What a beautiful sunny afternoon we had on the River Hamble. The River Hamble cruise was very kindly donated to our Winchester & Eastleigh Cancer Support group through fundraising by a charity called SAIL4CANCER, and then a local nomination from Fiona Coldron at her charity “SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO”. The trip was provided to us by Blue Box Experiences in Hamble Marina aboard Betsie Jane.
“Built in 1938 in Cowes on the Isle of Wight by Saunders Roe, Betsie Jane has a rich history. Now fully restored she is a time capsule allowing you to take a glimpse back at life aboard a 1930s Gentleman’s Launch. From the lustre of the deep varnish to the smell of the teak, Betsie Jane offers you the chance to experience an authentic luxury classic motor boat experience.”
The day was made extra special as we also started the celebrations for our amazing, supportive group leader Linda’s, 50th birthday, which was the week after.
15 ladies arrived in Hamble Marina from mid-day on a very sunny June afternoon. Blue Box Experiences had very kindly erected a gazebo over their decked terrace to shade us from the heat of the mid-day sun – we were so lucky with the weather. After initial drinks in the cafe, half of the group made their way to Betsie Jane – a restored 1938 Classic Gentleman’s launch – where they departed with their refreshments on board. They were treated to the full Afternoon Tea experience on board Betsie Jane, complete with 3 tiered cake stands and vintage tea cups and saucers. The rest of the group tucked in to the same experience in the comfort of the sunny Blue Box Café.
The first group enjoyed 90 minutes sailing up the River Hamble to where the M27 crosses over the river, and then back again, with stunning views of the boats moored along the river, the Jolly Sailor Pub and the house owned by the boss of Car Phone Warehouse (apparently).
Then it was time to swap over, and the second group boarded Betsie Jane, to be served beautiful cakes and multiple cups of tea and coffee by the very attentive Crew along their River Hamble cruise, whilst group 1 were served their cakes in the Café.
The whole experience was an absolute pleasure, and in the words of one of our group members “the Betsie Jane outing was just glorious. It was wonderful from start to finish – a real treat and a great ‘getting away from it all’ day for me. Huge thanks to you for organising it all and for all the behind the scenes work that went into making it such a super day.”
We would like to thank the charities who made the day possible for us :-
> “SAIL4CANCER” www.sail4cancer.org/
> “SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO” www.
And our thanks also to Jono and Lisa at Blue Box Experiences in Hamble Marina who turned the donated trips into a day we will always remember – http://blueboxexperiences.co.uk/betsiejane
Here’s some photos from the day
