CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

The past few weeks have reminded me of the breadth, depth and strength of our Club. There are several notable events to record and, for fear of prioritising one over another, here they are in chronological order.

I am very pleased to report that the General Meeting on Wednesday, 23rd October was well attended, with over sixty present. At the meeting, we explained the current financial position of the Club and the developments since the AGM. The Club’s financial position has steadily improved since late August thanks to some generous donations from our members, a clear focus on tight financial control and increasing profits from events and bar sales. Following the presentations there was a lively discussion about plans for the 2020/21 season which will be communicated in more detail over the coming months. It was also pleasing to receive offers of support to help to run the Club.

Thank you to everyone who turned out on Club Pride Day on the 26th October. It was a fantastic effort and well planned by Josh McInerney. The premises look a whole lot brighter and tidier as a result. It has also left us with a Club Room which is ready to be furnished and used in the way originally intended.

Congratulations to the squad who raced at Upper Thames Autumn Head on Sunday, the 27th. We came away with four wins and a great start to the racing season. They were also scheduled to race in the Kingston Small Boats Head last Saturday but the event was cancelled. Next to come is the Fours Head on Saturday, the 23rd.

Finally, I would like to thank the members who have stepped forward and offered to loan cash to the Club. So far we have commitments of £80,000; just £10,000 short of our target. This generous support will help us to maintain the momentum that we are building on and off the water.

Simon Harris
Chairman, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S ROWING REPORT

We are getting amongst the season now and the levels of activity around the Club and on the water are at some of the highest seen. We started the season with the intent of drawing the Club together, reminding all members what being part of LRC is all about and creating opportunities for engagement at every stage. Thank you all for picking up the intent and grabbing the challenge with both hands.

Club Pride Day was a great success and the building took another step on with a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for the Club Room to take on its short term workspace, lounge and rest area roles pending funds being available for a refit to take it to another level. A space for members to enjoy and relax regardless of events or other activity at the Club. You will hear more from us on the area to get feedback on your ideas and how you end up using the initial space so we can continue to create the ideal area for our members.

I have to comment on how pleasing the new gym is proving to be. Speaking to new members, both ‘Full’ and ‘Club’, the consistent comment is about the vibe. One quote - “It’s not like any other gym I’ve been to; you have to work hard because everyone around you is”. For me, having new members join the Club and immediately see the benefit of training alongside athletes and other members is a reinforcement of everything we are working towards.

On a personal note, my chest is bolted back together, I am out of the sling and six weeks to go before I hit the weights, so I look forward to seeing many of you down there…for operation ‘mutant gainz 2020’. Circuits continues every Thursday from 7:00pm with consistent attendance. Please feel free to join in!

Despite a few cash based delays on boat repairs, thanks to the hard-work of the coaching team, the fleet’s maintenance, which is under pressure because of the level of its use (the way it should be), is back on track with a clear priority list that they continue to work through as fast as possible.

The squad are going hard and seeing results. We are seeing PBs drop like flies. The programme really is awesome. The combination of the specific S&C coaching as well as land work is paying dividends. I know you will be particularly pleased with the results from the Upper Thames Autumn Head where LRC started to get a foothold back to being a dominant force. We had a number of boats which were fastest of the day, either overall or club boats. It is early days, and there is a lot of work to be done, but the squad are focussed and driven towards being the best they can be.

Upper Thames Autumn Head results
AM Division:
OP 8+ Band 1 LRC 6th
OP 8 Band 3+ LRC 1st
Op 4- Band 1 LRC 1st (fastest 4- of the day)
OP 4+ Band 1 LRC 1st (fastest 4+ of the day)
OP 4x- Band 2 LRC 1st (fastest club 4x of day)
OP 4- Band 3 LRC 2nd

PM Division:
Op 8 Band 2 LRC 2nd (fastest club 8 of the day)
Op 8 Band 2 LRC 3rd
Op 4+ LRC 3rd
Op 4- Band 2 LRC 2nd
Op 4x LRC 2nd

Bang the Drum
Tim Grant
LRC Captain

RECRUITMENT OF NEW MEMBERS

As many of you are aware, our ‘Club Membership’ tier offers access to all non-water based activities. Everything but the boat!

