Blog #72 The Tot club induction
Cassini's blog
Simon and Sally, Nigel and Catherine
Wed 27 Dec 2023 11:16
| The Tot club induction Prior to arriving in the Caribbean and Antigua we were in touch with Richard Fear (ex-Navy) who is the Royal Naval Sailing Association contact in the region. He mentioned the Tot Club in his correspondence so we were intrigued to discover what this involved. We arrived in Antigua on 21 December late in the afternoon and after checking in with customs (which took some time) we spent the rest of the day recovering from our journey from Guadalupe so missed the Tot club that evening. However, a couple did stop by on their way to that night's event to tell us about it (they saw our ARC+ flag and the RNSA burgee and logo on the stern). After checking with Richard, we were invited to the event last night at the Copper and Lumber hotel in Nelson's Dockyard. There was a bit of "lastminute.com" as Colin and Julia had a long wait getting through the airport but they, and Sally and Simon, just made it on time. The club was formed on 31 July 1991 and full details of its history and aims and objectives can be found at their website at rntc.club. We all had a marvelous experience standing in a circle at exactly 18.00 with our glass of water and glass of rum and following the Rum Bosun's instructions. Late comers not allowed. After announcements and introduction of guests we got under way. It is all very traditional and involves a toast of the day, which would be said in the Wardroom (officer's mess) followed by a toast to the King (God Bless Him). By the way, the toast of the day for Friday is "a willing foe and sea room". Some Google research will inform you of what the other six are and what they mean. The Bosun read an extract from the Royal Navy Day by Day book to commemorate some notable action or incident that took place on the same day during the RN's history (it usually involves a skirmish with the French!). After the formalities were complete we took the opportunity to talk to other members and their guests and had a lovely time meeting new people of like mind regarding Naval tradition and sailing. A big thank you to Richard Fear for introducing us to this marvellous institution. We hope to join them on Christmas Day for a special event and to return when we come back to Antigua in due course. Nigel the Navigator |
smime.p7s
Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature