CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

The Club was very proud to boat four women’s eights at the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race on 9 March, all making the cut after the entry was reduced following the recent heavy rains and increased tidal flows. All four eights advanced up the final finish order by a significant number of places, a great overall performance.

Last month’s Club Supper saw the launch of the newly published ‘On Finches Field, the Home of London Rowing Club Since 1871’ in celebration of 150 years since the clubhouse was built. This beautiful book was funded and produced by the 6s and 7s group of members and tells the fascinating story of our home. Nearly all the contributors were in attendance and our archivist Julian Ebsworth gave us an informative presentation and potted history of the clubhouse.

The original building had good ‘bones’ and has been able to adapt and evolve over the years while retaining its character and Victorian splendour. In this century alone,we have added the Ashton Room, the Peter Coni Gym, replaced the roof and railings at second floor ‘grandstand’ level, replaced the Resi kitchen and made numerous other improvements. Copies of the book are on sale at a very reasonable £10!

I particularly enjoyed HH Playford’s letters of instruction to builders using a delightfully direct approach.

Julian Ebsworth presents "On Finches Field".

It was fitting that at the same supper we thanked Eddie Markes for his years of hard work and service in keeping the old pile going. Without our wonderful volunteers like Eddie we really wouldn’t have a club. Eddie passes the reins to Tim Leppard.

Eddie proudly puts on his LRC Waistcoat, a gift from a grateful club.

The clubhouse continues to change to meet our needs and your Committee has appointed a small working group to plan the next developments, the most pressing of which is the replacement of the balcony.

We look forward to the men’s and master’s heads this month and hope they can emulate the women’s results. Good luck to all crews after the hard work during a difficult wet winter full of red flags.

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM of London Rowing Club Limited will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday 26th March in the Clubhouse with Zoom access for members unable to attend in person (See emailed version of this newsletter for Meeting ID and Passcode).

The company's accounts for the year ended 31st July 2023 have been sent to members by email. At the meeting our Treasurer, Philip Carré, will present the accounts and comment on the current financial position of the Club. There will be an opportunity for members to ask Philip and other officers of the Club questions. The bar will be open and so please do come along.

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

The wins continue since the Boustead with LRC taking home three more pennants since the last TLR and a medal at the Indoor World Champs.

The men’s 1st VIII won the Hammersmith Head with an amazing course record - the crew was Rosie Margolis, Ed Thomas, Sean O’Mahony, Issac Workman, Calum Jenkins, George Cowley, Edo Marshall, Rui Xu and Tristan Wiese. The Women’s Masters VIII won their category pennant - the crew was Heather Scott, Emily Walters, Kirstyn Luton, Vicki Brock, Chloe Ramambason, Angela Hitchens, Cecilia Collins-Taylor, Alexandra Hammerberg and Saskia Gill. The prize giving at Auriol Kensington was lovely with the LRC rowers bringing home individual medals and the headship pennant. We are very grateful to the organisers for a great event and enjoyed being welcomed into their clubhouse.

Men's 1st VIII collecting the Championship Pennant.

Women's Masters collecting the W Mas A Pennant.

Gaby Morton and Jess Eddie represented LRC at the Indoor World Rowing Championships at the end of February. Gaby, attending virtually from the Coni Gym, came 4th in open women’s 2km - a terrific achievement for Gaby’s first attempt at an indoor competition. Jess, competing in Prague, competed in the Versa - a five part challenge which tests strength, endurance, pacing and pushes physiology to the max. Jess won a well deserved bronze medal for Great Britain and kept all her fans on their toes until the last event. Congratulations to Gaby and Jess!

The 2024 Women’s Head of the River Race was very significant for LRC. Not only was Jess Eddie chairing the event for the first time (congratulations) but LRC boated four full club women’s VIIIs for the first time. With red flags plaguing the tideway it was touch and go as to whether the race would go ahead but we were lucky that experience was on our side and all our crews made it to the startline. All four crews finished in the top 100 with the 1st VIII winning the Medium Club pennant for the third year in a row and finishing 15th. The crew was Chase Lemley, Millie Perrin, Hermione Brewster, Claudia Turley, Aoife Keane, Jemima Harbottle, Gaby Morton, Laura Bates and Kate Jayne-Coupe. A massive thank you to the coaches and the Club for the support shown to the women’s squad at the weekend - the ladies are on fire!