If you have a friend, neighbour, or colleague who would be interested in access to a state-of-the-art gym, historic clubhouse (and incredible balcony) with lovely views of the river, discounted event space, a bar with below high street prices, a wine list selected for the Club by our resident Master of Wine and, of course, the LRC range of beers, please put them in touch with me (shane.dorsett@londonrc.org.uk) or Jessica Salter (membership@londonrc.org.uk) at the Club.

We hope to recruit 100 members over the next year.

Shane Dorsett
General Manager
London Rowing Club

CLUB ROOM

On the heels of a very productive Club Pride Day, we are pushing hard towards returning the Club Room to its intended purpose - providing a comfortable place for members to work, relax and socialise.

The space will undoubtedly evolve over time (as funds become available); we are now looking for the first generation of furniture to 'kit out' the space.

Should you happen to have any tables, chairs, desks, rugs, or sofas - or indeed, any other furniture that one might find in a comfortable room - please contact me (shane.dorsett@londonrc.org.uk).

Please note, we will not be able to accept all donations.

Shane Dorsett
General Manager
London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

MASTERS’ REPORT

LRC’s Masters scored a 2nd and a 5th place at the recent Head of the Charles.

The Senior Masters coxed four faced stiff competition on the Saturday as many crews switched their focus this year from the eights event to the coxed fours.

In the evening, the crew enjoyed a toga/swimming pool party given by former London oarsman Greg Ellis, where far too much beer was guzzled until early Sunday morning

Tony Lynn (left) and Jonny Akehurst setting up for the Pairs Head.

On Sunday afternoon, LRC’s four teamed up with ladies from Long Beach Rowing Association for the Directors’ Challenge Mixed Eights, the weekend’s closing event. The crew started at the back of the field but finishing 2nd overall, missing victory by one second. If only we had stayed in the night before!

Stewart Harries

IRREGULARS’ REPORT

Autumn is upon us - the Head season has started and Wednesday evening outings have stopped and will start up again next Spring. We are still managing to get out an average of around twenty men and women on a Sunday morning and the Wednesday morning group are carrying on steadfastly as usual.

On the water and in the competitive vein, we have had a quad venture over to Boston for the Head of the Charles (more about this elsewhere in this edition). This was hugely enjoyed.

We have a quad entered in the Vets Fours Head on the 24th of this month in company with six other LRC boats - plenty to support and cheer about! Best of luck to Jason, Keith, Matt and Dugald - go boys!!

We continue to be a group that welcomes rowers from overseas - two this month - Lori from Seattle and Mieke Rekkers from the Rijnland Club in Holland. All they have to do is prove they can swim and give us contact details! They are always hugely appreciative of rowing on the famous stretch of the river and offer reciprocal welcomes at their home clubs. You never know where you might go these days!

Looking ahead, we will start gearing up for the Vets Eights Head next March very soon - tank sessions will be offered and we shall try and get some eight outings organised.

The big social event this month was, of course, last Wednesday’s boat naming and dinner. The Boat Naming took place at 7:00pm and was to celebrate and applaud John Pearson and John Pepys. The brand new Filippi coxed four was aptly named “JP”. John Pepys actually started the Irregulars in the early sixties and was Secretary and Treasurer of LRC in his time. John Pearson has been a tireless supporter of the Club since the sixties and is still rowing with the Irregulars. He embodies the true spirit of the Irregulars by welcoming new members and never complaining about whom he might be asked to row with!

