no space at Pangbourne. Zephyr found a mooring at Goring for the second time in a decade!
By Wednesday, Zephyr had joined Scotch Mist and Laird Tommy back at Baths Island, outside the Leisure Centre, where the three boats sizzled in the record high temperature. John and Geoff collected pizzas from the Windsor and Eton micro-brewery, and a bankside “pizza party” brought the activities to a close.
On behalf of all those that attended, I would like to thank Mandy & Terry for their excellent organisation and hard work. Abingdon ’26 was a truly memorable event!

]]><![CDATA[Commodore’s Report June 2026]]>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/commodores-report-june-2026Commodore’s Report June 2026

May has been a quiet month for boating after the drama of the impromptu cruise to Windsor over the Mayday weekend (See last month’s minutes)
I’m happy to report that Sharon is continuing to recover from her arm fracture and will be able to crew Scotch Mist for the cruise to Abingdon.
I have been able to get the Past Commodore’s board updated for the last three years in readiness for the 55th Anniversary meeting to be held at the Albany on Thursday August 20th
I can report that Sharon and I attended the Weybridge Mariner’s Meet & Greet event on Sunday 17th May, in the company of John & Geraldine and Sally & Geoff. Mandy & Terry, Chris & Lin, and David & Bernie attended as members of WMC. The event aims to bring together club officers from as many Thames boat clubs as possible in a social environment. Unfortunately, the date clashed with Middle Thames’ Commodore’s Sail Past, so they were unable to attend. John did sterling service as their sole representative as well as his role as Albany VC! This year’s event was blessed with good weather, enabling full use of the outdoor balcony, and Albany club officers were able to make and renew a number of useful contacts with other clubs, notably Upper Thames MYC (in the person of Andy Wilson, their Commodore) – a particularly handy contact in view of our proposed cruise to Sonning in July.
Thanks to Mandy who, assisted by Lin, organised and prepared the excellent buffet lunch.

]]><![CDATA[Commodore’s Report May 2026]]>Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/commodores-report-may-2026Commodore’s Report May 2026

I can now confirm delivery of the new club flag, ready to be hoisted at the joint WMC & AMYC Commodore’s Sail Past ion 9th August.

AMYC held an ‘open’ Sunday lunch and games afternoon at WMC’s clubhouse on Sunday 26th April. This was well attended by AMYC members plus a good sprinkling of WMC members. It was an informal gathering, with members bringing their own picnic lunch. It was blessed with good weather, thus allowing full use of the balcony facilities at WMC. Games included pool (who knew Mary was a pool hustler!), an indoor version of Molkki (the weird skittle game played with a log as a bowling ‘ball’) and giant Jenga, but mostly relaxing, drinking and chatting. Many thanks to Russ & Mary for running the bar, and to all who helped clear up afterwards.

As no boats were able to make the Rochester Sweeps Festival this year, it was decided, instead, to hold an impromptu cruise to Baths Island at Windsor over the BH weekend. Three boats and crews met up at Windsor, namely Scotch Mist, Laird Tommy and Zephyr. We were all able to moor outside the Leisure Centre. There was no formal itinerary, with crews doing their own thing. Six members enjoyed a meal and beers at the Windsor & Eton Micro-brewery on Friday evening, with after dinner drinks aboard Scotch Mist. Sharon & Geraldine went for a swim in the Leisure Centre on Saturday while John enjoyed a sauna. Evening drinks were again enjoyed on Scotch Mist. This became quite a heavy session as the photo of all the bottles on the club WhatsApp site can attest! Possible because of one too many Limoncellos, Sharon missed her footing while descending to Scotch Mist’s saloon and fell heavily on her left arm. When this was still painful the next morning, it was decided she should be seen at A & E. John and Geraldine very kindly offered to crew for Tony aboard Scotch Mist, enabling them to get back to PH. From here Tony dropped John & Geraldine back at Windsor by car before taking Sharon to her local A&E where she spent 7 hours, finally being told she’d fractured her upper arm just below the shoulder. She was sent home with a wrist sling and pain killers and told that the fracture clinic would be in touch in a few days. When she was contacted, she was given an appointment in late May which she is still waiting to attend! The injury seems to be healing slowly, but there will be no rope throwing for a few weeks yet!

