The Lynch Cruise Club
Over the years since John & I began cruising in 1983, our exclusive little cruising circle has expanded to include a number of very special friends.
Cruising is, after all, a great way of meeting people and making new friends; but travelling in the company of friends
can be even more enjoyable - and is a rewarding way of discovering the World.
Left to right (at the back): John, Stella, Peter, Gerry, Sally,
Andrew and Me; (& at the front) Joyce, Lesley and Anne.
In September 2006, we sailed with Celebrity Cruises aboard Zenith from Newark (New York) to Bermuda.
This was a very special trip because we had 4 new members with us; Sally & Stella were both "Cruise Virgins" and very excited about everything (especially clothes!); Peter & Lesley
had cruised before but not as part of a group. Also, none of them had been to Bermuda before and we were really hoping they too would love it. In the event,
everyone had a fabulous time!
With our own table for 10, we were able to get our own back on all those
other groups we used to hate at the next table having an uproarious time - without us!
"Captain" Mark (that's me!) See also my WebMaster >> pages
As a kid I had a passion for ships, the sea, & photography. Then I qualified as a Property Manager and discovered
fine dining; what else could I do but go cruising? I took early retirement in 2003 and decided to learn website design
as well!
See Mark's Cruise Log >>
John
I've known and lived with John for over 35 years and we began cruising together in 1983. He's "reinvented" himself many
times and most recently retired from a career in pensions. Now draws his own! After 27 cruises though, he gave it up and prefers to remember cruising the way it was!
See John's Cruise Log >>
Andrew
... joined the "family" in 1985 and immediately loved cruising. It wasn't just his job he gave up in 2003 when he made a
career-change to train as a nurse; he also missed out on 3 years of cruising holidays. But it was all worth it and he's
now back cruising again.
See Andrew's Cruise Log >>
Gerry
... first knew Andrew at secondary school in the early 70's; actually, they didn't like one another initially! But they later became firm
friends and he joined us on his first cruise in 1986, loved it and has been with us many times since then. He loves photography
and shares his time with his family.
See Gerry's Cruise Log >>
"Admiral" Geoffrey (Dad - Obituary)
Sadly, Mum's cruising was cut short when she died in 1990 but Dad continued to travel with us until 2008, when all that after cruise washing and ironing got too much for him!
He trained as a navigator in the RAF in WWII and was a surveyor throughout his working life. "Admiral" Geoff was our senior member until at the grand age of 95, he passed away in June 2019. He is sadly missed.
See Geoffrey's Cruise Log >>
Anny (Obituary)
Disco-dancing "diva" and past work colleague of Andrew's, Anny joined us in 1999 and quickly made her mark. At that time,
she was a PA with a major London law firm and she was instrumental in changing the nature of our Group. She
enjoyed only 5 trips with us before we lost her to leukemia in 2006. She's sadly missed but never forgotten.
See Anny's Cruise Log >>
Joyce (Obituary)
We met Joyce while on a cruise in the Far East in 1999. Recently widowed, she was travelling on her own; while on a tour we
were embarrassed for cash at the table and she lent us $1 each for a can of coke. Friends don't come much cheaper than that!
She even encouraged us to learn ballroom dancing and
over the years, she shared a number of cruises with us, until her illness sadly curtailed her love of cruising and her ability to travel.
She died in February 2015. We all loved Joyce and will sadly miss her perpetual excitement and affection, her preference for meat pies, chips and burgers (without cheese!),
and her constant query, "What are we doing next?"
See Joyce's Cruise Log >>
Anne
A neighbour at The Lynch as long ago as 1990, it wasn't until after the loss of her husband George that we got to know
Anne more. She joined us in 2001 and met Joyce, whereupon anyone new who met the Group was sure they must be sisters!
Anne later retired to a bungalow by the sea at Felixstowe, where daily she walked her dog on the beach.
See Anne's Cruise Log >>
Sally
... used to deliver milk with the man who became Andrew's sister's 2nd husband, then joining the family on holiday
and becoming a close friend. She's now a Facilities Manager & recently moved to Gibraltar to be with her partner, Frank.
An excellent swimmer, Sally has been seen consorting with dolphins and is our lifeguard!
See Sally's Cruise Log >>
Stella
Andrew and Stella both worked on the switchboard at London's Royal Free Hospital when they met in 1977. Stella later became a Hospital
Theatre Technician but they have always remained firm friends and she was recently persuaded to join us on a cruise. Stella
is seriously into shopping and lives in a cottage close to an artillary testing range!
See Stella's Cruise Log >>
Peter & Lesley
... moved to The Lynch in 1992 and I met Peter when he joined the Management Committee. Peter plays golf but that's not easy at sea - he keeps losing his balls!
Lesley is well-known
for her extensive dinner menus but she used to be a receptionist at the local Doctors' Surgery; so if you want to invite
them to dinner, you have to make an appointment!
See Peter & Lesley's Cruise Log >>
Sam
Joyce was already a member when she met Sam at her dance class - and Sam is something of a class dancer! They became close friends and Sam joined Joyce on our trip in 2009 to Hawaii.
