AMYC Cruise to Sonning 28th-31st July 2023Following last year’s successful cruise to Sonning’s Mill Theatre, it had been decided to make this an annual fixture. So it was that six boats met up at Sonning on Saturday 29th July. Three boats (Ginista, Zephyr and Beatrice Rose) set out together from PH on Friday 28th July. The crews had gathered on Ginista the evening before for drinks. Sally, Geoff and daughter Helen then ate aboard Zephyr, while Tony & Sharon and Robbie and Gill adjourned to PHYC for a pleasant supper meal. The three boats made a prompt start next morning for the gentle cruise to Bray. All responded to the VHF “cast off” message, but only Ginista and Zephyr arrived at PH lock. Where was Beatrice Rose? Surely Robbie couldn’t get lost already? He appeared 5 minutes later, rather sheepishly admitting that he had pulled away from the pontoon without disconnecting his shore power (we’ve all done it at some time!) Cable issue sorted out, the three boats then took it gently to Bray, where moorings had been reserved for us. Robbie’s usual luck held, as he got a place right outside the Mediterranevm restaurant After a wash and brush-up the crews gathered for drinks on Zephyr. Sally produced a strange (but tasty) selection of hors d’oevres, including cheese for Tony (Sharon having forgotten to bring any – arrrgh!) We then tottered the few steps to the restaurant, where we enjoyed a very good (if expensive) supper. We made another prompt start on Saturday morning for the rather longer leg of the cruise to Sonning. The three boats became four when we were joined by Blue Dimension (Russ and Mary) at Henley. For future reference, this leg took approximately seven hours. Moorings had been reserved at the stretch run by Sonning Boats and Launches. This is on the towpath on the right (upriver) side, below Sonning bridge We arrived to find that Chris and Lin (aboard Enterprise ) and Terry and Mandy ( aboard Lady Farrington ) had beaten us to it, both having already been up river. Enterprise and Lady Farrington had found moorings on the opposite bank, outside the Coppas pub. Ginista, Zephyr and Beatrice Rose moored on the Sonning Boats side (Robbie actually grounded and had to deploy his passarelle to get ashore) while Blue Dimension slotted in behind Lady Farrington. We thus ended up with half the club boats on one side of the river and half on the other. Notwithstanding, we met for drinks on Enterprise. (Lin makes a great Pimm’s, and even had a potted mint plant for that authentic touch!) We were joined on Enterprise by David and Linda and Les and Margaret who had both made the journey by car. After a break to wash and change, we met up at the bar in the Mill Theatre for drinks, followed by an excellent buffet meal in the restaurant, all included in the ticket price. We were then treated to a fantastic show, entitled “Dazzling Divas” performed by Issy van Randwyck and her backing musicians. This relates the lives and legendary music of Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe, Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Karen Carpenter, Mamma Cass and Dusty Springfield. Issy van Randwyck was not a name familiar to any of us, but she put on a tour de force performance, seamlessly integrating some of their best-known songs into the (mostly tragic) life stories of these great artistes. She received a very well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the show. We returned to our boats and hotel still buzzing with enjoyment. The two-way split in the Albany fleet continued next morning as Ginista, Zephyr and Beatrice Rose set off back to PH (not before Robbie had managed to unground) while Lady Farrington and Blue Dimension headed further up river, and Enterprise returned to Henley. Zephyr moored at Cookham for the night (surprisingly, there were quite a few mooring spots all along the route) while Ginista and Beatrice Rose pushed on to Bray just as the rain started. Ginista must drop her radar arch for a number of bridges, including that at the entry to Bray Marina. This involves unzipping the rear canopy – no problem in the dry, but a recipe for a soaking when the rain falls, as it did, just as we were mooring up. Zips also become stubbornly recalcitrant just when you don’t want them to. The result was that Sharon looked as if she had fallen in! We eventually made her (Ginista, that is, not Sharon) watertight and adjourned for a well-earned dink and a meal aboard. We made our separate ways back to PH on Monday morning. Ginista had to time her departure to take advantage of a lull in the rain to avoid a further soaking but managed to keep dry throughout the trip. All was going smoothly until we arrived at Bell Weir lock. There was much activity as we arrived, with a team of divers setting up their equipment. We were ushered into the lock but were then told that there would be a delay while the divers went down. This turned out to be about 40 minutes. Just as well there was the final day of the Ashes test series on the radio for entertainment. (What a game and what a series!) The delay allowed Zephyr to catch up and we then cruised on to PH. All in all, a very successful cruise, with the high spot, definitely, the great show at the Mill Theatre. Thank you, Albany, for such a good turnout and for your excellent company. We will certainly repeat the fixture next season.
