Page 44 - Yachter Autumn 2021

44 SOCIAL REPORTS
TOBY’S SIGNIFICANT
BIRTHDAY!
Toby and I have been members of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club for about four years.
In 2016 we had turned up at Gins one
grey autumn day, just to be nosey really; we looked out across the Beaulieu River and instantly fell in love with the place.We have been happily ensconced on the mid-river pontoon pretty much ever since. It’s so peaceful; good for the soul. A day here feels like a weekend.A weekend break like a week. I think Toby reminds me every time how lucky we are to be there.
Toby loves our boats (Calypso and Charlie B), so when I was thinking of somewhere
to celebrate his significant birthday in June, Gins seemed the obvious choice. A delicious lunch with friends, sipping rosé, gazing out across at that exceptional view. Perfect.
But first I needed to marshal several families, numerous teenagers and a couple of vegetarians. This is where Lauren came in: we chatted and she e-mailed some suggestions for a lunch menu. I gathered all the food choices and e-mailed them back; chose wine for the table and ordered some pre-lunch Prosecco. Easy.The hardest part was trying to hide all the communications from Toby.
When the day arrived, the only thing I had to worry about was where to hang the bunting. In the preceding week the weather forecast for Saturday changed from 70%
rain, to 40% rain, to eventually, cloud with some sun. But by the time Saturday morning
arrived, it was warmish with a frisky easterly wind blowing right into the balcony.We pulled all our fleeces, blankets, coats and jumpers from the boat and brought them over in a holdall.
In the end they weren’t necessary. Lauren and her team worked smoothly and efficiently to carry the tables and chairs inside, and set them out (socially distanced, of course) in front of the bar.When we came in from sipping our Prosecco on the balcony, the bottles of rosé were gently misting in the wine coolers.
It was a day of festivities at Gins: a happy couple, along with family and friends were sharing the clubhouse with us, celebrating the fact that they were soon to be married. It was a great atmosphere - a wonderful buzz of speeches, toasts and, in our case, a specially written (rather rude) song performed by a friend on the ukulele in Toby’s honour.The icing on the cake was the presentation, by Jason to our daughter Daisy, of an official Bosun’s hat, to mark the fact that she is now a fully trained Gin’s Bosun.
I know that our friends also really enjoyed themselves and were suitably impressed with the setting, the food, the service, the staff, the ambiance, (the weather!) and, of course, that amazing view.
It was a wonderful way to celebrate; a day we won’t forget.Thanks guys!
Alison Cooper