St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival 2024

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!

My ensign is flying beautifully because I promised to send a photo to the flag makers but, as there was no wind, I sneakily threaded a piece of black cotton to make it fly. Philip thinks the American Embassy has a wind machine on the roof to ensure their flag flies all the time, but that may not be the case

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.

Our neighbour Lively Lady

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!

Sumara was one of the smallest boats on show
I have attended the show many times before, but only as an exhibitor when I owned Arthur Beale. This was our stand a few years ago.

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.

Llanthony at the Thames Traditional Boat Festival in Henley
Various sterns and bows of mainly (all?) Dunkirk Little Ships

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.

One of my favourites was visiting the engine room of the diesel tug “Kent”. We were told their propellor was 12 foot diameter!?

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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