Sunday 27 December 2009
Monday 21 December 2009
DRC Christmas
Many thanks to those that turned out despite the ice and snow for the club Christmas meal on Saturday - I had a great time and hope you all did too.
Above: A few partygoers, including King Terry in his tiara
Below left and right: The clubhouse site in the snow
Below centre: Even the Yellow Perils held hands to keep warm in the snow
Above: A few partygoers, including King Terry in his tiara
Below left and right: The clubhouse site in the snow
Below centre: Even the Yellow Perils held hands to keep warm in the snow
Monday 14 December 2009
Wintery Work
As you can see from these pics taken by Tim, all is progressing well with the preparations on-site for the new clubhouse...
Great to see our river looking as stunning as ever too!
Great to see our river looking as stunning as ever too!
Now why is the water only ever that flat on weekdays??!!
Sunday 22 November 2009
Site Clearance
Well, it's really happening - out with the old and in with the new! Here are some pictures from the site clearing session at the clubhouse today. Great to see everyone working together and thanks to Megan for sharing her birthday cake with all the hungry workers (yum).
More Rocking the Boat
Here are a few more pictures from our party, courtesy of the band (thanks guys) and there are some great shots of us all dancing the night away. If anyone is planning another party and needs live music (or indeed a photographer), Grace Brothers would be happy to oblige - contact: conrad.barnard@btinternet.com
Grace Brothers in action
"Do my sideburns look big in this?"
Cute couple (of hats)!
Nice to see that even our treasurer likes to boogie (on a Saturday night)
Great air guitar from our chairman
Grace Brothers in action
"Do my sideburns look big in this?"
Cute couple (of hats)!
Nice to see that even our treasurer likes to boogie (on a Saturday night)
Great air guitar from our chairmanSunday 15 November 2009
Rock the Boat Party, 14th November
We really hope everyone enjoyed rocking the boat last night. The barn looked stunning with the red and yellow bunting strung from corner to corner as well as lots of balloons, fairy lights and hay bales.
It was good to see everyone embracing the fancy dress, despite some worries about what to wear in the weeks beforehand:
Malcolm had tremendously impressive sideburns and was unrecognisable as Elvis; Terry and Sue made a dramatic entrance as a handsome pair dressed in oilskins and mermaid costume, complete with strategically placed clam-shells (Terry was the one in the oilskins); Megan’s family did themselves proud as an entire band of pirates; Philippe looked very suave in his green suede Robin Hood suit accompanied by his very own private pirate-ess; Tim was Lawrence of Arabia, but was missing his ship of the desert (a.k.a camel) and Jonathan appeared to be his partner in crime (any excuse to wear a dress!). We had authentic WWI naval uniforms, Raju in an officer’s uniform... pink boas and leg-warmers... and glowing Minnie Mouse ears supplied by Chris J.
There was also a whole troop of rockers of various eras and styles from Catherine and Chezzi to Kate and Mark. Anna M. was another one in her impressive punk wig, but then wondered if it was such a good idea afterall as she had to walk home, alone, through the streets of Woodbridge late at night feeling somewhat self-conscious!
And Bridget was the Queen of Sutton Hoo (of course).
Hannah definitely earned her halo as the Angel of the Night, staying until the wee hours to clear up after the 'not so responsible adults' teetered off home. Well done Hannah!!
And a very very big thank you to Jonathan and Kate for their hospitality, and to Ken for organising a super live band free of charge (just how much do those guys take off you at cards?)! Thanks also to Malcolm who came to the rescue on numerous occasions, and to the party team for their hours (many hours!!!) of hard teamwork!
If we’ve forgotten anyone – apologies. You are all special! It was a really super evening and just wonderful to have so many of the club together under one roof. Although the main purpose was to have fun, we also raised some all-important money for the new clubhouse appeal - fantastic.
John, Will and Nicola - great to have you all there supporting and boogie-ing a little too. We know the committee are all doing loads behind the scenes so hope you had a good time.
Thanks again from the team - Bridget, Hannah, Megan and Anna
Monday 2 November 2009
Norfolk Sculls, 31st October, 2009
Well done to everyone who went along to Norwich on Saturday for the Norfolk Sculls - there was a good contingent of competitors and supporters from DRC despite the rather grey weather.On the river were Catherine, Chezzi, Chris L., Clio, Hannah, John, Malcolm, Megan, Steve F. and Tim.
Full results can be found on the Norwich website: http://www.norwichrowingclub.co.uk/
Particular congratulations to the prize winners:
Malcolm and Catherine - Nov Mix 2x pots
(Again! We look forward to your hatrick...)
"[Competing in the Norfolk Sculls] proved to me what I knew anyway: that after a 7.5 year 'lay up' it takes more than a bit of paddling to get race fit again!!! I'm now resolved to dust off my ergo and put some real time in on it again."
I also think the look on our Chairman's face in this picture says it all!
Weybridge Silver Sculls, 24th October, 2009
Chris Jillings reports...
A couple of weekends agon, Clio and Chris were flying the club colours along the Thames from Walton to Weybridge, taking part in the popular Weybridge Silver Sculls. Well Clio was flying anyway, poor old CJ was trundling along behind,still suffering from a long term muscle tear and a recent cracked shin from a cycle crash. The less said about his time the better, but Clio steamed along in her first division as a WJ17 and was fastest by some 20 seconds over one of her previous National Junior Camp companions from Lea.
