A tale of an African Queen
27/09/07 10:56 Filed in: Cruise Hotel
Written by Lameez Abrahams
From the SA Times
The African Queen, a floating hotel and restaurant run by Andy Cowley and his wife Bonny, has a fascinating tale of how it landed up on Henley-on-Thames.
“I left for South Africa in 1957 at the age of 12 and enjoyed 40 fantastic years in the sun. My wife Bonn and I have two beautiful daughters.
A job offer brought me back to Europe in 1990 and circumstances returned me to the Isle of Wight in 1997, exactly 40 years after I had left.
“The boat was originally named De Hoop, which indicates that the Dutch owner of this boat was a protestant – they always named their boat with scriptural messages. Catholics named their boats after their wives,” Cowley said.
The naming of the boat has its roots in the owners’ South African ties. “The boat was first named the Shannon Princess – we upgraded her to a queen. As my wife is South African we thought the African Queen would blend in with our menu,” Cowley explains.
Click here for the full article
From the SA Times
The African Queen, a floating hotel and restaurant run by Andy Cowley and his wife Bonny, has a fascinating tale of how it landed up on Henley-on-Thames.
“I left for South Africa in 1957 at the age of 12 and enjoyed 40 fantastic years in the sun. My wife Bonn and I have two beautiful daughters.
A job offer brought me back to Europe in 1990 and circumstances returned me to the Isle of Wight in 1997, exactly 40 years after I had left.
“The boat was originally named De Hoop, which indicates that the Dutch owner of this boat was a protestant – they always named their boat with scriptural messages. Catholics named their boats after their wives,” Cowley said.
The naming of the boat has its roots in the owners’ South African ties. “The boat was first named the Shannon Princess – we upgraded her to a queen. As my wife is South African we thought the African Queen would blend in with our menu,” Cowley explains.
Click here for the full article
