CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

The new season has started with a bang with plenty of activity at our Club. We have a large squad of both men and women including many new members across the Club. All reports from the gathering at the Club on Sunday 3rd following the Great London Row are very positive with a strong spirit and great atmosphere spanning all membership groups. The success of the gathering was due, in no small part, to our President who kindly sponsored the cost of the food.

I take my hat off to those intrepid and hardy members who took part in the Great London Row over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd October in increasingly grim conditions on the Saturday, with the Pairs Head cancelled due to the forecast bad weather. As Andrew Boyle said to me, rowing in the rain is OK but sitting still in a boat in a lock in the rain is another thing. Fortunately, the weather was much improved on the Sunday. Well done to all!

Over the coming months there are a number of club events planned including Club Pride Day on Sunday 24th October; all support will be welcome as we work to get a few jobs done in and around the clubhouse. There will also be a Fours’ Head Party, the Christmas Event and the Annual Dinner in January while the Irregulars will continue to hold monthly dinners which are open to all. Bar opening times are advertised in the Weekly Brief. Please take the opportunity to join other LRC members at the Club when you can.

Simon Harris
Chairman, London Rowing Club

ROWING REPORT

When Head Coach, Stu Heap, told everyone to take a break from rowing after the squad’s successful summer he should have been more explicit. During the “break” a large contingent of the squad simply migrated to sculling to hone their skills and take on new challenges. This culminated in the Club having one of the biggest and most successful entries ever in the Scullers’ Head. If you missed James Sexton-Barrow’s excellent report in the 30th September edition of the Weekly Brief, you can find it later in this publication.

The plan was that from there the squad would finish off their “break” by racing in the Pairs’ Head on the 2nd October. Last year’s squad members were desperate to battle it out among each other in small boats but alas, it was not to be. Regrettably, the event was cancelled. Despite this, the crews still assembled on a windy and wavy river early in the morning to have an internal time trial. The winner was unquestionably the weather and despite initial disappointment at the event being cancelled, the ultimate decision seemed reasonable to everyone that battled the conditions.

It is a new rowing season and with it comes a large group of new faces. The Women’s squad has now grown to 30 active members and the Men’s sits at 61. With a combined squad of 91 members, capacity is at maximum! The next target is Fours’ Head in November and the squad will be dusting off summer cobwebs and setting sights on a competitive showing. A warm welcome to all the new joiners. With so many new members, please do say hello to new faces out and about and get to know the exciting new group of talent that has joined.

Gregor Maxwell
LRC Squad member

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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

IRREGULARS’ REPORT

Last month saw the return of the fabled Irregulars’ Dinner on the 22nd October. As usual, expertly organised by Jacquie Grosch and helpers and a superb dinner was served up by our regular cook, Annabel Lawrence. Annabel has now joined the Club on the Events Team - a very good move for the Club and we send her a big welcome. It was wonderful to welcome back to the Club Iain Laurenson and John Pearson with wives after a hefty period lying low – both now in their late eighties and looking very sprightly. We also entertained three members of the squad and a coach - Heather Scott, Harry Smallman, Borja Portos-Velasco and coach German Pradera. We hope to be holding another dinner early November - date to be advised.

Four of our members took part in the Traversée de Paris on the 26th October. Organised by LRC member, Frank ter Voorde, it went off very smoothly - we are indebted to Frank for yet another hugely enjoyable and beautifully planned foreign sortie.

*Frank ter Voorde - Multi tasking - steering and smoking.*

*Michael Gormley, John Gaisford, Nini Markes (cox - LRC shoes at least), David Whitten and Eddie Markes.*

*The after party - 2 obvious LRC members - who can spot and name the third?*

Lo and behold, the Irregulars are dragging themselves into the modern age – we have opened up a WhatsApp group!! - "Irregulars and Friends" is doing well and the take-up has been very impressive. After an initial flurry of posts it has calmed down somewhat but it is, and will be, a very useful tool for instant communication - such as "We are in the Long Room having a drink".

Lastly, I was at the Club a couple of days ago and was chatting to a senior member of the squad and a young, brand new member. "How often do the Irregulars train?" was the question - a wry smile crossed my lips - "we don't" came the flippant answer. Then, thinking better of it, I added "Well - some of us do - sometimes". At which point, the young member chirped up - "So you row for fun" - "That's it, in a nutshell" I said.