The Silver Sculls is one of two head races held on this stretch during the winter, the other being Walton Head, which is rowed in the opposite direction, downstream from Weybridge to Walton Rowing Club. The Silver Sculls, however is slightly more tricky, particularly if there is a strong head current, as the 3,500m course has a large sweeping double bend at the mid point, spanned by Walton bridge. The quickest way is to dive through the inside arch, squeezed up against the bank and on a curve, but with very little current this year the gathered throng were not treated to many shipwrecks at all. I didn't see any swimmers at all this year!
Having rowed on the stretch some six times before, Clio's line was top class and she entered the final 1000m cut right on track with a huge gap behind to the next junior! Sadly, during the lunchtime division for doubles the head wind grew stronger and stronger and now as a WJ18, it looked pretty impossible for Clio to better any of the morning times.
Therefore this year we went along to the evening prize giving feeling pretty confident that she would have at least taken the WJ17 pot in the morning, but when the final results were posted we discovered that Clio had also set the fastest time of any WJ, meaning she received the Champion Girl's trophy too. This was a well deserved prize and quite a notable feather in the cap. She was also only beaten by two other senior women in the whole day.
What a brilliant result!
National Junior Potentials Training Camp
The club can feel proud of another first in its history of home grown talent success following Clio's recent invitation to attend the National Junior Potentials training camp at Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham.
This was the first camp in the winter programme and was an important chance for the National Junior Coach to take a look at the top 42 girls who could potentially be successful at selection trials later in the season. Many of their coaches also attended and the girls were split in to compatible groups of five. There then followed three intensive and painful days of training: outings in single sculls, ergos, runs, physio sessions, stretching exercises, not to mention the technical lectures in between.
Congratulations too, to Chris J who was intrusted with a group to coach for the whole three days, each sculler needing their own individual assessments and coaching points to work on during the technical outings as well as the final day head race and side by side races.
Both Chris and Clio returned on the Monday afternoon tired from a heavy weekend in different ways, but sharing some invaluable experiences from working at the national team level. I'm sure they would be really happy to tell you more...if you can catch either of them when they aren't either training or racing, that is!
Well done and we look forward to hearing more about junior trials as the season progresses...
This was the first camp in the winter programme and was an important chance for the National Junior Coach to take a look at the top 42 girls who could potentially be successful at selection trials later in the season. Many of their coaches also attended and the girls were split in to compatible groups of five. There then followed three intensive and painful days of training: outings in single sculls, ergos, runs, physio sessions, stretching exercises, not to mention the technical lectures in between.
Congratulations too, to Chris J who was intrusted with a group to coach for the whole three days, each sculler needing their own individual assessments and coaching points to work on during the technical outings as well as the final day head race and side by side races.
Both Chris and Clio returned on the Monday afternoon tired from a heavy weekend in different ways, but sharing some invaluable experiences from working at the national team level. I'm sure they would be really happy to tell you more...if you can catch either of them when they aren't either training or racing, that is!
Well done and we look forward to hearing more about junior trials as the season progresses...
Saturday 3 October 2009
Yare Cup, 26th September 2009
A personal account of a ‘first outing’ by Steve Cooper
With Malcolm, Catherine, Chris, Terry, Steve, and John representing the DRC
The day started early with a 6 o’clock rendezvous at the river wall. Trailer hitched, we set off for Norwich Boat Club, picking up Chris on the way. This was my first race and I was pretty apprehensive as we fixed our numbers to the boats. Malcolm, Chris and I launched our singles and paddled towards to the start. Luckily, there was no chance of starting the race ‘cold’ with a 2.2km stretch to the finish line, and then a further 3.7km to the start. We lined up more or less in number order, and I got a chance to suss out the opposition. There seemed to be a few ‘novices’ wearing faded university boat club tee shirts, but I was not deterred.
Soon it was my turn: "26 come forwards….. 26 go!" and I was off. I was quickly passed by one of the other novice boats, last seen heading for somewhere near the top of the leader board. But I settled down, trying to keep a decent rhythm, and although I was passed by one more boat at about 2000m, I held off the rest and finished the 3700m course feeling I had made a reasonable account of myself, coming 7th out of 10 in the novice class. Malcolm finished an excellent 2nd in the VetC 1x class, and Chris came in 1min 6 secs ahead of me in a time of 17.41.
Once we got back to the NBC my relief at having finished the day’s racing unscathed was short‑lived when it transpired that an injury John was carrying was not getting any better, and that I would have to stand in for him in the experienced Davey-Churcher Open Vets double combo. Terry and I looked at each other. I was facing another 12km round trip, Terry was facing some emergency coaching.
We set off, with a 6km paddle to get into some semblance of order. My ‘novice single’ bad habits were soon apparent, made worse, I like to think, by the unfamiliarity of the boat. We progressed down to the start line to sounds of "Straighten your back….. Keep your hands level…. Don’t rush it…!"
Malcolm and Catherine were also sculling in the afternoon race, and Catherine as fellow first timer I think mirrored my slightly apprehensive expression.