*Well wishers gather to witness the boat naming of ‘JP’.*

*John Pearson addresses the supporters as he christens the boat.*

*After the naming, discussions about the design features of the boat.*

After the boat naming we all retired upstairs and were met by friends and relatives of Robbie van Mesdag. They had wished to celebrate the anniversary of Rob’s death at LRC with the Irregulars, which was a very touching sentiment. We hope they enjoyed the evening.

We were very pleased to welcome the new Club Chairman, Simon Harris, who made a speech about these three notable gentlemen. This was followed by others with their own anecdotal stories. It was also great to see Iain and Mieke Laurenson at the dinner.

A very successful evening and, as always, many thanks to Jacquie Grosch and Kathleen Curran.

Eddie Markes

JULIAN EBSWORTH BOAT NAMING

Last Thursday, the 7th November, less than twenty-four hours after the ‘JP’ boat naming, there was a second boat naming, this time by Julian Ebsworth, the Club’s archivist and librarian.

Julian was supported by his son, Jonathan, a non-rowing member, and members of the 6s & 7s Club. The boat is a second-hand Janousek coxless four bought from Imperial College and recently refurbished. It is to be allocated for use by the Irregulars.

The 6s & 7s were meeting for an annual get-together in what is their 39th year.

Christopher Grainger

ROWING DOWN THE RIVER

Boats should not proceed below Wandsworth Bridge, regardless of tide, unless the outing plan has been pre-approved by the Club Rowing Safety Advisor and Assistant Coach Steve Salter, +44 (0) 7540 812 808.

Rowing boats are advised to inform London Vehicle Traffic Services (London VTS) if they go below Wandsworth Bridge but it has been agreed that they may proceed as far as Chelsea Bridge without having to contact London VTS.

Due to commercial barge traffic movements at various freight facilities, rowers must not proceed below Fulham Railway Bridge for 3hrs before and 2hrs after high tide.

If you need to call London VTS, the number is 0208 855 0315.

Tim Grant
Captain, London Rowing Club

HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2019

More than 11 thousand elite athletes competed in Boston's Head of the Charles Regatta, the world's biggest two-day rowing event and ultimately branded the toughest rowing course in the world.

LRC irregular crew consisted of Rory O’Sullivan aka ‘Stroke’, who burned through entire Netflix box sets racking up thousands of metres on the ergo, Martin Quinn aka ‘Mr Incredible’ for his ‘ridiculous’ sporting feats of double, triple marathons and more, who loves to wake up bow pair with a fresh morning shower! Aidan O’Flaherty aka the ‘Old dog whisperer’ for his ability to teach the other three old dog’s new tricks and Jason Lalande in bow aka ‘The surgeon’ for his steering precision over the course.

Held over the 3rd weekend in October when fall foliage colours begin to peak along the Charles River where the races take place, the Head of the Charles Regatta attracts top rowers from Boston and around the world.

There was a massive crowd of up to 300,000 spectators lining both sides of the river on the bridges along the course. This year marked the epic event's 55th anniversary.

With more than 60 exciting events involving almost 2,000 boats over the 2-day period, there was plenty to watch.

Three members of the Cambridge Boat Club started the Head of the Charles Regatta back in 1965, and the race has grown ever since. Members of racing clubs, college crew teams, and even high school teams converge to compete to be the best in their class.

Row America set up our boat, measuring crew to ‘tune’ every element of our lovely shiny new Wintech. For those who have never been in a new racer it was like changing from a stainless-steel bike to a carbon one and yes it had ‘go faster’ stripes!

Long winding row to start followed by short warm up by MIT until we got in line for the start. As we made our way up the channel on the tannoy at the DeWolfe Boat House of Boston University, a voice boomed “London Row”!

*Left to right: Rory O’Sullivan, Martin Quinn, Aidan O’Flaherty and Jason Lalande.*

The Old dog whisperer shortly got crew up to racing speed as we shot through the double-crossed Railroad & BU Bridge with no more than an otter’s butt width either side of our oars!