He used to be in the electronics industry and worked for the Marconi Company but
rumours that he was one of the Marconi Wireless Operators on the Titanic are hotly denied!
See Sam's Cruise Log >>
Frank (Obituary)
A born-and-bred Gibraltarian working for the Gibraltar Post Office, Frank joined our Group as Sally's partner
on our cruise up the Nile in Egypt. Once an officer in the
British Army, his previous career would be mentioned only with a knowing glance and two taps of the finger on the nose! Frank was our "Special Ops Consultant" and
often our saviour of the day. He died suddenly from a heart-attack in 2019, aged just 61. A wonderful, big-hearted man, he is sadly missed.
See Frank's Cruise Log >>
Frances
... is Anne's sister-in-law and they have often taken holidays together but since the loss of her husband, Frances had always
wanted to do a cruise. However, having booked to join us in 2013 as a "Cruise Virgin", she broke her arm and hip in a bad fall.
Keeping up with the Group on our various outings must have been a bit of a struggle but as our 15th member, she "passed muster" with flying colours!
See Frances' Cruise Log >>
Peggy
... is Gerry's sister and first joined us on our 2010 Nile cruise but had never been on a "real" ocean cruise, until Gerry surprised her with a 60th Birthday cruise!
Peggy loves the sun, likes a flutter in the casino and enjoys a boogie on the dance-floor!
See Peggy's Cruise Log >>
Claire
... is Peggy's daughter and Gerry's neice. She also first joined us on our 2010 Nile cruise but remained a "proper-cruise-virgin" until her Mum's Birthday cruise in 2014.
Like her Mum, Claire also enjoys sun-bathing, a good flutter in the casino and is a bit of a late-night disco-diva!
See Claire's Cruise Log >>
Carol
... is Andrew's sister and also first joined us on our 2010 Nile cruise but having followed her brother's cruising adventures, she had always wanted to experience a "real" ocean cruise for herself,
a wish at last fulfilled aboard Independence of the Seas in 2014.
See Carol's Cruise Log >>
Marilyn
... is a long-standing friend and neighbour of Carol but while she and her late husband travelled widely, she remained a "cruise-virgin" until she joined Carol and our group in 2014.
Marilyn is another lover of the attractions offered in the casino!
See Marilyn's Cruise Log >>
Sarah
... is a close friend of Claire who persuaded by her to join us in 2014 on her first cruise, together with her Mum, Hilary. Sarah works in security but earned her stripes on Day-1
of our cruise by finding my missing suitcase!
See Sarah's Cruise Log >>
Hilary
... is Sarah's Mum but unlike our other "cruise-virgins", she had cruised once before on the venerable "Marco Polo". But leaving husband Nick at home this time, she decided to
keep an eye on daughter Sarah for her first cruise with us in 2014!
See Hilary's Cruise Log >>
Nora
... is a close friend of Carol who joined us on Navigator of the Seas in 2017.
Angie
... was Andrew's boss until she retired and having walked up Kilimanjaro (amongst many other things) she's quite the world traveller and adventurer, often with a tale to tell. However, when
she first joined us on Viking Sky in 2019, even she got more than she bargained for...
See Angie's Cruise Log >>
Wendy
... is a close friend of Angie and joined us on Viking Sky in 2019. It was her first cruise and she enjoyed it immensely but after the experience of being rescued by helicopter from that ship,
she thinks that's what cruising is all about and expects it every time!
See Wendy's Cruise Log >>
Janet
... is a close friend and ex-work colleague of Andrew. She was also a 'Cruise Virgin' when she joined us on Aurora in 2023 along with her daughter.
"Hor-us", our 50/50 Nile Group
Joining 8 of us on this special cruise to celebrate 3 50th Birthdays, were Andrew's sister Carol and her husband Glyn;
Gerry's sister Peggy and her daughter Claire; Sally's friend Angela; our ex-dance class colleagues, Sandra & Malcolm, Brenda & Keith and
Sue & Ron; plus more friends of Andrew, Lynne & Clive - making our Lynch Cruise Club Group 21 in all! On board the little m/s Stephanie,
we had our own guide, Amro and our tour group was named after the Egyptian God, "Hor-us!"
Pat (Obituary)
... was too much of an independent traveller to be in anyone's Group - she was a club all of her own! In her younger days, she was a national beauty queen.
Later on, she became an inveterate cruiser; she had hardly unpacked from one cruise before she was off on the next. She was a great fan of "Teletext" and had an eye for a bargain.
Pat was Mother-in-Law to one of my previous work colleagues. She first joined us in 2003 but also joined John & Me on the homeward stretch of
our Black Watch Around Africa Cruise. At home, somehow she found time to deal in costume jewellery and wherever she went,
she was on the lookout for new sources - and new customers! She died suddenly of a heart attack in February 2019 and is another sadly missed by her friends and family.
See Geoffrey's Cruise Log >>
See Anny's Cruise Log >>
See Sally's Cruise Log >>
See Sam's Cruise Log >>
