7th and 8th September 2024
Reading time: Five Minutes
Not only did we make it, but we even had a day in hand. It was handy to have some time up our sleeves because I made rather hash of hoisting the “Dressed Overall” flags. They need to be in a specific order. The rumour is that the set order is to prevent people spelling rude words with them. In any case, we managed to get them wrapped around the spreaders a few times before finally settling for the slightly squiffy arrangement – but they were in the correct order!


There is a modest fee to enter the festival but it is far less than the usual mooring fee, making the event a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the wonderful central London surroundings without annoying your Bank Manager. We were allocated a prime spot near to Lively Lady and another lovely Vertue, owned by our friend Matteo.

The weekend kicks off on the Thursday evening with a party on a large covered pontoon. It was Abba themed but as I had just returned from a party in Sweden, I was rather Abba’ed out. It was at the party bar where I was introduced to Adnams Innovation beer only to discover, a few bottles later, that it was 6.7% proof!


There is always a good turnout of Dunkirk Little Ships, although Llanthony might more aptly be called a Dunkirk Medium Ship. She looked amazing with 70 ft of gleaming varnish and polished brass on her white steel hull.


The show opens to the public on Saturday and Sunday. They can wander around the pontoons and go onboard many of the boats. It stayed dry during the opening hours with the rain holding off until the evening.

It was also an amazing social event with many friends popping down to visit us. By the time the Festival closed on Sunday I was just taking a breather and relaxing in the cockpit when Ned, Kate, Maddie and Magnus all turned up. We joined the final pontoon party with more Innovation Beer (thank you Adnams) then returned to Sumara to finish off all the beer in the bilge and the remaining wine, plus the pasta, tuna, cheese, and all the chocolate. There couldn’t have been a better way to end the festivities!
We will leave on the 06:00 lock on Wednesday and head towards Titchmarsh in the Walton Backwaters, probably via Queenborough. Let’s hope the weather treats us kindly.
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