Soon our number was called and we were off. Terry was at bow so I could just focus on being smoooooth. We overtook another double… Great. We pushed on and it was all feeling quite good, but after about 2000m we were closed down by two other boats that were going well. With heads down we managed to hold them off. As we approached the finish line there was encouragement from the bank by John - "COME ON DEBEN!!!" - and Terry counted me down: "5 more... 5 more... 10 more... " We finished strongly (17.04) and both of us had given it our best shot.
The Yare boat club hosted a tasty barbecue, and we politely applauded the winners, mostly from Norwich and Yare clubs. And then “Novice mixed double – Malcolm and Catherine from the DRC”. Well done, both of you (and really, I’m not sore that you beat Terry and me by 2 seconds….).
All in all great day out and a couple of pots for the DRC.
Steve C
Wednesday 30 September 2009
BBQ on the Rocks, 19th September, 2009
Sorry, all these articles are a bit out of chronological order, but here goes.. Thanks to Bridget for report and pics:
Sorry to rub it in… but we all had a FANTASTIC day!
Water was flat as a pancake, sun was shining brilliantly and there was hardly a breath of wind.
Tub 4 (Chris C, Chris L, Alex, Raju, Bridget) beat the Quad (Hannah, Chezzi, Kate and Megan) on the way down, the girls’ excuse being that they had to stop and chat mid-river! Yeah, right…
Chris C in the Tub 4 gave us her best coxing voice, driving us hard for the last stretch, and Chris L coxed on the way back – thanks guys. Well done those who hadn’t rowed sweep oar before, you did fantastically. Felt very proud to have people staring at us all along the river. Just goes to show that we really do all look impressive when we row as a team.
Terry stirred us up for beach rugby in our DRC club kit and wellies in the sand. Very trendy. Next time… beach volleyball? Anyone got a net?
Sunday 27 September 2009
Cambridge Autumn Regatta, 13th Sept, 2009
Tim, Chris, Em, Hannah, John, TerryHannah Shire reports:
On the 13th of September 8 members of Deben Rowing Club competed in the Cambridge Autumn Regatta. The weather was pretty cold and fairly dull which didn’t put the scullers in the best mood at the beginning of the day.
Tim Earnshaw was up first in Novice 1x, soon followed by Vet C 1x where he was up against an ex-international sculler and unfortunately missed out on winning.
On the 13th of September 8 members of Deben Rowing Club competed in the Cambridge Autumn Regatta. The weather was pretty cold and fairly dull which didn’t put the scullers in the best mood at the beginning of the day.
Tim Earnshaw was up first in Novice 1x, soon followed by Vet C 1x where he was up against an ex-international sculler and unfortunately missed out on winning.
Chris Lawrence had his J17 1x race and did really well keeping up a good pace throughout, especially as he was up against a very speedy rower from the hosts, Cambridge 99, but unfortunately Chris came second. He also entered J17 2x with Mark Anscombe. After a long wait on the river (over an hour), they raced a crew from Durham. Still no luck with that, however it was a great experience especially as it was Mark’s first ever sculling race.
Chris & Mark
Chris & MarkJohn Churcher entered the Vet E 1x, but he didn’t have such a great start and this gave him a disadvantage and he didn’t manage to catch up with his competitor again.
Chezzi Keig and Kate Carson entered J18 2x and did exceptionally well. They won their first race putting them through to the finals. In the final they were up against two very ‘strong’ looking girls, however they only lost by 2 lengths which is great considering their opposition. Chezzi was only 15, but had to be entered for J18 because of Kate so they did so well due to the age difference too!
Girls doubleHannah Shire and Em Chittock raced in Novice 2x in the morning, but didn’t do too well, especially as neither were warmed up or ready. Later in the day they raced J17 2x against a crew from Cantabrigian Rowing Club. The start was good, but so were the opposition (they certainly seemed confident at the beginning of the race). It was neck and neck for about three quarters of the course and then Hannah and Em finally managed to pull through giving them a straight win of J17 2x. A fabulous end to the day. Overall everyone did so well and a good time was had by all despite the gloomy weather. Well done to everyone!
Many thanks to John Churcher for the photos and to Hannah Shire for the article. Well done to everyone who took part!
Monday 21 September 2009
Boston Rowing Marathon (Part II)
I thought I would keep up the tradition of writing a personal blog on the Boston Marathon (well it’s my second one). Although I have talked about it on and off all year, I only finally entered the race a couple of weeks beforehand. I also politely encouraged Anna and Ian to put their entry in - didn’t fancy doing it on my own.
It was quite a challenge to even get there. I picked my boat up on the Wednesday and managed to bang it on the rack, putting a foot long split in the bow where the canvas joins the hull! Spent Thursday gluing it up with epoxy resin. Then on Friday evening I was maintaining my car and managed to puncture a hole in the radiator! Things weren’t looking good and I thought someone was telling me I shouldn’t go!
I was on night shifts at this point, so also had to work Friday night and didn’t get home until Saturday morning. I managed to find a replacement radiator and spent the day fitting it, then finally travelled up to Lincoln Saturday night, having being up for over 24 hours.
After all that, getting on the water Sunday morning was a very relaxed affair. It was a beautiful day with little wind. After the usual faffing, I started the race on schedule at about 10:05. Anna and Ian were starting 12mins behind and there had been a little banter about catching up. In the event they started early and were boating as I left the start. They must have been only 5mins behind.
