It was the end of the season, the racing working boats were nearly all laid up. The real Oyster working boats have just started dredging up the Fal and the last race left in the calendar is ‘The Silver Oyster trophy race’ held at Mylor Yacht Club always on 5th November each year. This race is open to all Working Boats but normally it is only the dredging boats who take part to celebrate the start of the new Oyster season.
Not noted in the calendar is the annual Dinner and Dance this year held on 1st November and what an event! It has grown over the years from a buffet gathering of the hard core skippers and crews, to an over subscribed full blown black tie Dinner and Dance with a maximum allowable venue capacity of just over 215 skippers, crew and guests.
This year was held at the Falmouth Hotel which is a sister hotel to the Greenbank Hotel which has its main bar called ‘The Working Boat ‘ and they look after the crews extremely well.
The evening got off to a packed bar with complimentary drinks for all before getting called to the main dining room to a splendid table layout designated with boat names and crew seating. Most boats had pre-decorated their tables most elaborately with their boat colours, emblems and models.
The three course meal was well received and much hubbub of conversation.
After the meal it fell to the Chairman, John Peters to give a speech recollecting the season’s events, including presentation of the prizes for the overall winners of Falmouth Week.
The trophies for the two classes are wooden barrels, the B class is a 9 gallon firkin originally presented by Devenish Brewery, this is the prize everyone loves the accolade to win, but not to lug home,this year it was retained from last year by Nellie May.
In C class, a smaller, more handlable barrel was retained by Phil and Jilly Slater in Lottie.
The prizes were presented by the Association President Sue Treneer who also judged the table decorations which proved very close, but was just won by the Portscatho team on ‘Rita’.
Sue then presented the’Jack Reece Cup’ for greatest number of line honour wins which went to the Falmouth boys on Moon, collected by Steve Hills.
Following on, John Peters thanked the Harbour Masters present for their invaluable support, the Fowey Harbour team, Paula Trewick for her tireless arrangements of sponsors at Fowey
All the local Pubs, Sponsors, Villages and Clubs who make all our seasons sailing so possible and enjoyable.
The last vote of special thanks went to Emma Andrew who organised the Evening so brilliantly and our Secretary Polly Tregaskes presented Emma with a bouquet of flowers as a token of appreciation for a huge amount of hard work.
John Peters then handed over to John Andrew ‘JA’ as Master of Ceremonies to entertain everyone with a Game of Kings and Queens.
Followed by an auction of prizes very kindly donated by the Venues, a night and meal in the Falmouth Hotel, a stay in St Mawes Sailing Club cottage with a meal in the newly opened Victory Inn and a Dinner in The Idle Rocks Hotel, St. Mawes. Acting as auctioneer was Andy Stevens who wrung maximum bids for the tables.
JA then sprung a surprise on a well known and respected retired boat rigger Peter Morton known previously as ‘Riggermortise’ now ‘Morty’ who was inducted into the Life Members of the Association. See Photo kindly taken by Jenna on the Rita table.
The evening then continued with dancing to the disco and a bit of bar propping until after midnight. It was such a success that the question was ‘When’s the next one??