CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

Well, a new year, a new Captain and no doubt a fresh crop of recruits joining LRC. Welcome to Rob Porter who takes over from Elizabeth Cottrell.

The Club continues to thrive but there are still things we can strive to improve. Most will be aware that since 2020 we have had a governance structure of a small General Committee with a number of sub-committees covering the key areas of finance, membership, rowing, premises and events. This has been working pretty well but the turn of the year is an opportunity to review and re-set, an exercise currently underway.

We have over 200 active rowing members in the squad, masters and irregulars groups and we are in the process of reviewing the structure and organisation of each category to ensure we best meet our members’ rowing aims and ambitions.

The battle paddling has been a great success again this Summer and, as I write, the Doug Melvin Challenge is shortly to get under way. I had considered having a crack but sadly am on holiday! That’s my excuse but there’s always next year.

Some may recall that I visited Vancouver Rowing Club in June and had a vague memory of LRC racing them in the Wyfold many years ago. Well, after some brief research it turns out that it was a national lightweight squad crew racing as Nautilus containing one of our members and three others, all well known to me.

Our member of that crew writes:

‘Thanks for reminding me of that fated Wednesday round of the Wyfolds in 1985, I believe. We were rowing for Nautilus drawn against a fully maple leafed squad from Vancouver, Canada which former London man and Vancouver coach, Bob Downie, brought over. It was a tight race with the lead changing three times down the track and resulting in us losing by a verdict of 3 feet. I recall we had to hand our vests back at the end of the outing. Hey ho, it was a close shave at getting into the lightweight team and I recall we had the privilege of racing Steve Redgrave’s four off the start the evening before. That's always good for pre race morale.’

Nautilus on Bucks having a right old tussle with Vancouver RC, Wyfold Challenge Cup 1985.

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

Despite the rowing season having only officially kicked off at LRC last Saturday, 7 September, the Club remained a hive of activity throughout August.

Once again, members across LRC came together every Thursday of August to take part in the ‘fight night’ battle paddles. Crews comprised of a mixture of Squad rowers, Masters, Young Irregulars and Irregulars battled it out (albeit officially rate-capped) in eights and quads along the Tideway, followed by social gatherings at the Dukes Head and LRC bar. It was great to see so many members taking part and enjoying themselves with some healthy competition.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Jenny Arthur, Basil Amin and Elizabeth Cottrell for all their efforts organizing the fight nights and to our timekeepers and launch drivers, and to everyone who took part. The events were a great success!

After a well-deserved break, Squad sessions resumed at LRC for the 2024/25 season on Saturday, 7th September. Our coaching team and Squad captains had a great turnout of returning and new faces in the men’s and women’s squads at the welcoming evening, with around 60 athletes taking part in the training session that evening too. The first sessions at the weekend saw around 80 athletes at the Club training in eights, fours, quads, singles and on land. It was a fantastic kickstart to the season and I would like to give thanks to the coaching team and Squad captains for all their hard work preparing for it and to you all for welcoming new Squad members.

On the back of the unfortunate news of the Scullers Head being cancelled, last Sunday, 8 September, saw the return of our annual Doug Melvin Challenge race, giving our sculling advocates a chance to race along the Tideway. The event saw an impressive 27 members from across the Club race in singles from the bandstand to the LRC flagpole. Huge congratulations go to Rui Xu and Laura Bates who won the M1x and W1x categories and to James Lindsay-Flynn and Devin War who won in the Mas M1x and Mas W1x categories, respectively. And big thanks to all the launch drivers and timekeepers who ran the event; another great success for the Club and a great way to commemorate Doug.

Now we are back into the full swing of the rowing season, I am looking forward to attending my first General Committee meeting this month and returning to the Rowing Sub-Committee. There will certainly be lots to discuss and work together on to continue the Club’s upwards trajectory. Once again, thank you to all who continue to serve on our General Committee and the sub-committees. Your input and work is invaluable to the running and maintenance of LRC.

On a last, but by no means least, note, I am happy to announce that my Vice Captains for this year are Devin Ward and Cecilia Collins-Taylor. Both have kindly accepted my invitation to step into these roles and support me and help with the running of the Club. I am looking forward to working with them and seeing what we can deliver!

All that remains for me to say is that I am very excited to see the Club getting very busy with Squad and Masters training sessions resuming and the start of preparations for the Pairs and Fours Heads this Autumn getting under way.

Bang the drum!

Rob Porter
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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

IRREGULARS REPORT

A changeable summer, I think we can all agree.

Varying degrees of attendance during the last couple of months with bow steering availability being a problem on a few occasions. If you would like to know more about becoming a bowsteer please contact me at eddie.markes@londonrc.org.uk.

Fight nights on Thursday evenings have been a great success - approx 10 Irregular members have taken part in these over August where club attendance has averaged around 50-60 attendees - a wonderful effort and hugely enjoyable.

A proud Henry Dunlop coxed the winning eight on the last night with Philip Carre in the crew - congrats! Whilst down at the Club last Wednesday morning I took this wonderful photo of some club notables. I had to coax some stats from them and some mental arithmetic ascertained that they had a combined age of 304!! - hugely impressive I think you will all agree.

