Well this year has been sooo busy that we’ve pretty much forgotten about our Blog. Months would go by in a blink and blogs would lie around waiting to be typed and put on the website. But enough is enough. No more will the Blog be neglected. The people have a right to know what is going on down the Opawa and on board The River Queen. The time is right. The Blog is back.

So it was summer last time I posted a Blog. Seems a long time ago already. But, while the summer may be behind us, Marlborough still does us proud with bright sunny days – even if the mornings do show a hint of frost on the grass. The Harvest Specials have been and gone. and here on The River Queen we’re already gearing up for next month’s Mid-Winter Christmases. These seem to prove more and more popular each year. This year we’re expecting more than ever. As a Pom, I think there is something special about a Christmas celebration in the winter. My memories of Christmas as a child are of cold weather and dark nights – but hot food and a warming atmosphere inside. It’s much the same on The River Queen.

As the kitchen staff plot what mouth-watering specials to concoct for Christmas this year, the rest of the crew are getting ready for Marlborough’s Bridal Expo later this month. This year the Bridal Expo will be in the new Convention Centre and will share the facilities with La Femme. Chris and Stef will run The River Queen stall. We’ll have copies of our Wedding Pack, a slide show of previous River Queen weddings and a prize draw – first prize a bottle of Daniel Le Brun’s Cuvee No 1.

So come along and meet Chris and Stef at the Bridal Expo. Or book your Mid-Winter Christmas Bash on board and enjoy the delights of a party on the river.

Whatever you do – happy sailing from all the crew on The River Queen.

Captains Blog    29^th January 2008

We’re into the summer season of hot Marlborough days and cool Marlborough nights. Well we should be. This last week the days have been unusally warm and muggy and the nights hot and sticky too. The only time to escape has been with the gentle breeze as we cruise down the river.

But this last week has been memorable for more than just the weather. We had a wedding party of 88 people on board on Saturday. Always looking to have the vessel in top order for such a special occasion, everything was cleaned by Friday. And then it rained – with thunder and a little lightening too. Unexpectedly the rain didn’t especially clear the atmosphere but it did leave streaks down the windows. (Streaks might be a bit melodramatic a term since no one else noticed them, but when you’ve just cleaned the windows you can spot the dried water stains left by a brief squall.) So first thing on Saturday I was hanging outside the boat on a rope, re-cleaning the windows. All this extra work left time a bit tight and to add to that the first guests arrived early. Donning my uniform I filled a tray with champagne glasses and plenty of bubbly, before dancing out the door to greet the arrivals. Just at the moment I invited everyone to take a glass, a sharp gust of wind toppled one champagne flute. We all watched aghast as the first flute hit a second, which toppled a third, until eventually the whole tray load of glasses collapsed, leaving me awash with champagne and broken glass. We all laughed and, stepping around me, everyone filed on board where intact glasses and further supplies of bubbles awaited them.

My tray-tipping antics should have put me on my guard. But could anything else really go wrong? Er, yes and twice yes. First the starter motor wouldn’t work and then one motor died altogether. With crew exchanging worried glances and all guests oblivious of our state, which was somewhat akin to a car being stuck on the side of the road with a puncture and no spare, we decided to cruise on one engine. The ship did us proud.

Just one comment to finish, the words of the bride to her mother: “Could it be more perfect?” If only she knew.

Happy sailing.

Captains Blog    10^th January 2008

Just ten days into 2008 and the champagne and fireworks of the festive season are fading in the memory. We had a great Christmas Day cruise, followed by an equally successful Boxing Day cruise. But the highlight of the holiday period for me was our New Years Eve cruise. We sailed at 10.30pm in order to be out on the river when midnight rolled over to welcome the New Year. That’s just how it worked. We popped the champagne corks and the intimate group we had on board joined in wishing each other all the best for 2008. The fireworks in Blenheim shone out across the river and the Marlborough countryside as we made our way gently back to dockside. I just want to say thanks to everyone on board that night because it was a lovely way to start another year on The Opawa.

And now into the summer season we head. We welcome back Bailey to the crew. Bailey was with us for some of last summer and now returns to add her experience both in the kitchen and behind the bar.

The river is looking good I am pleased to say. The hot weather that Marlborough is famous for is here, but there is still plenty of water for us to cruise. (Actually since the river is at least partly fed by springs, we are rarely in serious danger of running too low on water).