Eddie Markes

THE GREAT LONDON ROW

We were very happy to hold the Great London Row on 2nd and 3rd October. The dates were not ideal with Pairs Head scheduled for the 2nd and the Squad season starting on the 3rd, and we were not able to give as much notice to members as we normally would… but… it turns out, none of that mattered! We wanted to provide an opportunity to the members the soonest we could and everyone rose to the occasion.

The event is best described by those who took part, read from them below.

Thank you to everyone who rowed, helped, sponsored the President, showed interest in the GLR and accepted any role, including riding in Casamajor. Circumstances meant that the organiser needed help on little notice. I am grateful to and so proud of all my young friends at the Club who answered every call, WhatsApp and email by saying yes, I will do that and let me know if there is anything else needed (and they reported back after successful completion of their jobs!).

LRC has been run since 1856 by the goodwill of volunteers, and some special employees. To know that the younger generation is keen and capable shows that LRC will go very well for a long time.

German Pradera - who on one days’ notice, supervised the critical de-rigging and boat loading.
Stuart and Rebecca Heap – who delivered the boats to Windsor and Hampton Court.
Robert Porter – who stepped in as support crew on Saturday after having to scratch from Pairs Head.
Mike Baldwin – an organiser of the row, the support leader – critical job, provider of Casamajor and fundraiser with Sponsor the President.
Chris Goodfellow and Annabel Lawrence – who orchestrated the operation of the barbecue.

Those who completed all the other jobs – Harry Smallman!, Bev Goodchild, Matt Reeder, Grace Bake, Steve Baldwin who drove Casamajor, Alex Fothergill, who subbed in with one days’ notice and received a 10 out of 10 score from his crew for both his personality and rowing!

Jason Lalande Dancinger – Irregular

"Great London Row saw a cross section of Club members row from Windsor to Putney over two days. It was a rare treat to row on upper stretches with great scenery, calm waters and stunning properties! The comradery of crews was superb…heralded with four quads in a lock squeezed together like a giant water caterpillar. The bow steerers were tested with a cornucopia of motorboats, paddle borders, kayaks, plenty of outstretched branches, unpredictable sailors & erratic windsurfers.

One of the highlights of the trip, was the warm welcome at the Club after 25 miles of rowing the final stretch on Sunday, accompanied by Casamajor - an armada of dozens of blue & white caps.

Friendly faces, copious genuine cheering and everyone helping out..... Tom, Helena & team had plenty of hot food to refuel and cheer us up and the atmosphere of LRC was simply brilliant.

Rowers of all ages and capabilities, coaches, squad, committee members and friends & family all mingling, chatting, cheering and more which is a sign of a happy, well run & successful club. What a great way to raise funds by doing what we all love the most... just rowing. Well done to all organisers for pulling off another successful year.”

*Jason LaLande Dancinger, Elliot Lalande Dancinger, John Gaisford, Keith Swabey.*

Chloe Colclough – Young Irregulars

“I loved the GLR - had a really lovely team making for a relaxing meditative experience at times when the sun came out, and an exciting adrenaline rush at others when (almost) shooting into overhanging riverside bushes and wobbling through the last stretch of stormy water. All around lots of fun!”

*Chloe Colclough, Aisling Green, Georgina Pipkin, Eddie Markes.*

Eddie Markes – Irregular

“It was a great chance to connect with three charming YI's and had a really enjoyable row.

Miles Preston - Irregular

“I couldn’t believe when I turned up on Saturday morning to find that I had been put in a crew with three squad members. With the huge disparity between their fitness and strength and mine, I was concerned that I would turn, what for them would have been an easy paddle had there been four squad members on board, into a bit of an ordeal. They were most considerate and all of them were really friendly. The net result was that we made it through the 37kms and ten locks without mishap.

For me it was a challenge but one I enjoyed. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to scull with them.”

Ed Thomas – Men’s Squad

"GLR was simultaneously some of the most fun and the least fun I've had in a rowing boat but made infinity better by the camaraderie of everyone taking part.”

Bethan Cortlett – Women’s Squad

“Who knew rowing +30km in the rain could be so much fun! It was an awesome day out getting to row past Windsor castle, navigating the locks and some brilliant in-boat banter. Was a lovely way to meet more members of London outside the squad.”

Susan Holcombe - Irregular

“Early morning Saturday 2nd October and it wasn’t raining….. bonus! Four quad crews met up in Windsor to begin the epic row downstream to Hampton Court. Spirits were high in the Marsden as we paddled off towards Boveney, our first lock.

