Dressing for Dinner

[JumbleDuck]

But do they take their shoes off to walk over other boats' teak decks when rafted?

 

[Wansworth]

Although we didn't dress for the occasion, we did establish a tradition of having a 'traditional roast' dinner on club cruises after a couple of weeks of eating foreign muck. Foraging parties would be sent out in the morning and they would return with approximations to the necessary ingredients and in the evening a three-course meal with roast horse, yak or whatever it was, roast potatoes and the rest was dished up from the combined galleys of two or three boats. Since it was invariably the hottest day of the year in the cabin of our 29/29 ft boats with six to eight bodies crammed in, we were skimpily dressed at best but it was worth it for the reminder of home comforts.

Sound like mylate departed mother” forign muck”.........

 

[Black Sheep]

... It now occurs to me that it would be a bit of a lark to designate a trip as a dressing-for-dinner one; next summer, when the light and warmth will persist a bit longer than what's left of the season now, so we can do this in the cockpit, for the edification of all. Table cloth, candles, decent wine glasses (decent wine is a given), and a three-course meal planned out in advance. And some "Oh, you are spoiling us, ambassador" chocolates. I'll pack my DJ (Oxfam, 20 years ago, somewhat bloodstained, but we won't go into that), and herself can pack a posh outfit, Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think it would enliven an evening in Bembridge or similar - let's call it a plan!

Hire a string quartet to play background music from the pontoon.

I think between the two of you, you've just designed a really good, fully socially isolated, club function! Block book a pontoon somewhere, hire the quartet (that's a must!). Everyone turns up dressed to kill and tries to outdo each other in style.

And if social isolation is no longer required, you can adapt as a one-course-per-boat moveable feast.

 

[newtothis]

I think between the two of you, you've just designed a really good, fully socially isolated, club function! Block book a pontoon somewhere, hire the quartet (that's a must!). Everyone turns up dressed to kill and tries to outdo each other in style.

And if social isolation is no longer required, you can adapt as a one-course-per-boat moveable feast.

A bagpipe quartet would ensure no interlopers from the outside would break you social isolation.

 

[[159032]]

Life is too short for pretending to be posh.
I've never worn a penguin suit. Don't own any suit and don't own a tie.
I sometimes feel overdressed if I wear a new fleece.

 

[Bajansailor]

Life is too short for pretending to be posh.
I've never worn a penguin suit. Don't own any suit and don't own a tie.
I sometimes feel overdressed if I wear a new fleece.

It is very fortunate that not everybody is like you then.
Variety is the spice of life. It would be boring if everybody was the same.

 

[[159032]]

It is very fortunate that not everybody is like you then.
Variety is the spice of life. It would be boring if everybody was the same.

I didn't say everyone should be like me. In fact you should be applauding me for being different, not saying "It is very fortunate that not everybody is like you then".

 

[Habebty]

I do have to have the air conditioning on rather a lot to prevent my evening wear losing it‘s crease. Otherwise, finding a decent valet service is too troublesome these days. Particularly so up the Walton Backwaters.

 

[mjcoon]

A bagpipe quartet would ensure no interlopers from the outside would break you social isolation.

Is there such a thing? My idea of Hell...

 

[newtothis]

Is there such a thing? My idea of Hell...

I'm sure a few forumites from north of the border could be cajoled into forming one.

 

[sgr143]

Is there such a thing? My idea of Hell...

Red Hot Chilli Pipers - fun in its way, but I'm not sure I could handle a whole evening of them! Not with dinner, anyway....

 

[rotrax]

Life is too short for pretending to be posh.
I've never worn a penguin suit. Don't own any suit and don't own a tie.
I sometimes feel overdressed if I wear a new fleece.

I wonder if boat builders have missed the added 'De Luxe' label to their offerings. A few simple upgrades plus a couple of stickers and you have it done.

I saw advertised in the Exchange and Mart once an Austin Seven De Luxe.

What a tag to put on such a simple motor car. The late 'Titch' Allen, founder of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club explained it to me.

" Well young man, you never went through the depression and its associated tough times. Anything De Luxe was something to aspire to. Opulence and Havana smoke obviously implied! "

 

[Keith 66]

A club legend recounts the tale of how my father in law & a bunch of fellow Byc members sailed to Erith yacht club in several small boats to attend their Gentlemans supper. They went ashore in their dinghies at HW properly dressed in full black tie attire.
After a splendid very convivial evening they retired to their dinghies to find the tide had gone out. Not discouraged in the slightest they plowtered to the water through the deep mud still in their Dj's.
One can only imagine the state of them next day.

 

[Frogmogman]

I might have been pretty scruffy, and turned up on a push bike, but I always wore a nice shirt and tie if I was invited out for dinner at uni,

I must confess, I remember the scruffy bastard on a pushbike better than the debonair diner

 

[laika]

If you're going to have fancy clothes there's no point in having cheap fancy clothes (except for work purposes) and mould is the ever-present enemy of the UK liveaboard so soon after moving aboard I re-evaluated the wardrobe contents and packed my good suits off to storage, dinner suit included. If we ever leave the UK for warmer climes I'd seriously consider taking the dinner suit on the off chance I get invited onto someone else's yacht for cocktails and a few rounds of high-stakes baccarat. As I understand it, that kind of thing happens all the time when med cruising. Per earlier post, still need to work out how to wear it under a wetsuit without it getting crumpled.

Maybe sadlers are just less prone to damp than westerlies?

 

[Bajansailor]

I must confess, I remember the scruffy bastard on a pushbike better than the debonair diner

Ah well, I must admit that I didn't wear the tie and collar when I was invited out for a red hot chilli or curry in the flat in Burgess Road with your mob - didn't want to get my tie covered in chilli (or curry) if LG decided to start flinging plates around
Unless we ended up at your place after the Medics Ball one year? Maybe, memories are rather hazy now.......
But I usually wore a tie to other establishments, where I was trying not to appear too scruffy.

 

[PilotWolf]

Ah well, I must admit that I didn't wear the tie and collar when I was invited out for a red hot chilli or curry in the flat in Burgess Road with your mob - didn't want to get my tie covered in chilli (or curry) if LG decided to start flinging plates around
Unless we ended up at your place after the Medics Ball one year? Maybe, memories are rather hazy now.......
But I usually wore a tie to other establishments, where I was trying not to appear too scruffy.
[/Q

Ah well, I must admit that I didn't wear the tie and collar when I was invited out for a red hot chilli or curry in the flat in Burgess Road with your mob - didn't want to get my tie covered in chilli (or curry) if LG decided to start flinging plates around
Unless we ended up at your place after the Medics Ball one year? Maybe, memories are rather hazy now.......
But I usually wore a tie to other establishments, where I was trying not to appear too scruffy.

I went to an a doctor conference with with first wife.

We were obviously not too table along with many others.

When we asked where our bread rolls were the reply was you’re not allowed any in case you start throwing them around.

I paid a lot of £ for my DJ and wanted my roll! Plus the cost of the dinner - I seem to think not an insightful amount in those days.

W

 

[Frogmogman]

You'd think the very least you could expect Boris Johnson to achieve as PM would be to enshrine in law the fundamental right of man to throw bread rolls when he's gone to the trouble of donning a DJ.

He can't even get that right.

 

[Graham376]

A bagpipe quartet would ensure no interlopers from the outside would break you social isolation.

If they were on our boat, there wouldn't be anyone inside either. Run for the hills

 

[Sandyman]

He can't even get that right.

I doubt that very much.