R to L: Mike Baldwin , Christopher Grainger, Patrick “baby” Wilson and Alan Foster.

A ladies quad was also launching on this beautiful morning - Anne Lury, Sharon Rowntree and Chris Stutt with Diana Bartley taking the picture.

Lastly, and with the start of the rowing year, we are thinking of the events and racing calendar for the coming year. A meeting is on the cards to gauge interest - more to follow.

Eddie Markes

YOUNG IRREGULARS REPORT

August has bought with it a mixture of stunning rowing conditions but also, in recent weeks, autumnal winds.

Regardless of the weather, the Young Irregulars have been out in force with strong attendance for our weekly sessions, even during the summer holiday period. The addition of coached sessions by the Club and Dave has allowed us to come on even further as a group - evidenced by the number of crews expected to compete in forthcoming races and the results of the August Fight Nights (more on that shortly).

The group would like to congratulate Camille on passing her steers test, a great achievement on the Tideway! And good luck to those who are, hopefully, going to be passing the test soon!

Throughout the training sessions, Rachel and Uli have been prepping for the Doug Melvin Challenge Cup, something not easily done with the weather we have encountered recently. In last Sunday’s race, Rachel came 2nd in Mas W1x and Uli came 3rd in Mas W1x, testament to their commitment to training in single sculls.

Finally, the YI’s have been enjoying the August Fight Nights hosted by the Club. This has provided a great opportunity for us to socialise with other members from across the Club with a drink in hand after a rate capped race in eights and quads. The YI have had great success, being crew members in a number of the winning eights over the month, and even two members of the quad which managed to hold off and beat an eight (albeit handicapped with seven crew, but we will still take it as a win).

Attention now turns to the Pairs Head coming up in early October where we have the return of the great GB Masters battle in the MasB Mix 2x with Uli and Tom W facing up against Heather and Tom D again.

Tom Downes
LRC Young Irregulars

YUKON RIVER QUEST 26TH/29TH JUNE

Having been part of the large group of LRC masters who won the Victor Ludorum at the BR Masters Championships in June, I had been very keen to compete in other regattas over the summer. My efforts to do so didn’t fall into place until I was able to put together two crews to take part in Maidenhead Regatta, one being a mixed quad with fellow LRC member Edward Cole, Rory Ross (Crabtree) and Beth Johnstone (Lea Rowing Club) and a double made up of myself and Beth.

Elizabeth Cottrell kindly booked our two crews in to the Regatta and also offered us the use of two LRC boats and oars. Unfortunately, as no LRC trailer was going to the Regatta and a previous offer of travelling on a Thames trailer didn’t materialise because the driver was taken ill and could no longer compete, we weren’t able to take advantage of Elizabeth’s offer. Thankfully, however, Maidenhead Boat Club stepped into the breach and lent us two boats and oars. We were, therefore, all set and ready to race.

Rory Ross (Crabtree), Beth Johnstone (Lea), Zena and Edward.

The racing went really well and we won both events, the quad by a margin of two and a half lengths and the double by two lengths against a very scary Marlow crew. We had trained hard and made sure that we got off the start very quickly, in the process gaining a good lead from the outset.

Both crews raced in Masters C. In the double, I was 63 and Beth Johnstone 28. In the quad there was a similar age spread. An all 28 year old crew would have been in A/B and an all 63 year old crew would have been in F, both of which can be very competitive, so racing in ‘C’ worked really well.

Eight other LRC members raced that day in two multi-club composite eights alongside rowers from Molesey, Leander, Northwich and others! It was amusing to hear the commentator resort to calling the crews ‘Bucks and Berks’ as it was taking so long to recite the names of all the clubs represented in it.

A very enjoyable day’s racing was had by one and all.

Zena Howard

ROWING IN JERSEY

You may not be aware that LRC has a number of members in Jersey. We raised our profile in June when Tania Angel, Diana Sargent and I answered the call to support the Club’s Victor Ludorum campaign at the British Rowing Masters Championships in Nottingham.

Following up after that event, our Hon. Sec. Andrew Boyle invited me to lunch when he visited Jersey in August. We discussed the development of rowing on the island.

The first known race was a challenge by Guernsey Yacht Club to Jersey Yacht Club to a rowing race in 1894. The regular Inter-insular race started in 1897. The Jersey Rowing Club, where we are members, has celebrated history dating back to the early 1960s, although it was officially founded in 1971.

Today the club runs a full race calendar of offshore coastal and bay events ranging from 6-15km, to the great endurance races 27km Gorey to Carteret, the 26km Sark to Jersey and the 52km Round Jersey. We have close relationships with both Guernsey and French rowing clubs.

Offshore rowing continues to develop with technology changes and new formats evolving from the heavy wooden fixed seat boats of the 1960s to the current light, sliding seat modern materials making for faster times and the ability to withstand tough offshore conditions.

