My Pageant weekend - Esther Brown

Esther and the Crew
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee was always going to be a momentous public event, wherever you were in the Country, or world for that matter, there was an opportunity to become involved. However some were more involved than others, and I was privileged to be part of the Pageant. For me this opportunity arose whilst I was on work experience in the House of Lords with Lord Clarke of Hampstead, a Life Member of the Trust. Not keen on being on the water he very kindly offered me his application form and I was delighted to be accepted as a member of Endeavour's crew for this 'once in a lifetime opportunity'.

On day one we were up at the crack of dawn when Paul Gilson, Jeremy Squier, the rest of the crew and I set off up the Thames. We arrived within a few hours, leaving us time to look around at the array of boats. There was a vast variety; Dunkirk Little Ships like us to yachts like Amazon and tall ships such as Tenacious and Belem. However one thing they did all have in common was how exquisite each one was. My particular favourite has to have been Mariquita, the J class yacht moored opposite us, she was beautiful and I am determined to own her when I am older! 

Mariquita
On day two it was just Paul, Jeremy and myself on board. 

Day three was undeniably the highlight of the trip, it rained heavily but then it has rained for the majority of the Queen's reign so I didn't see it as a particular problem. 

We were joined on board by the Mayor of Southend, Cllr. Sally Carr, and many other members and guests, and despite the weather we all gathered on deck to watch the procession of boats sail past. The only disappointment was that the Royal barge stopped at Tower Bridge, a little bit further up the river to us.
The weekend was a memorable one for many people, it is certainly one I am unlikely to forget! 

Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Paul, Jeremy and all the crew for being such marvellous company, as well as Mike King and all the Endeavour Trust in addition to Lord Clarke of Hampstead for offering me this unforgettable experience.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for your message. I'm afraid that to prevent spam, all comments are moderated but we will aim to approve it quicker than it takes to redo Endeavour's anti-fouling...