Mariquita Book - mk2.5

FLEET REVIEW, COWES
2 – 6 June 2015
I wonder what those gentlemen in the Coffee House, 200
years ago, would have made of last week. One would hope
they would look on the celebrations with some pride. RYS
A Fleet Review is a traditional gathering of
ships from a particular navy to be observed
by the reigning monarch or a suitable
representative. Allegedly
dating back to the 15thcentury,
the practice
often occurred when
the fleet was mobilised
for war, or as a show of
strength. Thankfully the
RYS Fleet Review in
June 2015 was purely
ceremonial. However,
the organisation of an event of this scale,
involving hundreds of boats, is a huge
logistical undertaking, as the commodore of
the RYS, Christopher Sharples, explained,
“Well what can I say. This is a very big day
for us. No question about it. We couldn’t
have done any more preparation, so I’m
quietly confident
that things will
go well. It’s very
important to us
to get this right.
Our reputation
means a lot to
us at the Royal
Yacht Squadron.
We like to do
everything to the highest possible standard
and the Fleet Review is no exception. So the
pressure is on but all being well I think we
will deliver a very good result today.”
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