Easter Cruise 2026

Albany 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!