Cruise to Hedsor Water and Pirate Day

Cruise to Hedsor Water and Pirate Day

Sally & Geoff organised a cruise to Hedsor Water on 7th – 11th August. Hedsor Water is the name of that stretch of the river below the weir pool and behind the lock at Cookham and is an idyllic setting. Sally had pre-booked bankside moorings with the lock keeper. Five boats made the trip, namely Kerry Anne, Lady Farrington, Laird Tommy, Scotch Mist and Zephyr. The boats first gathered at Baths Island in Windsor on Thursday evening. Members ate that evening at the Windsor & Eton Brewery The following day we enjoyed the gentle cruise to Cookham and the stress-free mooring arrangements at Hedsor. ​

​Unfortunately, the path into Cookham village over the weir has been closed this season for Health & Safety reasons, but we were able to enjoy our own facilities on the bank.  The Saturday activities were Pirate themed, with everyone in pirate costume – a truly terrifying sight!  There was a dinghy race and water pistol battle, with old technology (in the shape of a 60-year-old Seagull outboard on Zephyr’s tender) versus new, in the form of electric outboards powering the tenders of Laird Tommy and Lady Farrington.  Sixty-year-old technology won! (albeit in a cloud of exhaust fumes!)  Even the Commodore was able to partake in the dinghy activities after shedding his prosthetic leg.  An unflattering photo of said leg appeared on WhatsApp with the caption “The Commodore, legless as usual!”  Sharon and Sally provided much amusement by their efforts to find the right forward facing seating position when it was their turn in the dinghy.

​The highlight on Sunday was lunch at the Ferry Inn in Cookham. Due to the aforementioned closure of the walkway over the weir, we all piled aboard Lady Farrington to be transported around the island and through Cookham lock. Mandy once again came up trumps with canapes aboard during the short journey. Fortunately, Terry was able to moor on the Ropeway bankside, upstream of the pub so the walk to lunch wasn’t too demanding. The Sunday Lunch offered by the pub was excellent, especially the “Three Roast” option! Calorie consumption for the day was not finished yet, as we adjourned back to Hedsor for a slap-up, bankside tea, with cakes and pastries, to which everyone contributed. This was a magnificent way to end what had been a terrific event, blessed with excellent weather. Many thanks are due to Sally and Geoff for the overall planning, Mandy for the canapes and lemon drizzle cake (doused in Limoncello) and Terry for offering Lady Farrington for the trip on Sunday, and to everyone who attended for getting into the spirit of the Pirate events.