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On cruise from Penton Hook to Eastbourne Started Friday 16th June 2023 to Monday 26th June 2023. On Cruise were: Ginista - Tony & Sharon accompanied with Jasmin Laird TOMMY XX - John & Geraldine accompanied with Wendy (John’s Cousin) for part of cruise. Friday 16th June 2023 John picked up Wendy from Heathrow airport after flying from Santiago Chile to spend just under 3 months visiting family in the UK. We headed off at about 15:20 and headed for Shepperton and had an enjoyable evening with Weybridge Maniers playing Skittles against a members housing association. Unfortunately We were on the losing team with Weybridge. Saturday 17th June 2023 Left Shepperton about 09:45 heading for Teddington then Chatham. Laird Tommy popped into Shepperton marina for some fuel and purchased a burgee flagpole so he could fly his Vice Commodore flag. Ginista carried on to Teddington to walk Jasmin and wait for Laird Tommy. Through Teddington lock at about 13:00 and headed down river to Chatham marina and moored at 20:05. Sharon made a nice meal for the 5 of us on board Ginista. Sunday 18th June 2023 Leaving Chatham heading for Dover. Left moorings at 12:00. Ginista led the way through the Princes channel and we moored up at 18:30 in the new inner harbour. We dined out in the Dover Patrol to celebrate John & Geraldine’s 40th Ruby wedding anniversary. We met Ross Fisher who was rowing from Battersea to Felpham, Bognor Regis. He started on 13 June and after a few mishaps on route, (including falling into the marina at Dover and damaging his phone) he completed the row on 25 June, with the wind mostly against him all the way. He was hoping to raise £5,000 for Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice in Sussex. I now see today he has raised £10,000. (Both boats made a contribution to his charity) Monday 19th June 2023 Leaving Dover to head for Eastbourne our final destination of this South Coast Cruise, before we turn around and head home, after a couple of days in Eastbourne. We left the marina through the West side at 10:45. Just after 11:00 Laird Tommy lost power in one of its engines, but managed to get it started again. However, at 11:15 both engines lost power and after trying on numerous occasions to restart the engines nothing was happening. Even tried the usual IT reset but that didn’t work. We are now drifting about 5nm outside of Folkestone and at the mercy of the sea with a slight swell. Ginista’s crew offered to come along side Laird Tommy to raft the 2 boats together and then return to Dover marina. However, the swell picked up and caused the 2 boats to rock about which made it very difficult to level the 2 boats to tie them together, even after the second attempt. After the 2 boats sustained minor damage it was decided to abort this manoeuvre, and Laird Tommy would send a Pan Pan message at 12:15. Unfortunately this wasn’t heard by anyone, apart from Ginista, who reported that it was a very good & clear message. (Forgot to switch the vhs radio to high power to broadcast the message in the heat of the moment, hopefully won’t forgot next time, if it happens again 🤞). Laird Tommy then proceeded to call 999 @ 12:17 and ask for the Coastguard, which successfully worked. A general broadcast was made by the Coastguard to see if any boats in the area could assist, but no response, so the RNLI Dover lifeboat was deployed @ 12:54 to assist and tow Laird Tommy. It seemed like a long time but finally you could see a high powered boat heading to our position, which indeed was the lifeboat, arrived @ about 13:30 and now about 3nm off the coast of Folkestone. Contact was made on the radio and instructions given while they circled us and as they saw 2 cleats on the bow they asked would we accept the tow. Laird Tommy was quick in giving a positive response. So the RNLB City of London ll 17-09 lifeboat (the largest in the fleet) Dover’s Seven Class All-Weather Lifeboat (ALB), started to reverse as close as possible so they could throw the throwing line onto Laird Tommy. Geraldine and John had both moved to the bow of the boat to catch the throwing line which they managed to catch between them on the first attempt. We then proceeded to pull the throwing line in and drag the towing rope through the sea till we had the bridle to attach to the 2 cleats and then the tow back to Dover started. Once permission was granted to enter the outer harbour the lifeboat came to a stop, as it was