I started off quite steadily. I had strong memories of last year where I had suffered with massive cramp at about two-thirds of the distance. I tried to row efficiently, but I couldn’t resist picking off a boat or two on the way to the lock at 13 kms. I was one of 14 novice single sculls in the race and I knew the boats in front were my direct competition. By the lock I must have overtaken 4 or 5 boats! Things were feeling good.
It took about 3 minutes to walk round the lock. We had the help of our ground crew, which made things a lot easier - a chance to take on some water and pack of energy gel. I set off only to see the people I had overtaken immediately behind me again – very frustrating. Anyway, I pushed off and plugged away again.
Still had time to chat to the girls!
Stopping for food and water is a bit of conundrum. Stopping is dead time that you never make up, but you cannot row continuously for over 4 hours! I stopped for a drink at 20km and 25km, then lunch at 31kms where the ground crew were at the bank. I was starting to feel tired and very conscious of the 40km wall I hit last year. I wanted to make sure I was looking after myself. A gel pack and a banana this time! This was my longest stop (1 min 20 seconds as my fancy watch tells me). I set off with a single sculler immediately behind and travelling quickly: no 71, an arch rival. We rowed side by side for miles, pushing each other along! He even asked me when I was going to stop, as he wanted a drink! He eventually stopped and I pulled 250 m ahead. I planned to stop again at 39 km, hoping to complete the last hour non-stop.
The ground crew had been fantastic and were on the bank every half hour or so cheering us on. It was quite lifting. I kept asking how far Anna and Ian where behind, but never got a very clear answer: “not long”, “a few minutes”. There was still a little bit of rivalry there!
When I pulled away at 39km Old Matey no 71 was just behind. I made sure I pulled away in front of him. Things were going to plan, but then I got the first few twinges of cramp in my legs. I had to stop for a few seconds to stretch my muscles. We were now side by side and hit the weed! It was hard going and the pace slowed. No 71 was starting to ease ahead, only by a few metres, but I was finding it hard to respond. We fought the weed together for nearly 4km. I realised I was at risk of cramp stopping me completely and decided to let him pull away. As the weed on the surface of the river cleared, the boat was still heavy, so I stopped and backed down to try and clear any that had got caught on the skeg. It helped and the pace immediately picked up. Only 3km to go and doing 5m 10s splits again, It was just a matter of a steady finish.
It’s a great relief when you first hear the tannoy of the finish line in the distance. I finished in 4h 16m. Truly amazing. Old Matey won the category in a time of 4h 10m and 59s. He had obviously made up a lot of time in the first half. I think I finished 3rd. When I talked to him afterwards he mentioned his coach so I didn’t feel so bad.
I could actually stand when I got out of the boat this time, but everything moved very slowly. I decided to let the ground crew carry my boat back to the car. Anna and Ian came in as I was wandering along the bank, just a few minutes behind. It was a fantastic day - bright sunshine, miles and miles and miles of flat water, and friendly competition.
Malcolm Pidd, 21 September 2009
It was quite a challenge to even get there. I picked my boat up on the Wednesday and managed to bang it on the rack, putting a foot long split in the bow where the canvas joins the hull! Spent Thursday gluing it up with epoxy resin. Then on Friday evening I was maintaining my car and managed to puncture a hole in the radiator! Things weren’t looking good and I thought someone was telling me I shouldn’t go!
I was on night shifts at this point, so also had to work Friday night and didn’t get home until Saturday morning. I managed to find a replacement radiator and spent the day fitting it, then finally travelled up to Lincoln Saturday night, having being up for over 24 hours.
After all that, getting on the water Sunday morning was a very relaxed affair. It was a beautiful day with little wind. After the usual faffing, I started the race on schedule at about 10:05. Anna and Ian were starting 12mins behind and there had been a little banter about catching up. In the event they started early and were boating as I left the start. They must have been only 5mins behind.
I started off quite steadily. I had strong memories of last year where I had suffered with massive cramp at about two-thirds of the distance. I tried to row efficiently, but I couldn’t resist picking off a boat or two on the way to the lock at 13 kms. I was one of 14 novice single sculls in the race and I knew the boats in front were my direct competition. By the lock I must have overtaken 4 or 5 boats! Things were feeling good.
It took about 3 minutes to walk round the lock. We had the help of our ground crew, which made things a lot easier - a chance to take on some water and pack of energy gel. I set off only to see the people I had overtaken immediately behind me again – very frustrating. Anyway, I pushed off and plugged away again.
Still had time to chat to the girls!
Stopping for food and water is a bit of conundrum. Stopping is dead time that you never make up, but you cannot row continuously for over 4 hours! I stopped for a drink at 20km and 25km, then lunch at 31kms where the ground crew were at the bank. I was starting to feel tired and very conscious of the 40km wall I hit last year. I wanted to make sure I was looking after myself. A gel pack and a banana this time! This was my longest stop (1 min 20 seconds as my fancy watch tells me). I set off with a single sculler immediately behind and travelling quickly: no 71, an arch rival. We rowed side by side for miles, pushing each other along! He even asked me when I was going to stop, as he wanted a drink! He eventually stopped and I pulled 250 m ahead. I planned to stop again at 39 km, hoping to complete the last hour non-stop.
The ground crew had been fantastic and were on the bank every half hour or so cheering us on. It was quite lifting. I kept asking how far Anna and Ian where behind, but never got a very clear answer: “not long”, “a few minutes”. There was still a little bit of rivalry there!
