Blogs

 ...not the sailing, the liver.

While others stayed in Blighty to celebrate HM’s Jubilee, we elected to invade one of the Crown’s former overseas possessions. What the rally lacked in numbers was made up for by the intensity of celebration. It all reinforced The Little Ship Club’s motto – boozing in good company.

By definition these events happen very rarely and we were privileged to be able to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on Sunday, 3^rd June.

The Club’s vantage point on the river enabled us to enjoy an unrivalled viewpoint from which to watch the River Pageant. Well over 200 members and guests crowded the Club to enjoy this unique spectacle, not even the weather could dampen the spirits on a day on which the Club presented a wonderful shop window of all that is great about the Little Ship Club. The view was spectacular, the food wonderful and the fellowship and spirit of celebration everything that you would expect. We were fortunate to have a unit of London URNU with us to salute the Royal boats and to dip the Club’s ensign in salute to the Queen and her family as they passed in front of the Club.

May I remind all LSC Members sailing around the coastline and visiting various wonderful places this summer to make it your goal - TO GET IN TOUCH WITH AS MANY HPOs AS POSSIBLE!   They are there for you - do make their day and give them the feeling of belonging to the Little Ship Club - too often they get missed or ignored.  Do make contact with the HPOs - they would all love to meet and hear from you!!

We have SHEEMAUN and SUHAILI  in the River Pageant on Sunday 3 June - do give them a wave if you happen to be passing down river on that day or are at the Club celebrating in style.

The early season booze cruise was organised because three of my shipmates had booked for their Yachtmaster exam in May but two of them had not done all their 60 mile passages as skipper. It was therefore decided to charter a boat so that we could do three 60 mile passages. The yacht was chartered back in the depths of winter, January I think, and in those distant days an April cross channel passage seemed a good idea. The crew consisted of three club members: Mark Blunden, Simon Hughes and myself, a shipmate who had sailed the Fastnet with us last year and three relative novices.