very calm and the tow rope was removed and the lifeboat manoeuvred to our starboard side and then we were rafted to the lifeboat for the short journey into the tidal harbour and moored up on the hammer head opposite the lifeboat station at 14:55. Once moored, one of the RNLI mechanics came on board to offer his assistance, accepted and I was on the phone to the boatyard and between the 3 of us, and after about 0.75 hour we managed to start both engines. The boatyard think I might not have had the throttles in neutral which stopped the engines starting, I thought I had them in neutral but in the heat of the moment who knows. Next time I will check that first. Big learning curve. The boatyard think the engines may have cut out for 2 reasons. 1. A bit of dirt went through the fuel pump which hopefully would have cleared. 2. The propellers may have picked up something to make then stop and shut down the system, the sensors are very sensitive. But by the time we got back to Dover marina it had cleared. When we checked the on board computer system there were no faults recorded for either the port or starboard engines. We decided to be prepared for any further problems and the chandlery at Dover have made up a tow rope of 36 meters with a bridle each end. Hopefully we will never use it 🤞 The RNLI crew were brilliant and as a thank you to them, we gave them a crate of beer, to show our appreciation and a bottle of Brandy to Tony and Sharon, it was so nice to know they were right beside us in case of further problems. We started the engines at 16:45 to leave the tidal harbour and proceeded round to the new inner harbour and moored at 17:17 next to Ginista. Out to Cullin’s Yard pub and restaurant for a meal, a quirky pub to say the least. We have noticed that we are famous and on social media on Facebook - Dover RNLI Lifeboat Station and Twitter - @DoverRNLI Tuesday 20th June 2023 Staying in Dover marina Some shopping to replenish supplies. Wednesday 21st June 2023 John walked Wendy to Dover station so she could start her journey to Liverpool to see her Mum and family. Plan to leave Dover today at 12:00 however, a bank of fog/mist descended over dover and we lost sight of the castle and the white cliffs so decision taken to remain in Dover marina for another night. 2 friends of John & Geraldine who live near Deal came over to see Laird Tommy and they brought fish & chips on board for the 6 of us. Thursday 22nd June 2023 Started engines at 06:49 to head to Ramsgate, just a short hop to see what happens to Laird Tommy. Out the harbour @ 07:11 John slowly took Laird Tommy up to 20 knots and everything seemed ok so he open the throttles to the max and got up to 33 knots, with no problem. Got into Ramsgate Harbour and moored at 08:50. Walked into Ramsgate to the Wetherspoon’s for a well deserved breakfast. Then went shopping for more supplies. In the afternoon Sharon & Geraldine decided to go for a swim off the beach outside the Wetherspoon’s pub, while Tony & John took Ginista round to the refuelling pontoon. We went out to IL Tricolore Italian restaurant. Friday 23rd June 2023 Left Ramsgate harbour at 07:00 Ginista took Queens Channel and then Four Fathoms Channel and Laird Tommy took the inner inner channel through South channel and Gore channel and joined Ginista through Four Fathoms Channel. Turned onto the Medway at 10:00, outside Chatham lock at 11:10. Laird Tommy took on fuel at 12:00 and then moored at 12:08. Geraldine prepared a meal onboard Laird Tommy for the 4 of us. Saturday 24th June 2023 Decided to stay in Chatham marina for a lazy day, walking around the Island of St Mary’s and a bit of retail therapy. Had our evening meal in Popadom Indian restaurant. Sunday 25th June 2023 Cast off at 10:50 through Chatham lock at 11:05. Heading for Teddington. 12:04 As we were about to leave the Medway we saw the Sheerness RNLI inflatable D class lifeboat out on the water. Then all of a sudden they were right beside us on our starboard side. I was about to slow down when they indicated for me to keep going as they appeared to be on a training run and explaining things to one of the crew how our boat and their rib affected each other being so close. It was thumbs up as they left then they went through our stern wake, the fishtail but then they came along side our Port side and did the same. Then more thumbs up another ride over the fishtail and off they went. Feel part of the RNLI family now. 😂 Onto the Thames @ 12:15, Tower Bridge @ 15:20.
