JAGUARS – THE BIG CAT BURGLARY
26.11.2015.- After months of planning The Trip Down South as it became to be called actually happened. A joint meeting between The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, Spain, Costa Blanca and The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, Spain, Costa del Sol. The result was 43 fabulous Jaguars cleaned and polished to “within an inch of their lives” and 81 very enthusiastic Jaguar owners. The main event took place on Saturday 21st November and Sunday 22nd November 2015.
Cars and owners came from both regions and congregated at the fabulous Parador de Málaga Golf in Malaga Costa del Sol. This stunning modern hotel situated on a golf course on the coast of Malaga was a perfect location to gather the outstanding collection of Big Cats. Lined up in the specially reserved parking with everything ranging from a beautiful 1950’s XK 120 to brand new cars. A glorious site to behold if you love Jaguars.
Most people checked in on the Saturday afternoon and took advantage of the beautiful warm sunny day with drinks on the terrace. On the Saturday evening we all gathered for the “Black Tie & Bling” Gala Dinner. A selection of exquisite “tapas” starters were delivered to the specially prepared Jaguar monogrammed tables then a veal or a fish dish, accompanied with some stunning wines. Dessert and coffee was followed by the Grand Draw. Prizes included bottles of Gran Reserve Brandy, a presentation bottle of 12 year old Chivas Regal, an Iberico Cured Ham, a gold plated Jaguar fob watch, Swarovski encrusted Jaguar jewellery, a superb bottle of wine and many other prizes. This was followed by a request for donations partly towards club funds but mostly for a most worthy cause, Help For Heroes. Many, many thanks to all those who made such generous donations. The donations totalled a fantastic 780.00 Euros plus a small profit was made from the Grand Draw and the administration charge. I am delighted to inform you that a total of 700.00 Euros will be donated to Help For Heroes.
You may be asking, why have I called this article “The Big Cat Burglary”, at some time during that Saturday evening a “Cat Burglar” stole our Club Mascot, a one metre long Jaguar Cat from the hotel reception. I am delighted to say that with the help of the CCTV in reception and the tremendous efforts of the staff and management of the hotel our beloved mascot was recovered the following day.
Sunday started leisurely, breakfast then a group picture and “start your engines” was called at 11:00 and 43 shining Jaguars headed of into the mountains of Andalucia. A beautiful scenic but testing route out to Lake Vinuela, a turquoise jewel of water sparkling in the sunshine. Perched on the edge of the lake, the Hotel Vinuela hosted our lunch. A Cava reception followed by an exquisite lunch that I thought was just fabulous especially as it only cost 27.00 Euros per person including wine and other refreshments. I had the goat pate, with pressed fig, salad, glass bread and quince jelly, I followed that with “sea and mountain”, huge king pawns and a “rooster” leg on a bed of aromatic rice. Many other options were available. Tiramisu and coffee to finish. That brought the organised parts of the event to a close. People made their own way back to Malaga Golf in their own time. Most people stayed the night and left after breakfast the following morning.
May I take this opportunity to offer a very special thank you to all those that attended, I know many of you travelled many hundreds of kilometres to attend this event. A special thank you to Philip Wray, Regional Director, JEC Spain Costa Del Sol who helped arrange and organise the event. A big thank you to Parador Hotels for helping to make this event such a success.
JEC Spain has regular meeting through the year with a few special events spread across the year. For details of these events go to our jec-spain.com and select events. We have something very special planned for April 2017, “the Big One” at the fabulous Hotel Parador De León, the flagship Parador 5 star hotel, details can be found under special events on our web site. This event is proving to be extremely popular, register your interest now.
The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club is the largest of the worlds Jaguar Clubs, apart from joining in the fun at the meetings, full members also benefit from a glossy 140 page A4 monthly magazine, Jaguar spares department and a technical advice service second to none. If you live in Spain and own a Jaguar you should be a member of The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club. The JEC in Spain is organised by Eric Arnold, Ian McMenemy and Philip Wray. Eric can be contacted by email or by phone on 609931647 or alternatively check out the JEC Spain website Our Events Director, Ian McMenemy can be contacted by email. Our Costa Del Sol Region is organised by Phillip Wray who can be contacted by email. Come along and join us, you will not be disappointed.
Text and photographs by: Eric Arnold
