What a fantastic day for a Santa Skiff on Saturday, festively crisp with lovely sun, no wind & favourable river conditions. So after hot mulled wine & mince pies we set off in the seven decorated skiffs for the occasion.
For the first time in 10 years we took a downstream Santa Skiff, with carol singing in Teddington Lock & a blessing from the Vicar of St Mary’s with St Alban, Reverend Joe Moffat, to set us on our way. It was a truly beautiful day to wend our way down to the White Cross in Richmond where we beached the boats on the shingle bank having caught the tide perfectly. The spectacle of the boats drew quite a crowd of onlookers, with me having to explain to a few bewildered children why Santa this year was arriving by boat! The magic was maintained & a few children were able to confirm their Christmas present list in person. Even an Old English Sheepdog at The White Swan in Twickenham got excited & tried to lick the beard off old Santa.
You’ll see from the photos in our gallery that all who came whether by boat or bike had a great time, so the Rev Joe worked his magic too.