Arrive early at Richmond so went through the lock, out at 17:43. Through Teddington lock and moored at 18:40 after John did a parallel manoeuvre to moor in a space just large enough for Laird Tommy. The towpath was very busy with over a 100 young adults jumping into the river and having fun. Had a meal at the Anglers. Every evening we ended up on either boat for a night cap or two. Monday 26th June 2023 Heading for Penton Hook Cast off at 11:28 Sunbury lock 13:20 had a long wait and it was very windy. Moored up in Penton Hook at 15:35 Very enjoyable cruise, good weather and great company. The main event in June has been the South Coast cruise to Eastbourne.
Two boats made the trip, Genista, crewed by Tony & Sharon and Laird Tommy xx crewed by John and Geraldine with John’s cousin Wendy in attendance, fresh from a flight from Chile! The cruise was due to start on Friday 16th June, but this clashed with a skittles evening at Weybridge Mariners . The clash was resolved by mooring at Shepperton on the Friday evening to allow the two crews to attend the skittles, along with Les and Margaret who attended by car. Weybridge Mariners put on a most enjoyable evening, as usual. The skittles match was actually between them and the Gaylard Skittlers. Albany joined with WMYC but to no avail as the event was won comprehensively by the Gaylard Skittlers. The two boats cruising the South Coast set off at a civilised hour the next day in order for Laird Tommy to take on fuel at Shepperton Marina, aiming to arrive at Teddington Lock around midday. From there we cruised on to Richmond in time for free flow through the barrier in the early afternoon, followed by the run down through London and on to Chatham. This was a pleasant and unremarkable trip in good weather, arriving at Chatham in the early evening, where Sharon prepared a splendid meal for both crews aboard Ginista. As John has already written a comprehensive report of the cruise, I refer readers to that for further details. Suffice to say it was a most enjoyable event, with just enough incidents to keep it memorable (Laird Tommy being towed back to Dover by the RNLI after an electrical gremlin stopped both engines and having to delay departure from Dover as sea fog descended and the castle and White Cliffs disappeared from view) The Commodore would like to record his thanks to all involved for their company and hard work. Hopefully we can get more boats involved next year. The other event in the month was a visit to the Thames Small Boat Club 70th Anniversary celebration held at their clubhouse on Steven’s Ait, just below Kingston Bridge. Ginista and Laird Tommy made the short cruise down from PH on Saturday 8th July, timing our departure to avoid the thunderstorm that was forecast for lunchtime. The river was packed with paddle boarders, wild swimmers and small yachts, not to mention the Kingston Rowing Regatta which was in full swing as we passed through. This meant the trip of approximately 10NM took three and a half hours! We arrived at Steven’s Ait around 6pm where excellent moorings had been reserved for us. The event started at 7pm with a welcome drink (we managed to get a whole bottle of prosecco between the four of us) Tables were arranged beneath open marquees, and there was a large open grassed dance area. Fortunately, the evening weather was dry and balmy. The buffet consisted of a hog roast that had been cooking slowly all day. This was really excellent. We had a good chance to swap tales with officers from TSBC and also spent the evening on the same table as Kelvin, Commodore of MTYC. This proved useful as we were able to discuss details of the upcoming events with MTYC at West India Dock and their annual ball. We even manage a few dances to the DJ’s music whenever he played something we recognised! We departed sharp at 9am the next morning for a much less fraught trip back to PH. Many thanks to TSBC for their great organisation and best wishes to them for the next 70 years! Pirates’ Weekend, 3rd – 4th June 2023 At last! An Albany event that didn’t need re-arranging due to adverse weather conditions! The forecast for the weekend was unbroken sunshine and warm temperatures. So it was that 13 of the crew of the pirate ship “Albany”, suitably dressed in authentic pirate garb, gathered for their annual Pirate’s BBQ at the BBQ area at Penton Hook. Captain Jack Sparrow (aka Tony) duly ignited the charcoal with his trusty flamethrower and the scene was set for an excellent meal, washed down with large quantities of Rum Punch and Pimm’s (Albany is a very middle-class pirate organisation!) This was followed by suitable pirate activities such as walking the plank blindfolded (the plank was securely attached at ground level to avoid too many injuries!) and a pirate themed quiz which was won by the Commodore, despite protests that he had had advance notice of the questions! Mandy had “double-booked” the BBQ area for a surprise birthday event for Terry, but this was amicably sorted out between us as they intended their event to start at 4pm and we were able to clear the area by 3pm. Six “pirates”, Tony and Sharon, John and Geraldine and Geoff and Sally, later met in the clubhouse for an excellent evening meal. The weekend finished on the Sunday with a cruise to Runnymede. As Ginista is currently immobile due to a steering problem, Tony & Sharon crewed for Geoff and Sally aboard Zephyr. She was joined by Laird Tommy (John and Geraldine) and Lady Farrington (Terry and Mandy). The Pirate Fleet moored at the “secret warehouse” at Runnymede and were welcomed aboard Laird Tommy for an excellent lunch of leftovers, made special by Mandy’s cooked additions. A gentle cruise back to PH in balmy summer sunshine ended what had been a most enjoyable weekend. The Commodore would like to thank all who took part for making it a special occasion.