]]><![CDATA[Easter Cruise 2026]]>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/easter-cruise-2026Albany Motor Yacht Club Easter Cruise 2026

Four boats and crews took part in our 2026 Easter Cruise, Scotch Mist (crewed by Tony & Sharon plus John & Geraldine) ; Enterprise (crewed by Chris & Lin); Zephyr (crewed by Geoff & Sally, with daughter Helen joining us for dinner on Saturday) and Lady Farrington (crewed by Terry & Mandy)
The boats made their own way to our first stop, at Baths Island in Windsor, on Thursday 2nd April in good weather, arriving in time for afternoon tea and socialising on the bank. We were able to moor close together at the upstream end of the island – a prime spot! Supper was taken aboard, apart from Geoff and Sally who had coupons for a meal in Windsor. Post prandial drinks were enjoyed on Scotch Mist, while playing a hilarious game of Team Uno. Goodness knows who won in the confusion!
Boats left at their own time on Good Friday morning for the gentle cruise upriver to Bray Marina, where we had an advance booking. Zephyr moored on the river quay outside the Mediterraneum Restaurant as she can be tricky to manoeuvre in confined spaces. The other three boats were given moorings on H pontoon, near to the BBQ area. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and socialising, followed by supper aboard.
Saturday morning was taken up with egg decorating. The winning egg was Chris’ creation of a pixie. Sharon then brought out a wind-up chicken race which proved hilarious! After a break for lunch, crews were tasked with making a boat or raft, propelled by a sail and capable of transporting their decorated eggs. These were then launched and assessed on their seaworthiness and speed. The outstanding winner was “Kon Tikki” made by Chris. The Commodore’s egg boat capsized on launching for the second year running! Tea and birthday cake were taken aboard Enterprise. The cake was one of Mandy’s delicious concoctions. Many thanks to her! We all had to keep room for the evening meal at the Mediterraneum, where we joined by Geoff and Sally’s daughter, Helen, and Russ & Mary and David & Bernie, who arrived by car, making a group of fifteen - an excellent turnout!
Sunday events started with an Easter egg hunt, organised and laid out by Sharon before most people were up (most unlike her!) This was followed by a quiz, also compiled by Sharon. Crews were then tasked with decorating an Easter Bonnet. The worthy winner of this was Terry, with his nautical themed bonnet. Despite the decidedly chilly and windy weather, crews then took part in a game of egg croquet. The eggs were plastic and would open and eject a chick if struck too hard. Only Mandy managed to “hatch” a chick! There was an unseemly rush back to the comfort of Enterprise at the end of the game. The challenges were not over yet, as Sharon had organised a hot cross bun tasting, with a bewildering variety of “exotic” flavours. The winner was the original recipe! The final event was the last voyage of the Kon Tikki before she was consigned to the great refuse bin of history! Supper was taken aboard, but crews gathered after on Lady Farrington, where Mandy produced an excellent ‘bread and bun pudding’ from the leftover hot X buns, along with her signature lemon drizzle cake with Limoncello.
Crews left at their own time on Easter Monday for the cruise back to Penton Hook, which was blessed with balmy and sunny weather.
The whole cruise was really excellent. Special thanks to Sharon for organising crafts and games, Mandy for her cooking, and everyone for their enthusiasm. Roll on the rest of the season!

