CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

I recently showed my brother-in-law around the Club. A former rower, now turned golfer (each to their own), he hadn’t been down for many years and was particularly impressed with the gym and Ashton Room, new additions to him.

The clubhouse is so familiar to me that I forget how far we have come in developing our premises and we have a lot to be proud of.

As the commemorative book ‘On Finches Field’ attests, buildings evolve and the process is never-ending. Our next focus is the balcony replacement and work is underway by a small team of members including architects. More on that later.

The active rowing continues to flourish with some two hundred people regularly going afloat. This year we have been thinking about our non-active members and those who may have lost touch. In April, we held a very enjoyable lunch in The Members Room for fifteen ‘8s and 9s’, those who rowed in the 1980s and 1990s. Life moves on and gets busy with other priorities but the nice thing is that when people get back together it feels like no time has passed at all.

Having piloted this small group we are holding a larger get-together on Thursday, 13th June, all members welcome. It will be great to gather different generations of LRC members and maybe the younger rowers would like to hear what it was like to row a wooden Empacher, with wood macons, in terry towelling shorts and club zephyrs?

4 Dads Row Lechlade to Putney. We were very pleased to host this crew of Hugh Elwes, Al Davidson, Nick Digby and Rory Carnegie, fathers of four members of the current GB eight. The quad finished their sponsored row at LRC on 6th May and so far have raised well over £30,000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Fund and Love Rowing. Great effort chaps!

Well done to all crews who raced at Chiswick and Wallingford Regattas. It was fantastic to come away with a win in the Men’s Challenge coxed fours at Wallingford. I hope all learned from the first regattas of the season and put down useful markers for onward progression.

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

NOTICE OF AGM AND ELECTIONS

This year’s AGM of the Club will be held in the Clubhouse, with Zoom access, at noon on Sunday, 21st July.

The bar will be open and so we hope that many members will attend in person to make this an enjoyable social occasion as the rowing year draws to a close.

An agenda will be circulated in due course. This will include the election of officers. The positions of President, Vice President and Captain are subject to annual elections. The other officers of the Club, being the Chairman, Hon.Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Membership Director, Strategy Director, Hon. House Steward (Property) and Hon. House Steward (House/Events), hold office until the third anniversary of their elections. An officer appointed during the year is subject to confirmation by election at the next AGM.

This year, in addition to the annual elections, there will be elections for the positions of Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. House Steward (Property) with the last of these being to confirm Tim Leppard’s appointment during the year. The key functions of the Strategy Director and Hon. House Steward (House/Events) are currently delegated to the Estates Strategy Group and the Events Management Team with General Committee oversight, although these arrangements may change in the future.

Only Full, Life and Honorary Members, who were immediately prior to appointment Full Members, may stand and vote at elections.

A member intending to stand for election must be proposed and seconded by members entitled to vote, and must give notice of his or her candidacy and the names of the proposer and seconder to the Hon. Secretary at least seven days before the meeting.

The Club depends on the participation of members in its management. However, given the extensive responsibilities of the executive officers of the Club for its rowing activities, events business and premises, members are encouraged to gain experience as members of sub-committees and in other positions within the Club before standing for election as officers.

If you have such experience and wish to stand for election or would like to become involved, please contact our Chairman Bill Baker (chairman@londonrc.org.uk) or me (secretary@londonrc.org.uk).

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

Regatta season has begun!

The Young Irregulars kicked us off with a win at Hammersmith Regatta. Camille Lanckneus, Anna Lhommet, Rachel Evans and Soraya Nidai won the Masters quad last month, the first win for Anna and Soraya in LRC colours since they joined with HSBC last year and the first of many, I am sure.

Local regattas have been very oversubscribed, which is great for rowing but disappointing for us. Nevertheless, the masters sights are still set on the BR Masters’ Championships Victor Ludorum in June and a good summer of racing is still ahead.

The squad have been busy at Dorney Lake recently with seat racing last month and Wallingford Regatta last Sunday. Wallingford was a very competitive regatta, with some stand out performances from the Men’s coxed four who retained Coronation Cup for the second year in a row, the Men’s 1st VIII coming 4th in the final and the Women’s 1st coxless four coming 5th in the Champ final.

L to R: Ben Dickens, Calum Jenkins, Rosie Margolis, Ed Thomas and Laurence O'Connor.

Great side by side racing experience and a lot to take away from the 18 hour day. Thank you to the coaches and members who came to support. Notably, Kathleen Curran and Miles and Jane Preston who braved the 4 seasons in one day to cheer on LRC. Up next for the squad is Poplar Regatta and Camp in Varese, Italy.

The Irregulars are easing the Italians into an LRC influx with their annual trip to Venice and the Vogalonga. I look forward to seeing pictures of them taking on the iconic Grand Canal and we wish them safe travels and bocca di lupo!

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

After the Vets Head we all returned to our normal mode of transport, the quad.

On Sunday, 14th April we entertained two American guests John and Catherine Lysinger. We took them up above Chiswick Bridge to give them the Boat Race experience and then, under Henry Dunlop's direction, did our best to mirror the race tempo on the way back!

They were up for it and thoroughly appreciated the drink afterwards in the Duke's Head.

Thursday evening outings were due to start on the 2nd May but, as we all know, "stinky" Thames prevented any rowing. There were three quads planned for that evening so good enthusiasm and interest.

The British Masters competitors are getting serious about training and a few crews have been sorted. Nine members from our group have so far put their names down. It's not too late to register, so please consider.