When I pulled away at 39km Old Matey no 71 was just behind. I made sure I pulled away in front of him. Things were going to plan, but then I got the first few twinges of cramp in my legs. I had to stop for a few seconds to stretch my muscles. We were now side by side and hit the weed! It was hard going and the pace slowed. No 71 was starting to ease ahead, only by a few metres, but I was finding it hard to respond. We fought the weed together for nearly 4km. I realised I was at risk of cramp stopping me completely and decided to let him pull away. As the weed on the surface of the river cleared, the boat was still heavy, so I stopped and backed down to try and clear any that had got caught on the skeg. It helped and the pace immediately picked up. Only 3km to go and doing 5m 10s splits again, It was just a matter of a steady finish.
It’s a great relief when you first hear the tannoy of the finish line in the distance. I finished in 4h 16m. Truly amazing. Old Matey won the category in a time of 4h 10m and 59s. He had obviously made up a lot of time in the first half. I think I finished 3rd. When I talked to him afterwards he mentioned his coach so I didn’t feel so bad.
Still looking good at the finish (must sit up straight!)
I could actually stand when I got out of the boat this time, but everything moved very slowly. I decided to let the ground crew carry my boat back to the car. Anna and Ian came in as I was wandering along the bank, just a few minutes behind. It was a fantastic day - bright sunshine, miles and miles and miles of flat water, and friendly competition.
Malcolm Pidd, 21 September 2009
Boston Marathon, 20th September, 2009
For a few members of DRC the end of summer and evenings drawing in can mean only one thing: it is time for the Boston Marathon.
As usual the course this year started at Lincoln, from where increasing weary competitors had to wend their way along 50km (31 miles) of river to Boston, also getting out and carrying their boats over a lock at one point.
It is fair to say that neither Malcolm, Ian or I felt exactly prepared for such a long row this year, with only the thought of "at least we know what we're letting ourselves in for" providing some comfort. Malcolm entered the men's Novice 1x category and Ian and I found ourselves in the Intermediate 3 mixed 2x band as there weren't any other Novices.
Malcolm set off first, and despite his calls of "see you on the water", I felt sure that his strength, determination and competitiveness would make him a tough target to catch. Once on the course, it was great to see that there was the usual variety of competitors, both the very experienced and just the very determined. We can only have been rowing for about 5km before I heard shouting up ahead, but I couldn't tell what it was about and quick glances over my shoulder didn't suggest that there had been any steering problems or clashing of blades. A few minutes later we drew level with a single sculler who turned out to be simply shouting at himself and his boat in sheer frustration; he had a broken rigger, but was intent on completing the course nevertheless! Another single sculler apparently capsized in the early stages, but climbed back into his boat and carried on rowing until the end regardless (at least it was a sunny day, so hopefully he soon dried out).
As the kms drew on, there was still no sign of Malcom and around half way we were overtaken by one of the boats in our category, with the others following a few kms later. I don't think Ian will mind me saying that spirits in our boat were a little low at this point and I know my hands were becoming increasingly covered in electrical tape in an attempt to stop further blister expansion. Luckily our shore support (Katherine, Ian's wife, sister and brother in law) were in good voice, however, and as always it was very cheering to have them there on the bank at various points to encourage us...and tell us to hurry up and catch Malcolm!
With just 10km left we told ourselves that we just had to row the distance from Ramsholt to the clubhouse and spirits picked up a bit, despite having to negotiate rather a lot of weed in the river. Ian and I never did manage to catch Malcolm as he finished the course in the phenomenal time of 4hrs 16mis, but we did complete it in 4hrs 26mins (just a couple of mins off our previous record two years ago), so both DRC crews did themselves proud.
A big WELL DONE to Malcolm for his amazing achievement and also to Ian, who has now completed the course 5 times!!
As usual the course this year started at Lincoln, from where increasing weary competitors had to wend their way along 50km (31 miles) of river to Boston, also getting out and carrying their boats over a lock at one point.
It is fair to say that neither Malcolm, Ian or I felt exactly prepared for such a long row this year, with only the thought of "at least we know what we're letting ourselves in for" providing some comfort. Malcolm entered the men's Novice 1x category and Ian and I found ourselves in the Intermediate 3 mixed 2x band as there weren't any other Novices.
Malcolm set off first, and despite his calls of "see you on the water", I felt sure that his strength, determination and competitiveness would make him a tough target to catch. Once on the course, it was great to see that there was the usual variety of competitors, both the very experienced and just the very determined. We can only have been rowing for about 5km before I heard shouting up ahead, but I couldn't tell what it was about and quick glances over my shoulder didn't suggest that there had been any steering problems or clashing of blades. A few minutes later we drew level with a single sculler who turned out to be simply shouting at himself and his boat in sheer frustration; he had a broken rigger, but was intent on completing the course nevertheless! Another single sculler apparently capsized in the early stages, but climbed back into his boat and carried on rowing until the end regardless (at least it was a sunny day, so hopefully he soon dried out).