Then Aidan called out for first of many ‘tens’ on the right-hand bend towards River St Bridge and it was on that run up to first mile that we overtook our first few boats…

Then there was a straight line to Western Avenue Bridge where we passed another couple of boats until getting into the inside tight line for taking on the hairpin bend on Weeks footbridge…. “firm on the left” bellowed from the rear as we managed the tightest turn imaginable.

As we came out of the bridge still holding inside lane, The surgeon yelled “yield to port” to a couple boats ahead as we slipped past them just an otters whisker away from clashing blades… as one of boats yielded to left our stroke as a parting gesture knocked off their race number and we span on to take field.

Straight to Anderson Bridge and the Old dog whisperer yelled for another power 10 as we passed the Harvard Boat House approaching 2 miles and taking on (albeit for a very brief but proud moment) the Harvard crew themselves, which make for the greatest video souvenir of the race!

River U bend followed with touch on rudder on every recovery as we approached Eliot Bridge for another hair pin bend…. it’s here we took on boat 26 who moved out as we moved out & back in when we moved in & this went on for 1/3 mile….. however, we commanded the inside line and another thrilling full speed turn to hundreds of cheering competitors.

After the bend we sprinted to the finish which we knew was just by a large pizza oven…. “Let’s go get pizza boys” as we summoned last energy at 3 miles to cross over the line.

WOW! What an exciting race…we made London proud, completed the race in 18 and a half minutes, beat 12 other boats and all that without a blade clashing and without a touch of paint lost on our ‘Ferrari’ of a quad.

You just have to LOVE this sport.

Aiden went on to race at the Upper Thames Head with a number of wins for London, partly his lucky HOC hat, his training with us and just perhaps of his incredible skill! Bravo to Aidan for bringing together Squad & Irregulars to the rhythm of one club one sport.

We all learned a great deal from Aidan and the experience and are better rowers because of it but overall we enjoyed every single second – an amazing experience.

Jason Lalande

HALLOWEEN SUPPER

Supper Club was back with a bang (and a howl) in October. While the ghouls and goblins busied themselves with hollowing out pumpkins in preparation for Halloween, our team of resident chefs - the Dinner Ladies - were hard at dreaming (or perhaps nightmaring) up seven utterly sinful courses worthy of Dante himself.

At 7.30pm exactly we were escorted into the immaculately (and hauntingly) decorated Members Room accompanied by the requisite ghoulish music (or perhaps simply Tommy and Helena arguing about wine glasses again) and sat down to an evening of gastronomic delight and intrigue (and port).

With each of the courses embodying one of the seven deadly sins, or capital vices, it was left to each diner (or sinner) to identify which sin was being portrayed by which course. All of which led to intense debate, head scratching and, of course, film quotes!

The sinful Dramatic Personae was as follows (matched to each sin to the best of my memory):

Envy: Half of the members were served "Prawn ceviche, cucumber, orange, chilli, avocado and coriander tostadas" while the other half were forced to struggle through a "Spicy lobster bisque, crab, tarragon butter and a sesame rice cracker". I am not sure who was mos envious of whom, but there certainly was NO sharing.

Pride: Served on a mirror we only just dragged away from self-admiration by this Jerusalem artichoke soup with micro violas and a crunchy Parmesan crisp.

Wrath: On this occasion, vengeance was a dish served piping hot, dark and stormy - truly at its best: a delicious Risotto Nero with baby squid, heirloom tomatoes and charred cavolo nero.

Sloth: "What's in the box?" At the very pinnacle of laziness - delivered directly from a Deliveroo cooler (although I am assured prepared in the LRC kitchen) our take-out boxes were presented brimming with crispy shredded chilli beef noodles with pak choi, soy, lime, ginger and coriander. It may have been slothful but the flavours had our taste buds working overtime.

Greed: All the stops were pulled out with the with the main course of pork belly with golden crackling, black pudding stuffing, roasted romanesco and cider jus.