Eddie Markes

YOUNG IRREGULARS REPORT

April has been a busy month for the Young Irregulars. The combination of a new joiner, the regatta season starting, the return of midweek evening water sessions and the first of our monthly organised coached sessions has kept the group thriving and motivated.

We start with a warm welcome to our new joiner, Elena Zanchini. We are grateful to have Elena join us and wish her great outings with the group.

Onto the groups racing. Two weeks ago we saw success for our crew racing at Hammersmith Regatta. Crew 138 in the W Mas B 4x- division confidently saw off the challenge of Fulham Reach in the first round to win by a few lengths, progressing into the final against Furnivall Sculling club. With waters swelling and getting choppier as the tide came in, our crew set off again with a blistering start in the final to take a boat length lead just after Harrods wall. They held this lead all the way to the finish line to win the division and come home with the Young Irregulars first win of the season!

Crew 138 - Winner of W Mas B 4x-: Rachel Evans, Anna Lhommet, Camille Lanckneus and Soraya Nidai.

Last Saturday saw another of our crews successfully enter W Mas B/C 4x- in the oversubscribed Chiswick Regatta. The crew had equal success to the crew the previous weekend in their first round, storming through London Otters to take the win. This put the crew against strong opposition in the final against Bewl Bridge. Despite the opposition GBR rowing kit on full display at the start line, our crew put in a valiant effort, but unfortunately lost by a length and a half to take 2nd in the division.

Crew 87 - Finished 2nd in W Mas B/C 4x-: Colette Lipp, Rachel Evans, Heather Hopkins, Ulrike Forster.

The Young Irregulars focus now turns from taking advantage of the stunning water we have had recently to preparing for Chiswick Bridge Regatta, with three crews entered (subject to acceptance), and the forthcoming British Masters Championships in Nottingham.

Tom Downes

NEW MEMBERS

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

Adrian Turner
Dermod Sweeney
Elena Zanchini
Hector Formoso-Murias
Jack Cadwallader
Lewis Howlett
Michael McIlwaine
Sarah Helin
Serena Jabre
Sibel Ascioglu

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

LONDON'S LONG HISTORY WITH THE MET REGATTA

The Metropolitan Amateur Regatta, colloquially the MET, will be held on Saturday, 1st and Sunday, 2nd June 2024 and the long history of support from LRC members is once again being called upon. Before offering the usual inducements for volunteers, you may be wondering why the organisation and smooth running of the MET falls to our members each year.

The Regatta, which was officially first raced in 1866, arose out of a challenge given by the relatively short-lived West London Rowing Club to London Rowing Club the year before.

On 8 August 1865, two races were held on the Tideway from Putney to Chiswick Church, following the efforts of the captains of the most prominent rowing clubs at the time, as the initial challenge had resulted in an invitation being sent to the captains of the Metropolitan Rowing Clubs, inviting them to enter a junior eight-oared crew (made up of men who had never previously competed successfully in any open races).

The final was won by the London crew, Thames came second and West London third. At the same time, a pair-oared race was also held, which attracted eight entries. London were victorious again.

The event was so successful that it was decided to establish an annual regatta on the Putney water, and a committee of management was formed, composed of the captains of nearly all the recognised amateur rowing clubs on the Thames. The initial committee was short-lived, and since then, following the initiative of London Captain, Herbert Playford, the management of the regatta has been in the hands of London.

From this brief history it’s clear that London members have a long and proud association with the MET – organising, competing, and winning. The Organising Committee is calling on London members to continue this association and are looking for volunteers to assist in the smooth running of this year’s regatta across both days.

If you are interested in volunteering at the MET across a variety of roles on the timing team, landing pontoons and prize tent, please contact me via email at entries@metregatta.org or 07729710178. As always, your support is not only essential to the running of the London Rowing Club’s home regatta, but is greatly appreciated by both the Organising Committee and the athletes competing at the regatta.

Jason Gray

ROWING TOUR IN HOLLAND

Richard Metcalf and Nini and I participated in the annual trip to the Low Countries. This year's tour took place in Friesland in the north. The local language is the nearest to our English in the world - not that we actually experienced this! An interesting fact nonetheless.

There were twenty-eight rowers on the tour, the majority of whom were Swiss Germans from rowing clubs around the Swiss lakes. The vessels were coxed doubles with a cox and "navigator" in the stern seat (each boat was given a map).

We started the tour from Harlingen and then proceeded over the next three days to do a circular trip visiting about three major Friesian cities, traveling a distance of 120 kms (some of us doing a bit more by mistake!). We had four “mother ships" which would meet us in the evenings, having taken the larger canal channels to reach the given destination. We would take to the smaller canals and go deep into the countryside, which often involved going under some very low bridges and experiencing some pungent farmyard smells.

L to R: Guenter Karjoth, Eddie and Nini Markes and Richard Metcalf.

Each mother ship had four to five cabins to accommodate us all comfortably and we ate together in the evenings on the biggest one. The food was superb and brilliantly laid out, and theatrically presented!

As usual, the whole trip was superbly organised by Frank ter Voorde (a longtime member of LRC).

I could not recommend this tour more - a real joy and everybody is so friendly and interesting. When details of next year's tour are forthcoming, I shall publicise them in the hope that some LRC members will be interested in participating next year.

Many, many thanks to Frank for including us in the invitations. A truly once in a lifetime experience.

Eddie Markes

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