As the kms drew on, there was still no sign of Malcom and around half way we were overtaken by one of the boats in our category, with the others following a few kms later. I don't think Ian will mind me saying that spirits in our boat were a little low at this point and I know my hands were becoming increasingly covered in electrical tape in an attempt to stop further blister expansion. Luckily our shore support (Katherine, Ian's wife, sister and brother in law) were in good voice, however, and as always it was very cheering to have them there on the bank at various points to encourage us...and tell us to hurry up and catch Malcolm!
With just 10km left we told ourselves that we just had to row the distance from Ramsholt to the clubhouse and spirits picked up a bit, despite having to negotiate rather a lot of weed in the river. Ian and I never did manage to catch Malcolm as he finished the course in the phenomenal time of 4hrs 16mis, but we did complete it in 4hrs 26mins (just a couple of mins off our previous record two years ago), so both DRC crews did themselves proud.
A big WELL DONE to Malcolm for his amazing achievement and also to Ian, who has now completed the course 5 times!!
Sunday 2 August 2009
Ramsholt Challenge, 21st June 2009
"Singles or doubles?"
"Who's going to win?"
"It's not a race!"
"Only one pub stop!!"
"Who's going to win?"
"It's not a race!"
"Only one pub stop!!"
The greatest part of the challenge remains open - the collecting of sponsorship money!
Thursday 28 May 2009
National Schools, 2009
Whilst the rest of us were out on Sunday starting off our tans, Clio was scorching down the course at the National Schools Rowing Champs in Nottingham, not once but three times!! And what a brilliant result - 4th out of 22!
This was a superb effort and was easily her most polished performance to date. All those outings that we see her do and all the nights in the gym that we don't see her do, have produced a powerful sculler and on the day Clio was a match for all but the best scullers in the country. Her improved strategy, fitness and confidence showed through as this time she was never left at the start and hung on during the race for as long as her legs would allow.
With 22 entrants in her category, it was an early start on Sunday morning (follwowing a night in a very noisy campsite) for a 1500m time trial to weed out the best 12 for two semi finals. As is normal, the 12 names were posted up in alphabetical order so no one knew who had done what time, only their positioning in the lane draw.
Clio had Lane 5 in a difficult semi with Klara Weaver and Camilla Hadland so the race for third place was always going to be tough. She went out after Camilla from the off, however, and the two of them were locked in battle for most of the race. One sculler emerged strongly from the chasing pack in the last 250m, but luckily by then Clio had a comfortable gap and was ultimately not threatened for third place.
Those of you that know Holme Pierrepoint will know its reputaion for lumpy conditions and strong head winds, but as the sun scorched down, for once there was barely a ripple on the water all day!
In the final Clio had Lane 1 alongside an unknown American school sculler and also Klara Weaver. Another cracking start saw Clio chase out of the gate in second place, with the five girls settling into a side-by-side battle after Klara quickly took her customoray distant lead. The first move came early, on Clio's side, when the American sculler made a massive push which unfortunately broke Clio quickly, leaving her trying to keep in touch with the moves across on the other side of the track. Undaunted, Clio stuck at it defiantly and for a while was pushing for third place with the girl over in Lane 6. After half way the gap was opening up, though, and the sculler in 5th place also came up past our girl.
With Camilla Hadland dropping out, Clio was going to have a tough battle for fourth place and entering the final phase she was trading attacks with Putney High School across in Lane 4. Hanging on at half a length down they passed the 200m to go mark and Clio started to drive long and hard, taking massive bites out of the lead. She sculled passed in the last 100m mark extending with every stroke, to cross the line a full length ahead - a magnificent finish!
I wish I had a picture of her beaming face when she finally recovered to reach the landing stage! Happy Days.
Chris Jillings
This was a superb effort and was easily her most polished performance to date. All those outings that we see her do and all the nights in the gym that we don't see her do, have produced a powerful sculler and on the day Clio was a match for all but the best scullers in the country. Her improved strategy, fitness and confidence showed through as this time she was never left at the start and hung on during the race for as long as her legs would allow.
With 22 entrants in her category, it was an early start on Sunday morning (follwowing a night in a very noisy campsite) for a 1500m time trial to weed out the best 12 for two semi finals. As is normal, the 12 names were posted up in alphabetical order so no one knew who had done what time, only their positioning in the lane draw.
Clio had Lane 5 in a difficult semi with Klara Weaver and Camilla Hadland so the race for third place was always going to be tough. She went out after Camilla from the off, however, and the two of them were locked in battle for most of the race. One sculler emerged strongly from the chasing pack in the last 250m, but luckily by then Clio had a comfortable gap and was ultimately not threatened for third place.
Those of you that know Holme Pierrepoint will know its reputaion for lumpy conditions and strong head winds, but as the sun scorched down, for once there was barely a ripple on the water all day!
In the final Clio had Lane 1 alongside an unknown American school sculler and also Klara Weaver. Another cracking start saw Clio chase out of the gate in second place, with the five girls settling into a side-by-side battle after Klara quickly took her customoray distant lead. The first move came early, on Clio's side, when the American sculler made a massive push which unfortunately broke Clio quickly, leaving her trying to keep in touch with the moves across on the other side of the track. Undaunted, Clio stuck at it defiantly and for a while was pushing for third place with the girl over in Lane 6. After half way the gap was opening up, though, and the sculler in 5th place also came up past our girl.
