City Livery Yacht Club Members were honoured to take part in the Lord Mayor’s River Progress event on Sunday 30th June, 2024.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Professor Michael Mainelli, charged the Honourable Water Bailiff Chris Livett and Under Bailiff Frank Moxon to ensure the safety of all those who travel upon the King’s highway, the River Thames, on waters previously controlled by the City Corporation namely from the City boundary at Temple to the London Stone in Staines upon Thames.
They proceeded under power visiting the Royal National Lifeboat Institute stations at Tower Pier Station at Waterloo Bridge, Chiswick Station at Corney Reach and Teddington Station at Teddington Weir. They then went on to the non-tidal waters, now under control of the Environment Agency, continuing upstream passing through the five locks and onto Staines upon Thames.
The Progress was carried out over the 28th, 29th and 30th June 2024, and culminated with due ceremony and celebration at the London Stone where the Lord Mayor met the Mayor of Spelthorne and other dignitaries during the celebration of Staines upon Thames River Day 2024.
Members of the CLYC were invited to take passage on boats that belong to The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships. Kindly coordinated by their Hon. Vice Admiral and CLYC Member, Ian Gilbert, guests took the trip on the river, saluted the Lord Mayor and enjoyed lunch at the Penton Hook Yacht Club.
The lead boat in the in the fleet, that gave passage to the Lord Mayor himself, was Leonie, owned and skippered by CLYC Committee Member Stephen Bernhard. The Lord Mayor helmed Leonie on the return trip from Staines to Molesey Lock. Stephen was ably assisted throughout the passage by Past Commodore John Absalom who acted as crew.
CLYC Rear Commodore, Daryn Hufton-Rees, said:
‘Though not our event, the CLYC was well represented with the Lord Mayor being on Stephen’s boat Leonie, myself on Ian’s Lady Lou and representatives of the Club on the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships fleet that took part in the flotilla. It was amazing to be part of history. The Lord Mayor visiting the stones for the first time in many years and being on one of the boats that saved countless from Dunkirk, was something quite remarkable.’