Women's 1st VIII on their way to the Medium Club Pennant.

The masters and squad have had various racing fixtures recently to get ready for the heads. The racing against City of Cambridge, ULBC, OBUBC, OUBC LW and CUBC LWs have been so valuable to our crews and we are showing our dominance on our home stretch.

On to HORR and VHORR, bang the drum!

Elizabeth Cottrell
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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

IRREGULARS REPORT

We are continuing to grow and continue to mature in a number of ways.

Earlier this year, the Young Irregulars welcomed 6 ladies from HSBC - Charlotte Tu, Soraya Nidai, Liz Hichens, Anna Lhommet, Wendy Hilton and Uli Forster. Soon thereafter, some went into Vets Head racing crews.

Our maturing is reflected not only in our strong sculling capabilities and increased strength training, but across other areas. Rachel Evans has joined the Membership Sub Committee, representing the Young Irregulars. She will be a great asset and we thank her for this contribution. Tom Downes will be the primary contributor for articles on the YI's to The London Roar. Amy Johnson has been one of our Welfare Officers for the last couple of seasons. And...38% of our group are signed off steers - with a few more in training and progressing.

We are looking forward to Vets Head and have increased our training. Two Quads in Masters B will represent us - Camille Lanckneus, Soraya Nidai, Victoria Wilson, Heather Hopkins, Rachel Evans, Isabel Palmer, Liz Hichens, and Eilidh McCormick.

S - Camile Lanckneus, 3 - Eilidh McCormick, 2 - Tom Downes, B - Heather Hopkins.

L to R: Victoria Wilson, Rachel Evans, Liz Hitchens.

Kathleen Curran

WATER, WATER…

Coleridge wrote, in his poem The Ancient Mariner “Water, Water, every where, Nor any drop to drink” Since the new year, this could have referred to the Thames. Whilst it is not unusual for reaches of the upper river to be “red boarded” for periods of the winter, this winter has been un-paralleled.

The intensity and duration of the wet weather has been such that it has had an effect on our reach of the Tideway. The flow rates at Teddington have, at times, exceeded 300 cubic meters per second and this, when combined with an out going tide, has led the Port of London Authority to advise that no Rowing Activity should take place on an Ebb Tide.

Membership of the Putney High Tide Club is burgeoning!

There have been periods when, in theory the tide should be on the flood and flowing from Putney to Chiswick, the pressure of out going water has not reversed the flow leading to a rising water level with an out going stream. This has led to some interesting navigational issues and some unexpected flooding of the road at Putney.

While we have been able to adjust our outing times to suit the tides, spare a thought for the hundreds of oarsmen from the upper river who have not been able to boat on their home stretches since mid January, in particular all the Junior Athletes in training for the School’s Head. Dorney Lake is fully booked every weekend with over 800 rowers using it.

Half an hour before the crews boated for the Women's Head last weekend.

Unless the River Gods are merciful, some of the Boat Race day matches could find themselves racing against the stream.

Richard Philips

NEW MEMBERS

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

• Roland Moquet
• Evelyn Tichy
• Morgan Churchill
• Sarah Wilkinson
• Edward Wilkinson
• Craig Johnstone
• Arbey-Felipe Erazo Trujillo
• Ollie Stanhope
• Adam Reynolds

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 you think might like to join the Club, please either let us know or encourage them to get in touch with us themselves.

Read here for information on becoming a member on our website, or you can email the Club’s Membership Secretary.

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER…

The eight and four, named respectively “Simon Rippon” and “Colin Kester” have been in the boathouse for some months, but they had not been formally christened, and this was rectified on 19th February.

