On Saturday 17^th November 110 members and their guests packed into the Lion House function suite at the Lion Inn, Boreham for our first black-tie Laying up Supper for four years. Everyone looked very smart in their finery and there was a great atmosphere as guests arrived and enjoyed a pre-dinner drink.

After a nautical grace from the Rear Commodore, everyone settled down to enjoy a delicious three course meal with friendly and efficient service from the house.  During coffee, the Muhlhauser Trophy was presented to Sir Julian Berney Bt. for his log of cruises to and around the Canaries. Julian then gave a short talk about the significance of George Muhlhauser and his yacht ‘Amaryllis’ which we fortunate to have a model of at the club. After this, the raffle was drawn. Thanks to the generosity of members, we had some amazing prizes which were divided into five goodie bags for the winners.

Without further ado, DJ John entertained us with his mix of music and the dance floor was quickly full of people showing off their moves. The Friday Sailors were obviously having “The Time of their Life” and after an impressive attempt to drink the bar dry sampling every shot in the house, they took to the floor. Sadly, their attempt to recreate the iconic lift from ‘Dirty Dancing’ didn’t quite come off. Not to be deterred, they dragged everyone still sitting to their feet and formed probably the longest conga ever seen at the Lion House. This wound its way around the premises for some time and then the dancing continued late into the night.

 All in all, a great time was had by all and evidence that there is still demand for a black-tie annual event if the venue is right. Many thanks to The Lion House and to Sue Sheppard and her team for organising a most enjoyable event.

Photos © Nigel Butler