]]><![CDATA[Weybridge Mariners Sunday morning speaker]]>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/weybridge-mariners-sunday-morning-speakerWeybridge Mariners Sunday morning speaker

Six Albany members attended the Sunday morning speaker event held by WMC at their clubhouse on 1st Feb. The club opened at 10.30am and the talk, entitled “The loss of Malaysian Airways Flight MH370” was presented by Ian Gilbert CEng, MRAeS, a prominent aerospace engineer who has been involved with, and given evidence to, a number of air accident enquiries. Ian pulled no punches in describing the cause of the loss as a murder/ suicide, most likely carried out by the captain of the aircraft - a truly sobering thought. Ian presented compelling evidence in considerable detail to support this proposition. The search for the wreckage of MH370 continues to this day, but it was Ian’s view that it will only be found with a large degree of luck, as the search area in the Southern Ocean is so vast. The captain of the flight clearly knew what he was doing and had no intention of the aircraft ever being found.
The talk was followed by an excellent buffet lunch. Thanks to Mandy, once again, for her catering expertise.

]]><![CDATA[Joint social meeting organised by PHYC]]>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/joint-social-meeting-organised-by-phycJoint social meeting organised by PHYC and held at the club on 26th January.

On Monday 26th January, eight Albany members attended PHYC’s inter-club social evening in the clubhouse at Penton Hook Marina, with a guest speaker, John Tough. John is the grandson of Douglas Tough who, with his brother Gordon, founded the former Tough’s Boatyard at Teddington in the early 1900s. In May 1940 Douglas Tough famously mobilised around 100 little ships for Operation Dynamo, which helped rescue over 385,000 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. Teams of Tough’s workers travelled along the south coast to repair damaged boats, and the boatyard built vessels for the fire service that were using during the Blitz on London’s docks. During the second world war, Tough’s built motor gun boats and motor torpedo boats and afterwards many types of small boats, cruisers and motor yachts. Following Douglas’ death in the 1950s the business passed to his son Robert, John Tough’s father. In 1954 Bob Tough worked on the design of the Havengore, for the Port of London Authority, the vessel used to transport Winston Churchill’s coffin along the Thames and watched by 350 million people across the world. In the 1980s one of Tough’s last boats to be built was a 150-foot yacht called Brave Goose for Sir Donald Gosling, launched in April 1986. By the 1990s the boatyard was in decline, with Bob Tough eventually retiring in 2006, and the yard was redeveloped into offices and apartments. John is now Honorary Archivist of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships and the owner of the Little Ship Thamesa.
John’s talk was most interesting and was very well received. Mark, as always, provided an excellent menu.
The meeting was very well attended and proved a good opportunity for inter-club networking. (Tony & John made a point of re-connecting with Andy Wilson, present Commodore of Upper Thames MYC, and asked whether Albany boats could moor at their clubhouse in Sonning in July. Andy agreed in principle, but we will have to alter the date of our cruise to Sonning Theatre as UTMYC are hosting PHYC on the weekend of 24th-25th July.)

]]><![CDATA[“The Cruise to Nowhere” December 2025]]>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/the-cruise-to-nowhere-december-2025“The Cruise to Nowhere” December 2025

Thanks to Robbie Ashmore’s organisational skill, AMYC were able to enjoy a luxurious Christmas event this year aboard the Ambassador Cruise Line ship, ‘Ambition’, sailing from Tilbury to – (ahem!) Tilbury, over the weekend of 19th -21st December. Hence the “Cruise to Nowhere” in the title.
Sixteen club members took part (an excellent turn-out!) Apart from the usual “Thames Crew”, it was a pleasure to welcome Nick & Tracie and David and Linda from our ‘coastal division’.
Tony & Sharon and John & Geraldine had booked an additional night aboard and so arrived on the Thursday (in appalling weather!) The additional night included a black-tie dinner and show, plus breakfast on Friday morning. The dinner and show were excellent. John & Tony were encouraged to buy ten beers at a bargain (for the ship!) price and were later seen carrying them around the ship in an ice bucket! Tony got a little too merry and, when standing up to retire at the end of the evening, failed to notice his leg had come off, and promptly fell face down on the floor! Luckily, nothing but pride was damaged, and thanks to John and a burly member of staff, Tony was helped to his cabin. Breakfast next morning was a disorganised ‘bunfight’ as most of the guests had to leave the ship by 10am ready for the changeover and were eager not to miss out on their breakfast.. Luckily, this was a one-off demerit, as subsequent breakfasts were much more civilised.

