A gathering of friends of La Grace at the chateau in Brandýs nad Labem
Ahoy LaGracers,
some time ago we announced here that this year we would like to revive the annual gathering of friends, fans of our ship and members of the La Grace club, which covid put paid to.
Yes, this year's gathering will take place on 14. 12. 2024 at the chateau in Brandýs nad Labem and will come with a rich programme. And this year we have something to celebrate. We are setting out on our jubilee fifteenth season, and over the years we have sailed 100.000 NM with La Grace, which is roughly four voyages around the world.
Come and reminisce and enjoy yourselves.
The public part
The event consists of a public and a non-public part. The publicly accessible part starts at noon, and from it we recommend:
- A tour of the local chateau (10 am - 4 pm, 150 Kč per person, students and pensioners 100 Kč)
- At 1 pm a talk by Pepa Dvorský lasting about two hours will begin in the big tent in the chateau courtyard. It will be about the building and the history of the ship La Grace (a repeat of the 2012 talk). Tickets for 200 Kč will be sold on the spot.
The proceeds from the talk will go towards renting a heated tent for 300 people.
From time to time you will also be able to throw a knife or an axe, or try archery. It is free entertainment for all playful children aged 6 and over.
The non-public part
If all that is not enough for you, the non-public part of the programme starts between 4 and 5 pm.
I do not want to give away the details, but we have prepared everything to run much as it did last time at the inn in Dětenice. You can look forward to swordsmen, the inquisition, dancers, live medieval music, displays of weapons and exotic birds and so on. Along with that there will be eating, drinking, talking with friends and meeting new people.
We have two halls ready for you. In one there will be storytelling about the present and the future of La Grace's voyages, and there will also be a story about one secret project from last season (real actors are coming too!) 😁 In the other hall a projector will be available for you, so that we can present your photos or film and your experiences from your voyage on La Grace. (Get in touch with the captain and we will give you the space.) The whole event is arranged so that we are not performing for an audience but for ourselves, and the fun will be exactly as good as we make it! If you can do something, sign up and show it!
The evening and night programme
The evening and night programme is for invited guests only and has two unbreakable rules.
1. You can take part in this event free of charge only as members of the La Grace club who have paid their membership fee for 2024. Not a member? Here is the application form for 2024, and a few clicks will put that right. The form also contains the payment details. Club membership costs 500 Kč a year. It commits you to nothing, and if you do not want to continue in the club, it automatically expires on 31. 12. 2024. Renewing membership for the following years is voluntary.
Application form:
This year we will provide club members with the following free of charge:
- Admission to the event at the chateau in Brandejs.
- A rich evening programme.
- Dinner in the chateau restaurant and an evening snack during the programme. The price does not include alcoholic or soft drinks; those can be bought on the spot in cash.
- For the first 100 people to sign up (which also means to pay 🙂) we will arrange sleeping accommodation on the chateau premises (on the floor, on your own sleeping mat and in your own sleeping bag 🙂 and ideally only for those coming from out of town).
- The first 50 people to register will have free parking. Please share cars, though, as even these places are not unlimited.
2. Admission to the event is allowed only in the costume of a pirate, a sailor or some sort of sea creature — simply anything connected with the sea and sailing. A simple costume is enough, and creativity counts more than its price. During the evening there will be a competition for the finest costume.
The aim of this event is not only to have fun with friends and reminisce, but also to revive the club's activities and to elect a new chairperson. The current chair of the club is Romana Bezděková, the other committee members are Josef Dvorský and Jindřich Vodrážka. Filip Dvorský has been nominated as the new chair. We will, however, gladly welcome other active people into our team and we thank you in advance for any further nominations of candidates.
We look forward to seeing you.
The La Grace club team