Commodore’s and Club Officer’s Meet and Greet at Weybridge Mariners Sunday May 21st 2023 Three boats and their crews attended Weybridge Mariners’ Commodore’s Meet & Greet on Sunday May 21st, Ginista (Tony & Sharon) Laird Tommy (John & Geraldine) and Zephyr (Geoff & Sally).
The weather was set fair and the three boats left from Penton Hook at 9.00am for the short down-river cruise to Weybridge, where moorings had been reserved for us on the Weybridge bank opposite WMC’s clubhouse. We arrived in plenty of time to change into our tidy clothes and club regalia, and to chat with members of Upper Thames Yacht Club who had arrived the previous day. WMC provided their electric launch as a water taxi to ferry guests to the clubhouse where we began the serious business of “networking” with other clubs. A useful contact was made with the Commodore of the Thames Small Boat Club who invited us to attend their Summer Party on Saturday 8th July at their clubhouse on Steven’s Eyot. WMC provided an excellent cold buffet lunch, and their bar was open throughout. All was going swimmingly until Sharon decided to be helpful and return 6 empty glasses to the bar. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the raised track of the patio doors opening onto the balcony and fell headlong into the clubhouse, still clutching the glasses, which shattered on contact, inflicting several deep cuts to her wrist, elbow and hands. Our resident nurse / paramedic team of Geraldine and John immediately swung into action to staunch the bleeding (making the best use of the well out of date first aid kit provided by WMC). Rob, the WMC Hon Sec, kindly offered to ferry Sharon and Tony to St Peter’s Hospital A & E dept where they spent the afternoon as Sharon was x-rayed and stitched up (I think we counted 23 stiches in all). Geoff and Sally, who had returned with Zephyr to PH, gallantly offered to pick us up from St Peter’s and drop us back at the boat, where John and Geraldine had been looking after our other crew member “Jasmine”, the Italian Greyhound. Geraldine had also prepared a delicious supper which was most appreciated as the buffet sandwiches were, by then, a distant memory. Given the time, it was decided that Ginista and Laird Tommy would stay the night and return to PH the next day. Due to her injuries, Sharon was unable to handle ropes and so helmed Ginista, while Tony acted as foredeck crew. Both were a little rusty at their respective tasks, but the cruise was completed with no further disasters. Tony & Sharon would like to record their sincere thanks to John and Geraldine and Geoff and Sally for their help and kindness. Albany should never travel anywhere without our in-house medical team! Postscript from the Hon Sec with regards to what happened after Tony & Sharon set off to A&E. The WMC Commodore’s Meet & Greet resumed and opportunities were found to network again with the other clubs as other guests expressed their concern for Sharon and hoped that she would be okay. At the culmination of the event, the electric boat was once again engaged as Zephyr’s crew needed to get back to Penton Hook in order to collect Tony & Sharon once they were released from the NHS. Zephyr made an uneventful return trip and her crew returned home to await the phone call, which duly came at 1930. The day finished pleasantly for Tony & Sharon and Jasmine who, I understand, were well looked after by John & Geraldine. Rochester Sweeps Festival, Mayday Bank Holiday weekend 2023 After weeks of the river being red boarded, the boating gods finally smiled on us in the last days of April and the cruise to Chatham for the Rochester Sweeps Festival was on! Three boats made the trip. Enterprise, Ginista and Laird Tommy. David and Linda arrived by car and stayed at the Travel Lodge in Chatham. Chris and Lin aboard Enterprise opted to depart on Wed 26th, a day ahead of Tony and Sharon on Ginista and John and Geraldine aboard Laird Tommy. John was particularly keen to make the trip as he was booked onto a 5 day, RYA Day Skipper course aboard the training ship Maaike Maria in Chatham Marina. The crews of Ginista and Laird Tommy met up at Teddington on Thursday 27th April and enjoyed a meal at the Tide End Cottage before an early start on the Friday to get the benefit of the ebb tide and free flow through Richmond Lock. The weather was kind, with no rain forecast and light to moderate winds. Progress was uneventful through London and after Margaret Ness we were able to open the throttles (until Ginista was abruptly reminded by Thames VTS on VHF that there was a speed restriction in force!) Once clear of the restricted area we again pushed the speed up to a comfortable 16-18 knots. John, on Laird Tommy, could not resist the temptation