It was so lovely to get away from London that we didn’t mind the rain when it inevitably arrived, and it certainly did not diminish the wonderful views we enjoyed on this stretch of the river. One advantage of rowing in the rain is that other rivers users are few and far between and, for most of the day, we had the river to ourselves. We were all extremely grateful to Rob and Mike, whose smiling faces were there to greet us as every lock and, even better, they came with supplies of food!

Day two was an improvement on the weather front as we had bright sunshine for most of the morning. It was a very leisurely row in the Marsden and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to stop at The White Swan to rehydrate. The final stretch was tough, with sore bums and aching legs, but hearing the cheers from the balcony was amazing and whilst it wasn’t quite a sprint finish it wasn’t too shabby!

Massive thank you to Kathleen, Rob and Mike for all their hard work in putting this together – we had a blast and can’t wait for next year!”

*Susan Holcombe, Phil Hannay, Kate Pearson, Penny Bevan-Hopkins.*

Andrew Boyle – Vets

The GLR was well organised, I thought it was a great opportunity for Club members to have an out-of-town adventure. There was a positive and friendly atmosphere. For most of the way the rain did not cause too much of a problem, as it got heavier and the headwind picked up, it felt like the Tideway. I must admit sitting on the seat in the locks was the hardest part, I was glad to arrive at Hampton Court.

Louron Pratt – Vice Captain, Men’s Squad

“It was a rainy event but it didn’t stop it from being a lovely day spent with great people and lovely scenery. The time flew by and morale was high.

Harry Smallman – Men’s Squad and Resi’s Rep (and all-around great contributor to LRC!)

The BBQ was awesome! It was such a good club vibe and I think everyone had a nice time and plenty of food! Was great to have everyone back at the Club after so long…

Kathleen Curran

SCULLERS’ HEAD 2021

Last month saw the return of the Sculler’s Head, in its new position in the racing calendar of September (a welcome change from December). It was brilliant to have racing back over the full Championship course, and 402 scullers certainly made the most of it.

Of those 402, 22 scullers were representing London, making ours the second largest entry in the race (TSS being first with 28). As well as volume we also had breadth, with scullers racing across events from novice up to Masters I.

It proved to be a highly successful day at the races for London Rowing Club, with 6 of our athletes winning their respective events. Congratulations go to:

Rui Xu, Novice, 4th overall
Rob Leonard, Club, 12th overall
Gregor Maxwell, Senior Lightweight, 13th overall
Nathan O'Reilly, Masters B, 15th overall
Meg Jackson, Women's Masters A, 3rd fastest female and 101st overall
Grace Bake, Women's Club, 4th fastest female and 102nd overall

These 6 wins meant that London won more pots than any other club. Making for a very happy Chief Coach and Captain.

Congratulations to all our winners and every member who raced. It was fantastic to see so much representation for our club, both on the river and at the after party.

James Sexton-Barrow,
Captain, London Rowing Club

NEW MEMBERS

We would like to welcome the following new members to the Club:

Marvin Barth
Jason Bowyer
Joshua Brooke-Jones
Jakub Chalupczak
Michael Cannon
Myles Dickinson-Brown
Flora Emeny
Lucien Gaitskell
Saskia Gill
David Gillard
Jack Greengross
Juliette Hanford
Adam Harris
Gabriel Jose
Geraldine Nassieu-Maupas
Georgina Pipkin
Chloe Ramambason
James Sanders
Aurele Tobelem
Lorenzo Venturini
Albert Zamariola

We hope you will enjoy being part of the London Rowing Club community and will help us build an ever happier and more successful club.

We are always pleased to have more members so, if you know of anyone who think might like to join the Club, please either let us know or encourage them to get in touch with us themselves.

There is information on becoming a member on our website: https://www.londonrc.org.uk/membership-enquiries or you can contact the Club’s Membership Secretary, Jessica Salter, whose email address is membership@londonrc.org.uk

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

CLASSICS AT THE CLUB

*Miles Preston’s 1933 Rolls Royce 20/25.*

*John Pritchard’s 2007 Aston Martin DB9 Volante.*

*Bill Baker’s 1972 Mini Cooper S replica and 1972 Audi 100 Coupe S.*

*Peter Roberts’ 1948 Brockhouse Corgi fold up motorcycle dwarfed by the Rolls 20/25.*

On Saturday 25th September the tranquility of the hard outside LRC was broken by the roar (and gentle putter) of engines as members and their guests gathered for the first ‘Classics at the Club’. The collection of vehicles was eclectic, spanning the years 1933 to 2007.

Peter Roberts supplied the only motorcycle, a 1948 Brockhouse Corgi 98cc fold-up machine, the civilian version of the military motorcycle designed to be dropped by parachute to support airborne troops in the second World War.

