The Royal Yacht Squadron Flag Officers’ wives are hosting a Ladies’ Lunch at the Castle on Friday 1st December 2023. We very much hope a large number of Lady Members from the Solent Clubs will be able to join for the occasion. The cost of a two-course lunch including two glasses of wine will be £37.00 per person. Special dietary requirements can be catered for if advised in advance. Timings are 12:30 for 13:00, and dress is smart casual.

After lunch there will be a talk from Peter Harrigan, founder chairman of Medina Publishing and director and managing editor of Arabian Publishing. Peter will be recounting the extraordinary lives and adventures of Fons Oerlemans and Kee Arens and the innovative contraptions on which they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Starting with a humble life raft, Fons progressed to daring designs engineered using a retired steam boiler, a propane gas tank, a nine-ton truck and a steel chimney turned into an iconic massive hydrofoil bottle.

Fons conceived, built and then sailed his creations across the Atlantic with his wife Kee, the first woman to cross the Atlantic in a raft. Together they navigated and survived treacherous waters, tempestuous storms as well as mechanical and structural dramas.

But as much as this is a sea epic it is also a story of love and endurance with their voyage of life continuing ashore in Antwerp. This is also a story that resonates with the legacy of maritime and aeronautical innovation and adventure on the Isle of Wight.

Peter will also reveal how, as a Cowes-based international publisher, Fons and Kee and their Message in a Bottle now owned by an educational foundation sailed into his own life resulting in his latest book and a star exhibit at the Southampton 2023 International Boat Show.

Bookings are now closed for this event and those who have confirmed attendance have been sent joining instructions. Please contact the Office if you would like to be added to the waiting list.

Attendee list as at 27.11.2023