to really open his throttles, and shot past Ginista as if we were standing still. Possibly mindful of how fast he burns through petrol when at full speed, he performed an elegant power turn and resumed station behind Ginista. All had gone really well, and we were approaching the 6 knot speed limit on the Medway when Genista’s starboard engine coughed and died. She was able to maintain 9 knots on one engine and so made it to Chatham Marina safely. Maneuvering in the lock and later to her berth was a little challenging, but luckily the wind was light and all was accomplished successfully. The journey from Teddington had taken a little over six hours. A quick change of the primary fuel filter didn’t help and the engine refused to start. Somewhat deflated, Chris and Lin invited everyone aboard Enterprise to drown our sorrows. David and Linda had already arrived and were several drinks ahead of us It was, of course, the start of a Bank Holiday weekend, so the chances of getting an engineer were slim. Luckily, Chris had a contact he had used previously (Kevin from Kent Marine Services) and a quick phone call got through to him. He would come out to us on the Tuesday after the Bank Holiday! Much gin was then consumed aboard Enterprise in celebration! Chris and Lin, David and Linda and John and Geraldine had booked in advance to see Sur Le Dock in Rochester and duly set off in an Uber to the event, leaving Tony & Sharon to sleep it off aboard Ginista. The Sur Le Dock party ate at Pizza Express and returned to the boats in a very cramped Uber taxi. All except John (starting his RYA course) made our way into Rochester on Saturday to take in the festival acts (a mixed bag, some better than others). It has become tradition to have pie and mash for lunch on the Saturday. Chris had fallen off his diet wagon and had double pie, which was served inverted (to make it easier to add vinegar) It looked awful, but obviously tasted good as it disappeared in short order. Lin made up for Chris’ excess by going “dry pie”. Stories were exchanged of our various experiences of pie and mash shops in our youth. More acts and several beers followed during the afternoon before we made our own way back to the Marina and pre dinner drinks. Sadly, David and Linda then had to return home The intention had been to eat that evening in the Ship and Trades, but they were fully booked so we made our own arrangements to eat aboard. Tony & Sharon and John and Geraldine got fish and chips and ate them aboard Laird Tommy while watching (and photographing) a spectacular sunset. A great day all round! We assume Chris and Lin’s departure went OK next morning, but it was far too early for any of us to notice (or care!) They sent us a picture as they passed the Thames barrier sometime before 11 am! They were early enough to push on after Teddington to make it back to PH that day. Sunday morning was a leisurely affair followed by a late trip into Rochester for more Morris dancers and music groups. We had been able to book the Ship and Trades for supper that evening, and six of us enjoyed a very convivial meal. On returning to Ginista, Tony put the Eberspacher heater on. It started and ran for a few minutes before spluttering and dying. This was a lightbulb moment! The diesel heater draws its fuel from the same tank as the starboard engine. Could the tank have run dry? Both fuel gauges still showed almost full. This should have raised concern as neither had gone down since leaving Teddington. The decision was taken to put some fuel in the next day and try to start the engine. On the Bank holiday Monday, Chris and Lin went into Rochester early. John went off to his course, Tony, Sharon and Geraldine went into the Festival for a few hours in the afternoon to watch the closing parade (which was a bit of a let down after last year as many of the dance troupes had left early) Tony took Ginista to the fuel dock and put a hundred litres of diesel in each tank, but still the starboard engine refused to start, probably due to air in the fuel system. Much scratching of head and poring over the manual followed to see how to bleed the engine. Tony finally decided to leave it to the expert who was booked for the Tuesday. Chris and Lin were leaving for home at silly o’clock the following morning but hosted us all aboard Enterprise for drinks before kicking us off early to get some sleep. Kevin, the engineer, duly arrived at Ginista on Tuesday morning, and as expected, the problem was air in the fuel line. He had the engine running inside twenty minutes. Lesson learned: Just because the fuel gauge says there is fuel in the tank, it doesn’t mean there actually is! Now the only problem is getting replacement sender units as those fitted are obsolete.