The purchase of both boats had been enabled by generous donations from Simon’s and Colin’s families and it was totally appropriate that they should be named by Simon’s niece, Sally McPherson, and Colin’s widow, Barbara.

Both Simon and Colin were active in the Club some while before most of the current members were around, so it is worth giving a bit of their background.

Simon joined in 1962 and, during his rowing career, he competed in the Thames, Stewards and Grand at Henley and, indeed, was in the last all-London crew to compete in the latter event in 1967.

He was Captain for two years in the 1980s, and contributed greatly towards the running of the Club either side of those years. He was an active and successful Veteran and was instrumental in organising the two LRC 12-oar crews that rowed over the Henley course in 1989 during the Regatta. One was crewed by 11 former Captains and the then Secretary, a photo of which hangs in the Long Room, with Simon at stroke, and also a rather more serious crew, also stroked by him, which went over the course in 6.30. He was also a founding trustee of the 6’s and 7’s and jointly responsible for its foundation.

Colin joined in 1950 while still at school, and had a spectacular start to his career at the Club by being selected in 1952, aged 18 and barely 11 stone, as stroke of the LRC first crew for the Head, relegating Graham Hill to the 2 seat (and possibly encouraging that gentleman to select an alternative career in motor racing). The crew came second in the Head which, barring the accomplishment of the National Lightweight eight rowing as London, was a higher position than the Club has achieved since. After ceasing active rowing, he did much to assist in maintaining and improving the fabric of the Club. He also served on the Remenham Committee and subsequently became a Vice President.

A very convivial gathering assembled and saw the boats christened in great style, quite an emotional moment for many. The Kester family was represented by a family group spanning three generations.

Mike Baldwin
President, London Rowing Club

BOAT RACE DAY

Saturday 30th March, arrival from 12.30pm

Price: £10 This price includes entry and access to Ashton, Fairbairn and Members Rooms and the roof and includes 1 free drink, either a pint of beer, glass of wine or soft drink.

Due to limited numbers it is vital that members are only allowed to book 1 extra ticket each for a guest.

Ticket link is here

If the event sells out, we will be operating a waiting list so please let me know if you are no longer able to attend.

Heather Scott

ON FINCHES FIELDS

As reported elsewhere in this issue of The London Roar, the Club’s new book, written to mark the 150th anniversary of the clubhouse building, was launched at a Club Supper on 21st February.

In his remarks at the supper, the book’s editor, Julian Ebsworth, noted that the event was being held - appropriately - in the original large first floor room facing the river, built in 1871, i.e. the Long Room. He thanked the Sub Committee members and chapter authors present; unfortunately one of them, Chris Dodd, was unable to attend at the last moment. Anthony Jones, the graphic designer of the book, came all the way up from Cornwall for the occasion, so it was possible to thank him in person for his very special contribution.

There has been great feedback so far:

“Absolute triumph and beautifully done.”

“Wonderful story of the LRC clubhouse building, full of interesting articles and photos.”

“Superb and interesting work.” (A reader from Germany.)

“Absolutely brilliant, I loved the little details like the panorama by John Clark, 1829.”

“A triumph”.

“Congratulations to the team on bringing the book together in such a readable (and engrossing) form. I nearly missed two changes [on the train, travelling to a lunch] and had to be disciplined to make sure that I stopped reading a few stops before the final destination just to make sure I got off”.

There is also a review in the rowing history website/blog, ‘Hear The Boat Sing’, by Chris Dodd.

Sales are going well, and it is pleasing to report that the initial print run may soon have sold out. (If it is, we will get more copies printed.) So roll up!

How to get hold of a copy:

“On Finches Field” costs £10 with £5 for p.& p. Copies are available (a) at the bar; or (b) through MyClubhouse; or (c) by e-mailing the office and the Membership Secretary will forward orders to Richard Metcalf/Julian Ebsworth to process.

The current special offer continues of £20 for both “On Finches Field” and the Club history “Water Boiling Aft”, published in 2006. P. & p. costs on application. The Club history is available on its own as per above @ £20.

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 using the following email address – 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