And we’re getting ready to start our wine tasting on board The River Queen. The idea is to offer an entirely independent tasting of Marlborough wines. All the wines we have on board are Marlborough wines, many from boutique wineries and all wines that I have tasted myself. (It’s a tough job I know, but someone has to do it). We plan to offer a flight of Savs – after all Marlborough is world famous for Sauvignon Blanc. Our selection of Savs will include a couple of different Savs from the Wairau sub-region and the world-trophy winning Vavasour Sav from the Awatere sub-region, as well as the Two Rivers Sav, which is made from grapes grown in both these areas. We’ll also look to offer a flight of other excellent wines from around the region, in order that we can showcase the fine range of different grape varieties available in Marlborough. The region is known for its Pinot Noir but what about the Framingham Montepulciano? Or the Charles Wiffen Merlot? Both fantastic reds that are not so often associated with the area. And in terms of other white wines, try the Huia or the Allan Scott Pinot Gris or perhaps the Framingham Classic Reisling. Or how about the Te Whare Ra Gewurtz? So many to choose from, so little time…

Happy sailing.

It’s two months exactly since my last Captain’s Blog. So much has happened it’s difficult to know where to begin. The most important thing to say for those who know me is that my wife, Sandra, is OK. Sandra suffered a heart attack just after my last blog but has recovered well – she’s already back doing things on the boat, although we try to encourage her to rest and chill as much as we can!

The amazing consequence to Sandra’s heart attack was that people in the local community rose magnificently to the occasion and helped us out. The River Queen was due to host a wedding that very weekend. However I obviously followed Sandra as she was flown to Nelson and that left a few well-intentioned crew to tackle the wedding catering and arrangements. Local restaurateurs Chris and Heidi Gibb stepped up and offered their help, first in the form of support for our crew and then by cooking the most difficult items on the menu themselves. At the same time local motellier Chris Foster from 171onHigh Motel volunteered to sort out our laundry and ensure we had clean, pressed table cloths for the day. These people run busy businesses themselves and to find time to help out, unasked, like they did was a superb show of community spirit. The Marlborough Express recognised this and even made it a front page story. In a time when the news is often bad or depressing, it’s good to know that in small town New Zealand the old values of caring for your neighbours, are still alive and well.

Over the past two months The River Queen has become steadily busier. And now the rush of Christmas Parties on board is at its height. This weekend was tiring for everyone involved with the boat, even though we’ve drafted in new crew. We had a party of 90 odd people on Friday night and that was just an indication of the cruises to come. The cruises have almost blurred into one long party in my memory, although the Sunday lunch cruise with live music and plenty of dancing from the team at Nelson Packaging sticks out in my mind.

One more week of parties before we hit the calmer waters of the summer holiday season in the New Year. Before then we have our Special Xmas Day and Boxing Day cruises – a few spaces still left, so come along if you’re able. Then on New Year’s Eve, we’ll see 2008 in on the river, with the champagne flowing. We did this last year and it was great.

Finally I want to welcome our new puppy to the boat as The River Queen’s mascot. Vincent was found in the Marlborough Sounds with his sister: she was running around and he was tied to a tree. They had both had their ears mutilated. The SPCA took the puppies in and cared for them before seeking new homes for both of them. We’ve taken in Vincent who’s now around 10 or 11 weeks old. He’s a lovely-natured dog and we’ll be bringing him down to the boat to say “Hi” to the passengers as he gets a little older.

That’s a long blog but it’s over now - happy sailing all.

Captains Blog    20^th September 2007

Spring is in the air and it’s a time for weddings on the river. Saturday saw John and Sarah-Jane  celebrate their wedding with a cruise and festivities on board The River Queen. Bride and groom looked fantastic – both in white. The vessel was decked out in ribbons as any self-respecting vessel should be and the sun came out to join the party. It was a lovely day and a great evening. We had a jukebox on board for the night, so there was dancing and partying and, perhaps, a few sore heads on Sunday morning.

So, while we still get the occasional cold day, it does feel as if we are moving inexorably towards summer. In fact, the flies are out early this year on the river, so this week is spraying week. We spray the outside of the ship, especially around windows and doorways, to discourage flies and insects from entering. This exercise needs to be done a couple of times a season since, being on the river, we attract a few more insects than the average venue in town!

The other reason that summer is on our minds, is that people are beginning to book their Christmas functions on board the boat. We were a popular choice last year for Christmas parties, although we had then only just gone back into the water, following our re-fit. Now we’ve more time to prepare and we’re able to take advance bookings, so the diary is filling up fast. It’s exciting and, as I say, another indication of approaching summer.

Given the advancing seasons, I think this will be the last blog in which I can say we’ve seen our friend the White Heron on the river. Breeding season beckons, so we’ll have to wait now until next winter to see the beautiful bird fly out in front of the boat.

Well, that’s all for now.

Happly sailing.