Tuesday evening was spent with John and Geraldine aboard Ginista, where Sharon cooked spaghetti Bolognese and Geraldine provided the sweet. Much red wine was consumed. John was to take the course exam the next day and so benefitted from some Dutch Courage. Wednesday was a quiet day as Geraldine had returned home by train for a day’s babysitting duties and John was busy with the Day Skipper exam. We gathered on Ginista in the late afternoon to welcome John back. Although parts of the test had still to be marked, he had been told he had a good pass! Congratulations to him! Ginista had fully refueled earlier in the day, and Tony & Sharon then assisted John and Geraldine to refuel ready for the trip home next day. Neither of us got away with less than a £1,000 fuel bill! Despite the shock of the fuel costs, we celebrated John’s exam success that evening with an excellent meal out at the newly opened Babasheesh restaurant on Quay 5. We made an early start next morning, locking out at 6 am (though not as early as Chris and Lin on Tuesday) and got a good run up to the Isle of Grain where we encountered wind at force 4 and a 1 metre wave height. Luckily this quickly abated (as we had predicted from the various forecasts) and after a bumpy half hour we then had wind over tide and a comfortable run back to London. So good was the effect of a flood tide and a following wind that we reached Richmond more than an hour ahead of schedule and before the barrier was raised. The decision was taken to use the lock, which saved us an hour wait, but cost us £11.00!!! Like Chris two days before us, we decided to push on beyond Teddington and made it back to Penton Hook by 5pm. The whole journey took Eleven hours including a 45minute stop at Teddington to stretch our legs and give the dog a walk. Not bad going! The weather had been very kind to us throughout and the Festival was generally good (and well worth a visit for anyone not having been before) Thank you to all who attended for making it a memorable week and congratulations, once again, to John for his success on the Day Skipper course. The 2023 Programme promised a Boat Handling Day and an Easter Weekend Cruise, unfortunately, the Commodore forgot to mention that to the British weather and the River Thames, both of which behaved with the unpredictability of which we are all familiar!
The Boat Handling Day had to take account of unexpectedly strong winds on the day and thus became a landlocked training day which included a knot tying refresher followed by a CPR demonstration and training in the use of the club’s Defibrillator. A tasty lunch was also included courtesy of the Commodore and Hon Treasurer. Thanks are given to Tony for the knot tying session, David for the CPR and Defib training, and Sharon for the tasty lunch. For anyone interested, the Boat Handling Day is still expected to go ahead this year, date to be confirmed. The planned cruise over the Easter Weekend was thwarted by the River Thames being completely Red Boarded from top to toe! But once again Tony, our Commodore, managed to create a very enjoyable Plan B, which was marina based and supported by most club members. The Weekend commenced on Friday evening on board Ginista, as Tony and Sharon hosted a delicious supper and light-hearted card games. On Saturday and Sunday, there was a full programme of games, activities, snacks and buffet lunches, produced by Sharon, all of which were set up on the grass near to the PHYC in full view of the marina. Chris & Lin kindly lent their gazebo and set up the Albany stand. The games and fun activities included a blind hot cross bun tasting session, whereby we had to match on a score card, the shop which sold the bun, its cost and description. There were four options and marks given for each element. As the winner, Geraldine gained an incredible 12 out of 16 marks. Egg decorating provided more entertainment and attracted a number of passers by who opted to join in with the fun. Various resources were provided to aid the decoration including bits of fabric, pens and jewels. Lin’s Bride & Groom won 1st place. Geraldine’s Bride achieved 2nd place and Robbie’s Donald Trump egg was 3rd. After lunch, we divided into two teams of ladies versus the gents, to play raw egg croquet. The key challenge of this game proved to be how not to break the egg before it reached the end of the course! Ernie, the Labrador proved to be a great asset as he obligingly cleared up all the eggs that got broken on the grass. The afternoon finished with light refreshments before everyone departed to get ready for an enjoyable evening meal at the clubhouse, which was attended by 14 club members. On Sunday, the activities continued under the gazebo on the grassy area next to the PHYC, with an unusual version of Pass the Parcel, a fascinating Easter Quiz and making Easter boxes filled with mini chocolate eggs. The festivities were finally wound up after lunch and the site cleared away. To conclude, having thwarted our originally intended Easter Cruise, the weather had proved to be pleasantly warm and sunny and combined with Plan B, the resulting weekend was a great success. Thanks are given to Tony, Sharon, Chris and Lin and everyone else who contributed to make this a very enjoyable weekend. Sally, Zephyr Our thanks to the Association of Thames Yacht Clubs for arranging the Spring Ball this year at the Runnymede Hotel & Spa in Chertsey.
