The Society Safely Back in Harbour

The main highlight of the programme was a several-kilometre cruise from Veseli to Vnorovy to the navigation lock, whose appearance and mechanism are always fascinating for landlubbers. Many of the passengers even decided that they would undertake their next voyage on their own, as no captain's licence is required to operate the boats, and filling and emptying the locks is completely free. It is possible to sail from Otrokovice all the way to Skalica in Slovakia -- the choice of boat depends only on the number of passengers and, most importantly, how many will be sleeping aboard. Yes, you can rent a houseboat and sleep right on the water. The canal partly uses the course of the Morava River and partly its own unique construction, which was built under the auspices of the Bata company in the years just before World War II.

A folk music band entertained the company right on deck, and also played before boarding on the terrace of the harbour in Veseli. There was plenty to eat and drink both there and later on board. On deck, vessels of red, white, and rose wine were added -- the generous tasting was a great success. In addition to the essential cheese and bread, there were also excellent pastries, traditionally prepared by the family of nearby CSH Council member Martin Bohun.

Even after docking, nobody was bored -- especially the children had plenty to do. There was a bouncy castle and seven mysterious islands, perfectly prepared by the team from the Children's and Youth Centre Pastelka in Uhersky Ostroh. And anyone who had not had enough of the water could rent a motorboat at the Society's expense and head in the opposite direction from the earlier large vessel, testing their captain and helmsman skills -- that is, if they felt sufficiently fit, because the extensive buffet with plenty of freshly grilled meat and other specialities had quite an exhausting effect.

The smooth running of the event was overseen under the logos of sponsoring companies Novo Nordisk and CSL Behring, to whom enormous thanks are due for making it possible to meet, chat, have fun, and experience new things. On the CSH Council's side, everything was arranged by Vice-Chairman Martin Bohun and Jana Kalabova. They spared neither time nor effort and prepared everything perfectly, including the souvenirs that everyone took home.

So we did not keep to the date, but we did maintain the good fun and gathering that has become traditional over the years. It is only a pity that relatively few people came from Bohemia -- apparently the journey to the near-Slovak border was too far. And since Hemojunior was again the co-organiser, its members can only regret that the programme went on without them. Only a handful of the youngest ones and their parents came, even though the appeal of the cruise and other attractions could have drawn participants of every age.

Even so, about seventy colleagues attended, and surely none of them regretted it. It is precisely for them that such events are organised, and the Society Council will need to start thinking now about where to invite guests next year. Before that, however, everyone will meet on 14 and 15 September at the large and exceptional anniversary Conference, about which we will bring more detailed information soon. There, too, we will have fun, but also learn new and useful things. And all of it at the Vraz Spa near Pisek, completely free of charge.