Six more couples joined the early birds at lunchtime on Friday to start the cruise proper. Needless to say, activities started in the bar, before groups broke up to explore the ship at their leisure. Robbie and Jill and Nick & Tracie had bid for a cabin upgrade, and both had been successful, obtaining palatial suites! Robbie & Jill were able to entertain the whole club for drinks in their suite, complete with a private deck overlooking the stern!
Friday evening entertainment included a formal dinner followed by an excellent show in the ship’s theatre with a theme of “The Greatest Showman”.
The ship set sail Friday evening and set a course up the East Coast to a position East of Lowestoft, where it circled for most of the time at sea (An announcement over the ship’s PA told us the crew were calibrating their navigation equipment) Sea conditions were benign, but with a bitter wind making strolls on deck something for only the hardiest members!

At breakfast on Saturday members were encouraged to wear Christmas jumpers, and much thought had obviously gone into them, with illuminations to the fore! During the morning, the ‘Albany Ladies Wild Swimming Team’ (Sharon, Lin & Geraldine) plus the Vice Commodore braved the chill wind on the upper deck for a stint in the Jacuzzi. The Saturday evening meal was a formal affair, with members wearing club regalia. The Commodore raised a toast to the members and wished everyone a very Happy Christmas. The dinner was followed by another first-class theatre performance, with scenes from numerous West End shows.
Overall, the quality of the food, accommodation and entertainment was excellent. The feedback I got during the event was very positive. The Vice Commodore was even very happy to have drunk rather more than the maximum on his drinks package!
A big thank you to Robbie for organising the event, and to everyone who attended for your excellent company.
Perhaps we can organise another Xmas cruise next year? (I propose we appoint Robbie as ‘Albany Cruise Director!’)

]]><![CDATA[Cruise to Runneymede & Laying up supper 2025]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/cruise-to-runneymede-laying-up-supper-2025Cruise to Runneymede and annual ‘Laying Up’ supper

This event took place over the weekend of 10th – 12th October 2025
Three boats departed PH Marina around midday on Friday 10th October, namely Scotch Mist, Zephyr and Lady Farrington. These boats co-ordinated their arrival at Penton Hook lock with Laird Tommy which had cruised up from her new mooring at Middle Thames YC.

The four boats then cruised in company up to Runneymede, arriving around 2.30pm. The moorings outside the “secret warehouse” were almost deserted, allowing for stress-free mooring. Robbie and Jill, aboard Beatrice Rose, joined us a little later, having cruised up from their home mooring at Chertsey. Unfortunately, Robbie had slipped when operating the lock at Bell Weir and cut his left thumb quite badly. John and Geraldine, our resident paramedics, were able to offer assistance, and a rather better dressing than he had been able to apply!
The afternoon was taken up with drinks and snacks aboard Scotch Mist, followed by supper aboard crews own boats, and more after dinner drinks!

Saturday morning activities were unstructured, with crews variously dog-walking and ambling around the open areas and sampling the café. We were joined during the morning by Chris and Lin who had cruised up aboard Enterprise, so six boats in all attended – a good turnout! Crews met aboard Scotch Mist at lunch time to celebrate Sally’s birthday, with vast quantities of nibbles and Fizz. Lin had even managed a cake with a candle! Sharon then entertained us with one of her quizzes (the questions were cryptic and the answers all brands or types of confectionery)

It had been decided at the September club meeting, that this cruise should incorporate our annual club ‘Laying-Up’ supper. To that end, Geoff and Sally had arranged for a large group of eighteen club members and guests to eat that evening at the Italian Concept Restaurant, which is a short walk from the moorings. The cruising group were joined by Emelia (plus Toby and Edward -unfortunately Martin was unable to join them due to a recurrence of Covid)) , David and Bernie, Ann Marshal and Helen Chiverton We enjoyed a generally good (if expensive!) meal, although David had to return a plate of overcooked and rubbery calamari.
The cruising group adjourned after the meal for drinks and coffee aboard Scotch Mist.

