Commodore’s and Club Officers' Meet and Greet at Weybridge Mariners

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team of Geraldine and John immediately swung into action to staunch the bleeding (making the best use of the well out of date first aid kit provided by WMC).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.
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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.