It was very well attended and as usual the Albany members, who I think scrub up rather well, had a great evening!! Thank you all for making it a truly fun event. This year we held our annual Christmas dinner at the Kingfisher, Chertsey, which was again well attended with some 30 lunches having been booked. It's great to get back to the normality of meeting in person and socialising - something that it feels we relegated to zoom for far too long!
Following on from our AGM in November, flags of office were exchanged, with David Gilbert (Left) standing down as Commodore for the past two years, Tony Rogers (centre) and John Cochrane (right) stepping up as Commodore and Vice Commodore respectively for 2023. Other changes saw Sally Chiverton become Secretary, taking over from Ann Marshall. The cruise started at Teddington where Ginista meet up with Enterprise 111on Sunday 22 May. The two boats made their way to Chatham the following day and meet up with Lockdown Dream.
We spent the day preparing our boats for the trip to Ramsgate and departed on the next stage to Ramsgate on Wednesday 25th. The forecast was not good, with warnings of 25mph winds and gusts up to 30mph and meter high waves. The crews discussed the situation and agreed to go ahead, on reflection we should have waited an extra day, because as we rounded North Foreland, we found the bad weather. At Ramsgate we all agreed it was a mistake and would not do a crossing like that again. It was a good lesson learned, but it was good to see that the crews and boat could handle the situation, should we ever get caught out in weather like that again. We spent two days relaxing in Ramsgate and on the 27th Lockdown Dream and Enterprise 111 left for Dunkerque. Ginista however stayed at Ramsgate as negotiating French customs rules for getting their dogs into France was too problematic. The journey across the channel was not too bad with a little on beam sea and only a slight choppy, and we managed to maintain an average speed of about 12 knots. Our waypoints worked well and it was good to see the Red mid channel Sandete light ship, the crossing took about 4hr and we had a good mooring at Marina de Nord in Dunkerque yacht club. The Commodore however to use his medical skills not long after our arrival as a woman who just arrived on a sailing boat suffered an open fracture ankle. Assistance was given with the help of the French dock master who translated between myself while we waited for the ambulance crew. The next four days were spent exploring and we were lucky enough to see the Operation Dynamo commemorations day with dignitaries and the town band march along the promenade to the memorial where floral tributes were laid. We were later greeted by two RAF Spitfires doing a flypast along the beach. The operation Dynamo Museum was enlightening and so was the British War Graves we visited, a ceremony was being held there led by the Royal British Legion, which was very moving. It was very moving as we walked around Dunkirque to see many British flags flying on many buildings, which made us all very proud. On the down side was the price of diesel in France and at EU 2.30 per litre, and then the exchange rate made for an expensive return trip. The weather for our trip back to Ramsgate was very good with excellent visibility, it was amazing to see both the French coast and the White Cliffs of Dover at the same time. On our arrival at Ramsgate, we meet up with Ginista and spent the next two days walking around the area. Also while we were there the Enterprise crew meet up with a number of Dunkirk Little Ships and their crews, later some of them joined us in our favourite Italian in the evening. On the 2nd June we made our cruise back to Chatham, the conditions were fine as we approached North Foreland and the Princess Channel route back to the Medway. We were able to have a close-up view of the Red Sands Towers as we approached the route passing the Montgomery wreck. On Friday 3rd we returned to Teddington we had a fine meal at the Tide End Cottage. The following day all three boats made it safely back to Penton Hook Marina. Sadly however, the trip was planned by one of our members, who was not able to join us as he suffered a stroke shortly before the cruise. In his name we made sure that the cruise took place. David Gilbert Commodore |
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March 2024
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