Enterprise and Beatrice Rose departed early on Sunday morning, leaving the crews of Scotch Mist, Zephyr, Lady Farrington and Laird Tommy to enjoy a full breakfast at the Runneymede café, before they, too, departed for home. John and Geraldine aboard Laird Tommy stopped off at Staines to while away time before the Tuesday meeting, while the remaining boats cruised gently back to Penton Hook.
Many thanks to Geoff and Sally for organising a very successful and enjoyable event.

]]><![CDATA[Cruise to Middle Thames Yacht Club 2025]]>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/cruise-to-middle-thames-yacht-club-2025Cruise to Middle Thames Yacht Club 2025

Three boats and their crews joined the visit to Middle Thames Yacht Club over the weekend of 1st – 3rd September, namely Scotch Mist, Laird Tommy and Zephyr.
The three boats cruised in company down river to Middle Thames’s clubhouse, located behind Sunbury Lock, leaving PH at lunchtime and arriving at MTYC at teatime. The weather was excellent, a perfect September day.
The Vice Commodore now moors Laird Tommy at MTYC, and this visit served as his transfer trip.

Mooring at MTYC involved reversing 75 metres or so down a narrow aisle between the bank and moored boats on the outer pontoon. All Albany boats negotiated this in excellent fashion. Geoff, aboard Zephyr, was particularly pleased with himself as Zephyr is not the easiest craft to steer in reverse!
Geoff had booked the crews into the Weir pub for an evening meal. The food was very good and universally enjoyed. The evening finished aboard Scotch Mist for after dinner drinks and coffee and a Movie quiz presented by Sharon. It transpired that our combined knowledge of the movies was not exactly great, but the quiz was fun.
Saturday activities (once again in lovely weather) consisted of a trip by ferry across the river to the Walled Garden. Tony & Sharon had never visited this before, and were most impressed, not only with the beautiful garden itself, but also the Embroidery Exhibition which is a permanent feature (though the exhibits change every few weeks). An excellent lunch was then taken at the Flowerpot pub, seated outside in balmy sunshine, before a gentle stroll back to the ferry and the boats. Everyone appreciated a ‘free’ afternoon, mostly spent napping! The day finished with a BBQ cooked by the Commodore and VC, at which we were joined by several members of MTYC. Congratulations to the ladies for providing a real feast! After dinner drinks and coffee were taken aboard Scotch Mist.

Geraldine had organised a Sunday Brunch fry-up, which she anticipated would be straightforward. It would have been if we had, collectively, been able to turn the gas supply to the stove on! This defeated us, so the bacon and sausages were cooked in the air fryer, and Sharon took a large frying pan back to Scotch Mist to cook the eggs, managing to get them back to the table still hot. What a woman! As we cleared up afterwards, we found a plug socket and switch which controls the safety gas cut off had been used to plug in the air fryer, and this was hidden from view. We will know next time! The breakfast itself was superb (many thanks, Geraldine), and set us up for the gentle cruise back to PH. As we arrived back, a stiff breeze blew up making mooring an interesting experience! Scotch Mist has a new scratch in her gelcoat!

]]><![CDATA[Joint Commodore’s Sail Past]]>Sun, 31 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.albanymyc.org.uk/commodores-blog/joint-commodores-sail-pastJoint Commodore’s Sail Past

This was held on Sunday August 31st at Weybridge Mariners clubhouse as part of a weekend of joint activities.
Russ and Mary attended WMC on Friday evening, along with Terry and Mandy, and were instructed on manning the bar. By all accounts, they performed admirably, and will be an asset to WMC in this regard in the future.

