Stuck in the Middle

I’m generally not one to attend posh dinners where most of the guests are either sailors or lawyers as I can’t speak intelligently on most related matters, but I made an exception this year to attend the Bar Yacht Club’s annual dinner. Having dined at Middle Temple Hall before, I knew what to expect of the food and wine, and having had most of Tim’s crew come through our home in Cowes during the sailing season, I was looking forward to seeing them in something other than waterproofs  and chatting about life off the water!

This year is the 75^th anniversary of the Bar Yacht Club, and the club's Admiral happens to be one of the royals, who was asked to and graciously accepted the invitation. Brush with royalty? I was happy to rush out to Debenham’s for evening dress and practise a curtsy, just in case.  In fact, I would venture to guess that most of the ~ 300 guests were not there to hear Commodore Sir Michael Briggs talk about the many different trophies he had before him, but because it was made known that a special guest would be in attendance that evening.

And what a superb evening it was—a black-tie / evening dress affair for all of us, and most of the regular crew of Coh Karek in attendance—either at Tim’s end of the table, which (ahem) happened to be at the front of the room, or down the bench just a bit with the crew of XtoSea, the boat owned by the Vice Commodore and the vessel on which Tim did most of his sailing before acquiring his Contessa.

Picture me in this:

After a quick change from work attire into my purple evening dress, Tim (looking resplendent in black tie after his own quick change at chambers) escorted me from my office reception to Pegasus, a bar just steps away from Middle Temple Hall. The bar  is usually filled with barristers and solicitors; this evening it was complimented by a bevy of lovely ladies in posh frocks and men looking very smart in black, sipping champagne and chatting away on what we’d been doing since the last time we were together. It was the first time in a long while we’d seen some of our friends, and certainly the first time we’d all been in the same room in ages—we were 17 in all, though one couple closely related to Tim were stuck in a taxicab on Oxford Street whilst the champagne poured for the rest of us!

I am always a bit in awe, a bit thrilled by the ceremony of events held at Middle Temple—the grand pronouncements, the rapping on the floor with a tall rod several times to call us to order, the toast “to the Queen”, etc. I might also add that I am and also quite fond of the food and wine selection at Middle Temple; I’ve come to understand that the Inns of Court spare little expense on certain pleasures.

The hall, dating back to the 16^th century, is laid out bench style, with long rows down the length of the hall; the main table at the front of the hall stands across them. Behind the main table the wall is filled with portraits of many royals including Queen Elizabeth I, who is said to have dined there many times during her reign (which ended in 1603). The hall itself is 101 feet long and 41 feet wide; to say it is impressive is an understatement.

Shakespeare fans will know that Twelfth Night was first performed there in 1602.As an American I simply love England for its history, reaching back longer than America has existed.

 I’ll temporarily bore you with a few details from the menu—gravalax with a seafood timbale followed by filet of beef with a confit of oxtail, mango and passion fruit brulee (just one of three desserts), petit fours, cheese, and more. It was all delicious, and as expected the wines perfectly complemented each course. I was most impressed with the Chateau Lafitte Premiers Cotes de Bordeaux 2009—that year being one of the greatest in Bordeaux history, it worked a treat with the beef and was in fact the only wine that I gratefully accepted a second pour; while the others were equally lovely, including the Louis Latour 2009 Macon Lugny Les Genievres, I have always sided with the reds.

The piece de resistance was neither food nor wine; it was the speech by The Admiral, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, that stayed with us long after the plates and glasses were cleared. I truly felt privileged to be inches away from Prince Philip as he was escorted past our table—all of us standing at attention as he smiled at as many of us as he could. During his speech he joked about how he is generally invited to such events only when things are going horribly wrong, and how he was happy to forgo golfing outings to his second son (Andrew, former husband of Sarah). He looked well, though a bit shorter than I’d imagined—he is said to be six foot tall (to the Queen’s five feet four inches); perhaps with my own heels and standing tall I was merely appearing taller than my usual five feet five!

Tim, as a member of the Bar Yacht Club committee, had the honour of greeting HRH and escorting him through the rooms within Middle Temple before dinner. He said the Duke seemed in fine form, and while Tim talked rather nonchalantly about it, I suspect he was chuffed as cheeseballs to have had the opportunity to get up close and personal with HRH.

Cowes on the 25^th of July as part of the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee. My calendar is already marked as out of office for that day when I hope for another glimpse at royalty. How lucky can you get?