The oldest car was Miles Preston’s magnificent 1933 Rolls Royce 20/25. The US was represented in the form of Charlie Dunlop Cunnington’s 1990 Chevrolet Corvette while Alex Barrow’s Citroen DS provided some Gallic flair, his well-used left hand drive silver example showing attractive ‘patina’.

Moderns were well displayed including John Pritchard’s 2007 Aston Martin DB9 Volante, James Lindsay Fynn’s 2007 Porsche 911, Simon Melvin’s Jaguar XK8 and Richard Bryson’s Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage.

The event was well-attended by LRC members and friends and also raised a good deal of interest from passersby. After the viewing and discussion, people adjourned to the bar and balcony for drinks and very welcome impromptu chips served by Tommy.

Watch this space for the next classics event.

Bill Baker
LRC, Membership Sub-Committee Chairman

TAKE A DUCK OUT OF WATER

What do you think of when you hear the words "Running" and "Athletics"?

For many, it's all about beating personal bests, new championships and medals.

However, sometimes it can be far more than that. It can be about something bigger than the self.

The UltraX Jordan 250km

I had the opportunity to be a part of the UltraX Jordan event in Wadi Rum this year. It was a 250km trail run across Wadi Rum desert from 7am on the 4th October to 1pm on the 8th October 2021 over 5 days in a balmy 30-40 degrees celsius.

I and six others were drafted in to take part in this amazing adventure. A fantastic opportunity to visit Wadi Rum, a desert which we'd all wanted to see and an opportunity to run across it! Wadi Rum is a vast desert, south of the Dead Sea and just east of Aqaba (Jordan). It's known for its red-orange sand and rock formations.

Packing everything you need into a 14kg bag for the week, food, bedding and clothing made for a simple life. As we settled into finishing dinner on the first night we had a briefing about what to expect. There were five stages to the race, the first day of 46km resulted in me walking the last hour home, despite setting off conservatively, I undercooked the hydration and my legs cramped up to the point where I was doing well to make it home (31st placing of 100). I thought that this may be a very long week and wondered how my body might awaken the next day.

The second day, with a few adaptations of taking double the amount of liquid on board, taught me a little more strategy. Not running over every piece of terrain until I get exhausted, but strategically walking up steep hills and being selective with when to use the accelerator saw a smoother day over the 50km covered on the 2nd day (14th of 100).

Most of my weight in the bag was food. I literally had so many snacks. You can be the fittest person on the planet. But not refuelling when completing this event can turn it messy very quickly and see you check yourself out of the race. I experienced the opposite of this 55km into the 69km day. Nearly 10 hours running out in the heat, after starting off with the leading pack things began to get interesting. My stomach felt like a washing machine and I was ground to a crawl for the last 14km home. Still, lessons learnt. (9th placing of 100)

After sleeping outside on a large slab of rock with a spectacular view I thought I may need to be a little more conservative today. The 46km felt like a blink in comparison to the previous day. All my lessons from the week began to come into play. Having kept way too much in the tank saw me sprint home the last 2km pretty fast. I was however in the best shape I'd been all week (12th placing).

The last hurrah, I was cautious all week with how my body would respond. So knowing this was the last day I kind of approached it like the last 500m of a race.

It was 40km so a longish last leg. I sharpened the strategy a little further and went out with the leading pack. They were a bit bemused and wondered who the hell was the gatecrasher uninvited to the party. My body was holding up well and the speed was doable for the distance. It saw me steadily lock in with the front runners as the group slowly broke up over the 3.5 hours we were running. Eventually, there were only two of us, the number one and two positioned had been fixed as they were a few minutes in front and not in sprinting distance. For 3rd and 4th it did result in an all-out sprint in the last mile uphill with the competitor who pipped me to the post, doing 5:45 min/miles up a hill in a desert at the end of 250km race is not something I envisaged doing. I did make it more fun though. I finished that day 4th for the last stage.

So many lessons at play from rowing to learn from the past, focus on the present and be aware of the future.

Despite all the fun across the desert with blistered swollen feet and dodgy stomachs, we weren't there just to test our feet of endurance but to raise awareness and support two charities very close to home.

Thank you so much if you have already donated from the club. We are still raising money for Young Minds and Brain Tumour Research and would appreciate any further contributions!

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=race_to_the_desert&pageUrl=1

I will be returning to the desert next year for some more lessons. Maybe we need an LRC adventures club?

Stephen Feeney

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