Members gathered variously at the Thames Court moorings (or, in the case of the Commodore, at the WMC mooring) on Saturday, in preparation for a supper at WMC that evening, organised and catered by Mandy, with the able assistance of Sharon, Sally and Terry. This was a splendid event, with a choice of chicken or lamb shank (with veggie option) deliciously cooked by the aforementioned “crew”. We were well entertained during and after the meal by a talented singer / guitarist.

The following morning, members moved their boats to the bank side moorings opposite WMC
The dress code was “club formal” with gentlemen in whites and club blazer and ladies in club polo shirts and white slacks or wearing club scarves. Rob Fry (WMC club secretary) had provided a Program and Order of Passage as detailed below:-

Sail Past2025 Program
1100 hours.       Assemble at the EA Weybridge Riverside.
1130 hours.     A briefing may be held for skippers, if requested.
1200 hours.     Depart from the EA Weybridge Riverside moorings at 1200 hours, cruising in line astern through Desborough Cut, returning to the clubhouse via the main river passing Lady Lindsey's Lawn to the north of Desborough Island and D'Oyley Carte Island to pass the clubhouse at 1230 hours. While cruising in line astern all boats should keep station at a safe distance, "three boat lengths" astern of the boat they are following. Keeping station is important to ensure that non-participating craft cannot join the flotilla.
1230 hours.
Pass the clubhouse and salute the Commodore (Commodores) by lowering your boats Red Ensign, raising it again after passing the clubhouse. The red ensign flying on the clubhouse flagpole will be dipped "lowered & raised" to return your salute. While your ensign is lowered, all skippers & crew should greet their Commodore by raising a glass (or saluting with the traditional naval salute if wearing a nautical cap) or in any other way you feel appropriate.
Immediately after raising your ensign, proceed upriver to a safe distance from other boats to come about and return to the EA Weybridge Riverside moorings. After mooring, take the ferry across the river to the clubhouse where a buffet lunch will be served from 1330 hours.
1330 hours.      Reception and complimentary buffet lunch.
Flag Etiquette.     All craft should fly their club burgee from the main mast and their ensign on the stern. No other flags, burgees or bunting may be flown.
Fenders.                  All fenders must be up while sailing past the clubhouse & saluting the Commodores.
Dress code.      Gentlemen should wear no' 1's “club blazer, club tie, white shirt, white trousers”.
Ladies may wear whatever they feel is appropriate, adorned by their club scarf & lapel badge if they so wish.

Order of Passage
Alouette                                     (WMC)
Festivity                                     (WMC)
Lady Farrington                            (Terry & Mandy)
Lotte                                              (WMC)
Santiago                                     (WMC)
Muachina                                     (WMC)
What Knot                                     (WMC)

Scotch Mist                            (David, Linda, Sharon)
Laird Tommy                            (John & Geraldine)
Zephyr                                     (Geoff & Sally)
Beatrice Rose                            (Robbie & Jill)
Blue Dimension                            (Russ & Mary)
Lady Farrington                            (Terry & Mandy)

Kalipso                                      (Rob Fry. WMC secretary)

Lady Farrington sailed past twice, as Terry and Mandy belong to both clubs.
Roy Nash (Commodore WMC) and Tony Rogers (Commodore Albany MYC) accepted the salutes of the participating vessels from the balcony of WMC’s clubhouse.
The event concluded with a very convivial buffet lunch, catered by Mandy, once again.

I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to all Albany members who attended, making it a truly memorable event for me. I would also like to thank David and Linda for attending and crewing Scotch Mist for me.
Special thanks must be given to Roy Nash for the original invitation to Albany to join WMC for this event, and to Mandy for suggesting it be extended to make a full weekend of activities. Mandy must also be congratulated for the excellent catering throughout the weekend (ably assisted by Sharon and Sally)
As this was such a marked success, I will be in touch with Roy Nash to see if we can make this an annual event.

]]>