With Camilla Hadland dropping out, Clio was going to have a tough battle for fourth place and entering the final phase she was trading attacks with Putney High School across in Lane 4. Hanging on at half a length down they passed the 200m to go mark and Clio started to drive long and hard, taking massive bites out of the lead. She sculled passed in the last 100m mark extending with every stroke, to cross the line a full length ahead - a magnificent finish!
I wish I had a picture of her beaming face when she finally recovered to reach the landing stage! Happy Days.
Chris Jillings
Friday 22 May 2009
National Schools Regatta. Bank holiday weekend
Good luck to Clio who will be flying the Deben colours at Holme Pierrepont this weekend. Take no prisoners Clio!
Tim
Tim
Latest news
Thought I would pen a very brief update on a few subjects;
Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championships; Thanks to all who took part. I think I would be right in saying a great day was had by all. The sun was shining and 2k doesn't really hurt that much when everyone is shouting at you! Some great performances all round but a special mention to Woodbridge School A who were the recipients of the team prize.
Cambridge Spring Regatta; Again, another glorious day out in the spring sunshine. No wins but great efforts from our juniors Chris Lawrence, Em and Chezzi (in the new double'). All were entered as juniors and novice in their respective events and beat much larger and older oppposition in the course of the day. Em and Chezzi made it to the final of the womens novice 2X but sadly had to scratch for logistical reasons. Shame, because I'm sure they would have come away with the first pot of the season!
Fund raising; We now have just over 70% of the required funds for the Deben RC rebuild project committed from a number of partners. The most notable being Sport England and the Amateur Rowing Association. The ARA want us to start the rebuild in the autumn of this year so time is short to raise the remainder. All contributions welcome!
I think that's it for now. If I can find some batteries for my camera I will post some photo's from the Indoor Rowing event.
Tim
Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championships; Thanks to all who took part. I think I would be right in saying a great day was had by all. The sun was shining and 2k doesn't really hurt that much when everyone is shouting at you! Some great performances all round but a special mention to Woodbridge School A who were the recipients of the team prize.
Cambridge Spring Regatta; Again, another glorious day out in the spring sunshine. No wins but great efforts from our juniors Chris Lawrence, Em and Chezzi (in the new double'). All were entered as juniors and novice in their respective events and beat much larger and older oppposition in the course of the day. Em and Chezzi made it to the final of the womens novice 2X but sadly had to scratch for logistical reasons. Shame, because I'm sure they would have come away with the first pot of the season!
Fund raising; We now have just over 70% of the required funds for the Deben RC rebuild project committed from a number of partners. The most notable being Sport England and the Amateur Rowing Association. The ARA want us to start the rebuild in the autumn of this year so time is short to raise the remainder. All contributions welcome!
I think that's it for now. If I can find some batteries for my camera I will post some photo's from the Indoor Rowing event.
Tim
Saturday 16 May 2009
Ramsholt Challenge
The Ramsholt Challenge
21st June, 2009
10am
Rules:
21st June, 2009
10am
Rules:
1. Row from the clubhouse, up the river to beyond the Wilford Bridge. Turn around and row back down to Ramsholt and then back up river to the clubhouse.
2. You are allowed to take one break (of any length) during the 20mile course.
3. The event is NOT a race - the aim is simply to complete the distance and raise as much money as possible for the clubhouse appeal.
2. You are allowed to take one break (of any length) during the 20mile course.
3. The event is NOT a race - the aim is simply to complete the distance and raise as much money as possible for the clubhouse appeal.
Those wishing to take part must tell Nicola Notcutt by Sunday June 7th. Sponsorship forms available from her too.
Sunday 1 March 2009
Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championships.
Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championships.
Saturday April 11th, Woodbridge Community Hall
The inaugural Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championships will take place at the club house on Saturday 11th April. Racing to commence at 11am.
Team and individual prizes for all categories.
Open men and women (including lightweight categories) - 2000m
Veteran men and women - 2000m
Under 18 junior boys and girls - 2000m
Under 15 junior boys and girls - 4 minutes.
Teams of four with lowest aggregate score to win category. For under 15 teams the measure will be total distance travelled.
Entry fee: £5 per seat. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Deben Rowing Club’, either in advance or on the day.
Entries by email to: timothy.earnshaw@thomsonreuters.com giving full name, event entered and date of birth. Plus name of club if appropriate.
Or by snail-mail to:
Tim Earnshaw
The Old Stables
Quayside
Woodbridge
IP12 1BH
A warm Deben welcome guaranteed with full catering on-site during the afternoon. Great Suffolk beer will also be found at local hostelries for post race celebrations!
A timetable of events will be posted once entries have been received.
Location; Woodbridge Community Hall, Station Road, Woodbridge, IP12. Just off the A12
http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=627202&y=248787&z=110&sv=station+road&st=6&tl=Map+of+Station+Road,+Woodbridge,+Suffolk,+IP12&searchp=ids.srf&mapp=map.srf
Easy parking at the site.
Saturday April 11th, Woodbridge Community Hall
The inaugural Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championships will take place at the club house on Saturday 11th April. Racing to commence at 11am.
Team and individual prizes for all categories.
Open men and women (including lightweight categories) - 2000m
Veteran men and women - 2000m
Under 18 junior boys and girls - 2000m
Under 15 junior boys and girls - 4 minutes.
Teams of four with lowest aggregate score to win category. For under 15 teams the measure will be total distance travelled.
Entry fee: £5 per seat. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Deben Rowing Club’, either in advance or on the day.
