Yacht, champagne, sunshine…

As one friend said, if you’re going to go out for the first time since your baby was born, you might as well do it properly. Which in my case involved a luxury yacht moored near the Tower of London, pink champagne, sunshine and a string of bloggers.

Of course, Minnie and I have been out before – the baby clinic, the park, my in-laws – but when it comes to getting dressed up properly and enjoying a slightly more grown-up time, this was officially event number one. Organised by the lovely Sarah and Anca at Home Away who are sponsoring the family travel blogging prize at the MAD awards, it included some of the other finalists from mine as well as some of the other categories.

Which meant I not only got to meet the lovely Trish of Mum’s Gone To but also say a brief hi to Bizzy Mum Karen and catch up with my ever glamorous Fashion Detective friend Jo who is frankly in her element with champagne on a sunny yacht.

I’d been invited to stay over that night, but sadly that was a step too far as Minnie was celebrating being a month old (another good excuse for the champagne). Which was a shame because the quick look I got at the yacht meant I’d have loved to enjoy it a bit longer.

Moored in St Katherine’s Dock, just off the Thames near Tower Bridge, there’s five bedrooms and bathrooms, a roof terrace and sun deck, a bar area and some seriously glam decor – as well as a daily maid service.

As it’s around an hour’s drive to get there, I’d allowed us about an hour on board before I thought Minnie might get fed up, trying to pack for every eventuality, although still forgetting we might want the buggy rather than carrying the car seat from our parking space. One lesson learned!

In the end, she behaved like a dream, dozing happily in the shade and ignoring her adoring audience, then apart from a small squall during changing and feeding, I managed a whole 90 minutes enjoying the sun, the barbecue and an entire glass of champagne, as I’m now officially a lightweight following an alcohol-free pregnancy.

Judging from the photos from later that evening the fun continued long into the night. But even if we only managed a few hours, I’m counting this as Minnie’s first official journey – and what better way to launch a career as a traveller than in this kind of style?

Images courtesy of HomeAway