Lust: Accompanied by a vivacious 1992 Vintage Quinta do Vesuvio Port, the climactical course for the evening stirred all the forbidden desires with a ‘Poison apple brimming with Biscoff Cheesecake, oat crumble and – of course -chocolate’! Thank goodness for the dessert stomach!

Of course, all of the above was once again tremendously supported by the superb LRC wine list, each course superbly complimented (by the wine as well as the patrons) and the additional dimensions added.

Albeit it somewhat confusing on the cutlery front for philistines such as myself, this was indeed a vintage Supper Club where even the most accomplished eaters amongst us were left filled to the gills and completely satisfied having fully indulged in the each of the seven deadly sins. From now it is a strict diet of Faith, Hope and Charity... till the next Supper Club that is!

Speaking of which, the next (Thanksgiving themed) Supper Club is for the end of November - please speak to Shane to secure a place at the table.

Mark Lucani

VOGALONGA 2020

Next year’s Vogalonga will be taking place on the 31st May. For a third year, I have the privilege of co-ordinating our group participating in this fantastic event.

Following this year’s trip, I invited anyone who might be interested in taking part in 2020 to let me know and to date fifteen have done so. It will be really helpful if those who have not already done so but are potentially interested in participating could email me now so that I can add you to my list (miles.preston@milespreston.co.uk).

Indicating interest does not commit you to coming. Early in the New Year, I will be emailing everyone on my master list to ask people to say more definitely if they want to join our merry gang.

My hope is that there will be at least three coxed quads (in addition to the other LRC crew which boats from Quirini Boat Club, as opposed to our group which takes our own boats to Venice). Priority for going on these trips is given first to members of the Irregulars, then to other members of LRC and if the odd places need filling to make up the crews we ask non-members to join us.

*This year’s crews after completing the row – job well done.*

This is always a tremendous adventure, giving you the opportunity to see and spend some time in Venice, participate in one of the great rowing events of the World and enjoy socialising and eating and drinking with other members of the Club and their partners. What could be more fun?

Miles Preston

USROWING HONOR FOR CHRIS BLACKWALL

Members will be delighted to hear that one of the most illustrious and longstanding members of the Club, Chris Blackwall, has just been awarded USRowing’s most prestigious award, the Medal of Honor.

Chris was born in Kenya and began rowing at the age of 14 at Radley College. He went to Oxford where he rowed in the 1967 winning eight - he rowed at six with Dan Topolski at seven. He won the Thames Cup in 1965, the Wyfolds in 1969 and the Prince Philip in 1971 (I remember this only too well as I was in the Leander crew he beat in the final!). He and I then rowed together in the National squad in 1972 but missed out on going to the Munich Games because the eight in which we would have rowed was not selected - the squad that year was twenty-five strong but only seventeen were selected to go to the Olympics.

Chris then went on to be a co-ordinator of the GB men's national team in the 1970s.

In 1979 he moved to the U.S. where he took up the position as the new executive director of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen (NAAO), the then national governing body of U.S. men's rowing. Under his stewardship the NAAO later merged with the National Women's Rowing Association to form USRowing.

For a fuller account of Chris's very successful career, please click on this link:

https://heartheboatsing.com/2019/10/17/old-oxford-blue-recipient-of-usrowing-medal-of-honor/

Well done Chris. Very well deserved.

Miles Preston

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF LAUNCH ‘CASAMAJOR’

It all started back in the 1950s when LRC was coming up to its 100th anniversary. At that time, most coaching was carried out by a coach on a bicycle and it was felt that much improvement could be attained by coaching from a launch. There were no standard coaching launches at that time – “tin fishes” were many years in the future – so the blueprint for what was needed was very much a blank piece of paper.

A sub-committee was formed, which approached the subject in extreme detail, examining any number of pleasure launches for the necessary characteristics, namely capable of a speed of 25mph, stable, capable of carrying 3-4 people and low wash at any speed. The result – they found nothing available off-the-shelf that was suitable.