Entries by email to: timothy.earnshaw@thomsonreuters.com giving full name, event entered and date of birth. Plus name of club if appropriate.
Or by snail-mail to:
Tim Earnshaw
The Old Stables
Quayside
Woodbridge
IP12 1BH
A warm Deben welcome guaranteed with full catering on-site during the afternoon. Great Suffolk beer will also be found at local hostelries for post race celebrations!
A timetable of events will be posted once entries have been received.
Location; Woodbridge Community Hall, Station Road, Woodbridge, IP12. Just off the A12
http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=627202&y=248787&z=110&sv=station+road&st=6&tl=Map+of+Station+Road,+Woodbridge,+Suffolk,+IP12&searchp=ids.srf&mapp=map.srf
Easy parking at the site.
Tuesday 24 February 2009
CWL, 22 February, 2009
Ten brave souls with eight boats ventured off for a full day's racing on the Cam. It was a relatively warm and thankfully calm day; there had been a stiff head wind at the first leg in January which had made racing a bit more challenging!
The junior members showed the way. Here are a few highlights:
Division 2 (10:40)
Clio continues to impress in the WJ 1x class. Clio was the fastest female junior on the day and third fastest women's single! Clio is now within 9 seconds of the overall J 1x leader.
Em and Francesca entered in a J16 2x. Francesca has only been rowing a few months and it was her first experience in a competitive race. Under Em's steady helm they completed the course in just over 14mins, chased down the river by Terry and a posse of spectators on push bikes. A fantastic result.
The gentlemen's Vet E4+ (John, David, Neil and Nick) put in a solid performance and improved on their time in the first leg.
Lastly, the old Vet Cs - Tim and I - plugged it out in the singles. I am trying to remember how Tim described my stroke in the bar afterwards... "physical but effective"? Which I think is another way of saying that it lacks refinement! I actually had one of my best results to date, clocking up the fastest Vet C 1x time of the day!
Division 4 (14:00)
Chris Lawrence entered his first competitive race (J16 1x) and Terry said that he got faster and faster as he travelled down the river! He led a few of us more experienced rowers home!
For a full set of results see:
http://www.cra-online.net/results/2009/wl_results.htm
It was a great day and I am sure most of us will be back for the final round on the 8th March. Why don't you join us?!
Malcolm Pidd
The junior members showed the way. Here are a few highlights:
Division 2 (10:40)
Clio continues to impress in the WJ 1x class. Clio was the fastest female junior on the day and third fastest women's single! Clio is now within 9 seconds of the overall J 1x leader.
Em and Francesca entered in a J16 2x. Francesca has only been rowing a few months and it was her first experience in a competitive race. Under Em's steady helm they completed the course in just over 14mins, chased down the river by Terry and a posse of spectators on push bikes. A fantastic result.
The gentlemen's Vet E4+ (John, David, Neil and Nick) put in a solid performance and improved on their time in the first leg.
Lastly, the old Vet Cs - Tim and I - plugged it out in the singles. I am trying to remember how Tim described my stroke in the bar afterwards... "physical but effective"? Which I think is another way of saying that it lacks refinement! I actually had one of my best results to date, clocking up the fastest Vet C 1x time of the day!
Division 4 (14:00)
Chris Lawrence entered his first competitive race (J16 1x) and Terry said that he got faster and faster as he travelled down the river! He led a few of us more experienced rowers home!
For a full set of results see:
http://www.cra-online.net/results/2009/wl_results.htm
It was a great day and I am sure most of us will be back for the final round on the 8th March. Why don't you join us?!
Malcolm Pidd
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Cambridge Winter League, 2009
Here is a link to the results of the January leg of the Winter League:
http://www.cra-online.net/results/2009/wl_results.htm
http://www.cra-online.net/results/2009/wl_results.htm
Friday 9 January 2009
Pudding Races, 2009
Happy New Year!
If you had won two Henley medals, what would there be left to win? World Cup Olympic Gold in the single sculls (could do that in one leg), Commonwealth? No! What you would really, really want is the coveted DRC Plum Pudding.
And thus our newest member, Stephen Fowler, girded the proverbial loins on the coldest Deben day for quite some time. Ably assisted by John 'I'm-just-surfing-in-the-bow-seat' Churcher, the noble pair romped to victory.
Conditions were tricky (when are they not on our beloved river?!), but a good time was had by all and we adjourned to the DRC 'bar'...
This year's project is to replace the crumbling edifice with a purpose-built clubhouse which will be fit for purpose.
Happy New Year to All!
Tim Earnshaw
(DRC Chairman)
If you had won two Henley medals, what would there be left to win? World Cup Olympic Gold in the single sculls (could do that in one leg), Commonwealth? No! What you would really, really want is the coveted DRC Plum Pudding.
And thus our newest member, Stephen Fowler, girded the proverbial loins on the coldest Deben day for quite some time. Ably assisted by John 'I'm-just-surfing-in-the-bow-seat' Churcher, the noble pair romped to victory.
Conditions were tricky (when are they not on our beloved river?!), but a good time was had by all and we adjourned to the DRC 'bar'...
This year's project is to replace the crumbling edifice with a purpose-built clubhouse which will be fit for purpose.
Happy New Year to All!
Tim Earnshaw
(DRC Chairman)
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