WINDSOR, BATHS ISLAND - August 2024

WINDSOR, BATHS ISLAND 8 to 12 August 2024

​Enterprise III and lady Farrington arrived on Baths Island (from different directions) on Thursday 8 August and managed to moor with more spaces available. Zephyr and Laird Tommy left Penton Hook Marina on Friday morning, 9 August at 8:30. We had to operate Penton Hook lock ourselves but all the other three locks were all manned by Lock-keepers. We arrived at Baths Island and moored before midday. Lunch was then prepared on the Bankside.

​​The afternoon was left to do your own thing. Mandy went swimming, Lin had a paddle in her blow up arm chair. John & Geraldine borrowed Miss Farrington dinghy and went for a row around Baths Island accompanied by Chris & Lin in their dinghy with an outboard. The evening meal was left to each couple to fend for themselves and then we had drinks on the Bankside and raised a glass to Tony & Sharon, played a few games of magnetic chess which was great fun. PHYC were also on a cruise to Windsor and Baths Island became very busy with boats rafting 3 or 4 abreast. To give them a bit more room Lady Farrington gave up their mooring and rafted against Zephyr for the night.

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​Saturday 10 August Sally, Mandy and Geraldine walked into Windsor to get some shopping for the cream tea later that day and met Lin for a coffee. Then the three ladies watched the changing of the guard, which the waiting was actually much longer than the actual event. The 3 ladies decided to go for a swim and Terry had spotted a couple of moorings available on the inner channel of Baths Island with electric hookup, so decided to move Lady Farrington round with the help of Chris. Then Philip arrived in Kerry Anne V so we directed him round to the inner channel as well to moor in front of Lady Farrington. Once the ladies had returned from their swim we then had the afternoon cream tea on the Bankside. Terry helped blow up John’s dinghy and then Miss Farrington dinghy (electric motor) with Terry, Mandy and Sally with John & Geraldine in Little Tommy dinghy with oars went up to a wooden bridge opposite the race course and then turned round. LT accepted a tow back to save time.

​The evening meal was booked at the Cote Brasserie and when the majority of us arrived Chris and Lin were already there. However, Chris had seen that the end of the long table was positioned very close to the windows, so no elbow room. So Chris decided to move the table into the room slightly but as he pulled one of the tables full of glasses and a water jug the table collapsed and all the glass smashed on the floor. Chris apologised to the staff who were ok about it and just cleared anything up and reset the table. The 9 of us enjoyed a lovely evening meal at the Cote Brasserie on the Eton side of the river. Afterwards we walked back with an ice cream through Alexandra Gardens and Lin, Mandy and Sally had a trip on a large ferris wheel.

​Sunday 11 August Sunday lunch was booked at 12:00 at Browns and again we all enjoyed a good meal. In the afternoon Little Tommy dinghy with John & Geraldine went out again but this time borrowed Terry’s electric motor to see the difference. They were accompanied by Chris & Lin in their dinghy and went up the cut nearby where the boats from the French Brothers moored at night. In the evening we all chipped in with food and nibbles and enjoyed our last evening at the Bankside on Baths Island.

​Monday 12 August Enterprise and Laird Tommy slipped their moorings at about 8:00 to start the journey back to Penton Hook and Zephyr, Lady Farrington and Kerry Anne V left later on to head back. Great weekend and thanks to Geraldine for organising