It was then decided to investigate building a boat of original design, which resulted in much correspondence and varying concepts, a double hull being the favourite for a while. It was eventually decided to go with a design created by naval architects Alan Buchanan Ltd. However, there was much discussion of the likely wash profile and, following the involvement of the firm of Camper and Nicholson, a 5ft model of the proposed design was made and tested. The conclusion from a director of this firm was “…in my view they have developed a very interesting, lightweight and strong form of craft and that in fact I cannot fault it in any way”. A contract was signed with Tucker Brown of Burnham-on-Crouch for the build, at a cost of £330, but that was not the whole story, though, as by the time the cost of the design work, fitting out, engine and controls, trailer and transport had been added, the total bill had increased to £850. This was way over the budget of £500 set by the Club (a familiar story, some might say), but Camper and Nicholson underlined their support for the project by lending the Club the extra £350 on easy terms.

When the boat was launched at Putney, she was everything that had been promised, and she looked wonderful as well. Although the Club also bought a small dinghy as a tender (named “Casaminor”) for fetching and returning the launch if left on a mooring buoy, it was decided to keep her in the boathouse, and launch her on a daily basis. She had been described as “lightweight”, but that was a relative term, and hauling her up the hard on her trolley required quite a lot of help. Lining her up to get her on the trolley from the water was an exacting process as well, and I can remember the cries of “push on the rope!”.

An admiring article about her appeared in Rowing Magazine, which at the time had a worldwide readership. The consequence was that enquiries came from far and wide, from the USA, Pakistan, Germany, Holland and Ireland, and a number of copies were made, in all four being constructed in the UK on which the Club, as copyright owner of the plans, received a royalty. The most visible sister-ship still afloat is the Thames RC launch “Beaujolais”.

Time passed, and fashions changed, with the ready availability of small aluminium launches, which leave horrible washes but are more versatile, and constant rattling up and down the hard on an un-sprung trolley was doing Casamajor no favours, so the time came when the Club decided she was no longer of use.

At that point, a group of eight older members decided that she should be preserved, and reached an agreement with the Club to take her over and maintain her for the future, making her available to the Club for special occasions. This group has had to put their hands deep into their pockets on several occasions, as keeping a 60+ year old wooden launch in good condition is not cheap. She now has a second, and more gentle career, being used for social trips on the Thames and as an Umpire’s launch at the lower Thames regattas, where she is very much the favoured boat to ride in; the fees from the regattas help with the expenses. She lives at Teddington and is taken out of the water for maintenance and re-varnishing every other year. She looks and is a handsome old lady, and is much admired.

The future? She is in good condition and could go on for many more years yet but this will depend on the continuation of the Casamajor Syndicate who look after her and pay the bills. There are currently two out of the ten who want to retire and replacements are needed but have not yet been found. Volunteers?

Mike Baldwin
President, London Rowing Club

A PROPOS OF NOTHING…

Ever since people started racing in rowing boats, they have tried to invent ways to make their boats go faster.

One of the more eccentric ideas has been ‘syncopated’ rowing. It is thought that this was first invented in around 1880. It probably reached its peak of fashion in the late 1920s when it was also called ‘jazz’ rowing – linked no doubt to the jazz music which was in vogue at the time.

In essence, in an eight the crew was divided into four pairs with the stroke cycle being done in shifts, with two oars in the water at all times. To do this, special elongated eights had to be built and apparently they even tried putting the cox in the middle of the boat. While one can see that the theory of always have two blades in the water was logical as a means of propelling a boat fast, how any-one who has actually rowed in an eight could ever have envisaged this working is something of a mystery.

If you would like to watch an example of syncopated rowing – and moreover of a London Rowing Club crew doing this in 1929…

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it on safety@londonrc.org.uk

The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar