FLASHBACK. Last year's Commodore, Peter Whatley and his wife Wendy welcomed Sir Robin Knox-Johnston to the Club's cocktail party at the Royal Squadron
The Royal Southampton has made arrangements to return to the Royal Yacht Squadron for its traditional cocktail party on the eve of Skandia Cowes Week this year and will be combining it with an evening cruise.
Expect to see a rather different format than previous years, and although cocktails on the lawns of the Squadron, exclusively for Royal Southampton members, will again be the highlight of the pre-Cowes week regatta events, a change in the vessel taking members to Cowes and in arrangements for landing and dining on board with dancing should make for a more convivial evening.
Commodore Colin Lewis said: "It gives me very great pleasure to announce the highlight of the Club’s summer social calendar for this year – the Cowes Cruising and Cocktail Party to be held on Friday, August 1, the eve of Cowes week.
"This prestigious event will start in the late afternoon in Ocean Village with a welcome aboard the Princess Caroline party boat, which will cruise to Cowes whilst guests enjoy drinks and light entertainment. By special permission the boat will berth on the Royal Yacht Squadron private jetty only a few steps away from the Clubhouse.
"Bubbly, Pimms and canapés will be served on the Squadron's magnificent lawns overlooking the Solent.
"After cocktails we will gently cruise the Solent while enjoying a three course dinner with prizes and surprises for all. There will be dancing under the stars to a lively disco and the boat will arrive back at Ocean village at about 23.30hrs."
Tickets for this event will be £65.00 for the cruise and cocktails and for those not wanting to cruise there will be tickets for the cocktails for £25.00.
"This will be a unique social event and also a very memorable occasion and I look forward to sharing this wonderful evening with you and your friends."
The Club has chartered the 193-ton classic motor cruiser Princess Caroline, to combine the convenience of taking Royal Southampton members directly to the Royal Yacht Squadron’s new pontoon at Cowes with comfortable dining and dancing, or simply enjoying the seascape of Southampton Water and the Solent.
The 30-metre boat, built in 1980 and once used as a passenger ferry on the Portuguese coast, has been completely refurbished and now works as a classic two-deck hospitality craft accommodating up to 125 people for dining and dancing in a classic maritime atmosphere.
The Cowes cocktail party for RSYC members at the Squadron is traditionally the high spot of the pre-regatta calendar and is an appropriate prelude to the week-long racing programme. The Royal Southampton is part of the triumvirate which organises racing on the first three days of the regatta with the Club having the privilege of running the opening day’s racing. It includes the award of the Club’s coveted Queen’s Cup, originally presented to the Club by Queen Victoria in 1897 to commemorate her diamond jubilee to be awarded for racing on the first day, and is the Club’s premier trophy.