Racing categories are single sculls, double sculls and coxed quads. All race categories participate in the same race class-category competition and staggered start-time handicaps as well as mass start racing which sees up to 70+ boats and a flotilla of guard boats launching for the blue riband annual Sark-Jersey event.

JRC has been an early pioneer in the latest rowing format of ‘Beach Sprints’ where the crews combine a running sprint from the beach to the boat, jumping into the boat straight into a 250m slalom course executing a 180 degree turn and returning before sprinting back up the beach to finish. It is very adrenaline fuelled!

Several JRC rowers currently represent GB in the format and have participated at the World Champs, European Champions and are current GB National medallists.

The JRC rowing season runs from March to September each year. The 2024 season was particularly exciting as Jersey was chosen to host the GB Offshore Championships by British Rowing.

Jersey held the inaugural ‘Jersey Regatta 2024’ in June with international crew participation from UK and Ireland as well as European competitors.

Andrew Boyle was enthused, perhaps because the sun was shining. He is now planning an LRC weekend trip to Jersey in August next year. JRC would be delighted to host LRC in some offshore rowing events across mixed formats.

The club loves to welcome guest rowers and it would make a memorable visit for the young to masters, inexperienced through to experienced and national level rowers. Please contact Andrew (secretary@londonrc.org.uk) if you are interested in taking part.

Giles Adu

LONDON BUN RUN – 31 AUGUST

A few months ago, Ed Thomas said to me “why does everyone call a cycle from Putney to Windsor a Bun Run?” Well, the Cinnamon Cafe provides the iconic cinnamon buns but neither of us could answer why we called it a run. Then, a lightbulb moment occurred in our heads…Why don’t we actually run a bun run? And hence The London Bun Run was born!

We planned a route with three distances. A marathon, half marathon and 10km which opened the event up to all running abilities. After thorough planning, a sign up sheet and discounts on coffee from The Clubhouse, we were ready to go!

We had 35 runners sign up across the three distances and at 8am on Saturday 31st August our marathon group set off in two speed groups.

The marathon group - from right to left: Gregor Maxwell, Ricky, Isaac Workman, Howard Macdonald, Flora Emeney, Harry Smallman, Hal Barrow, Rob Williams and Graham Hunter (VRC Captain)

The first half took us out from Putney, through Richmond Park and along the river to Teddington footbridge. Passing the deer in Bushy Park, we met the river and followed it through Sunbury and out to our first checkpoint… Shepperton Train Station where our half marathoners were waiting.

After a quick regroup, we headed off once more, our numbers growing in size. Once again we hit the river and followed it round to what I like to think is the Jewel of Surrey… Staines-on-Thames. Crossing the bridge we headed out towards Egham our start point for the 10km.

Now at 35 strong and less than 10km from Windsor, we hit the hill… In the months before The Bun Run, I ran different sections of the route to make sure it ran smoothly. However, I never got round to running the last section… To some peoples dislike, this hill just kept going and going however Laura Bates made light work of it.

As they say, what goes up, must come down and after heading through Great Windsor Park the final thing that stood between us and cinnamon buns was The Long Walk and blimey was it long (4km straight line). However with Windsor Castle in the distance we headed down to the finish. Our fastest marathon time coming in at 3h35!

Regrouping in the Cinnamon Cafe we refuelled and enjoyed the famous cinnamon buns celebrating the end of a great day!

Thanks to everyone who got involved and supported us! We will be back next year, so get training and save the date! Saturday 30th August 2025!

Harry, Ed and Zac (Intern)
The London Bun Run Sub Committee

LRC COAT, BADGE, AND FREEDOM

Most members will be aware of the historic Doggett’s Coat and Badge Wager, a 4½ mile sculling race competed for every year since 1715 by watermen apprentices, starting at London Bridge. Winners are awarded a distinctive scarlet livery which includes a large silver arm badge. Several winners over the years have been London members; their names are listed on a board in the Long Room.

What is less well known is that from 1875 to 1905 London ran its own annual sculling race, for a “Coat, Badge and Freedom”. The Club was keen to encourage professional sculling and offered money prizes as an incentive.

Races were usually held at the Club’s annual regatta. A contemporary list of London’s winners, drawn in an Art Nouveau style, hangs at the upstream end of the Long Room; it has recently been restored.

The Club awarded the winner his own coat and badge, which was in the Club’s colour of dark blue. One example of an LRC coat has fortunately survived and is in the collection of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen at Watermen’s Hall, EC3. In addition, the Club itself holds two examples of the Badge in its archives; these badges very rarely come on the market.

So far as we are aware, no other amateur rowing club sponsored its own coat and badge races in Victorian times, so London’s event was unique.

It is hoped to arrange a short illustrated talk about London’s Coat, Badge and Freedom on a suitable occasion, perhaps at a forthcoming club supper.

Julian Ebsworth
LRC Archivist

NEW MEMBERS

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

Julian Black
Elizabeth Dashley
Joss Duggan
Tatiana Guinness
Perryn Halse
Garth Hughes
Jonathan Irroni
Saskia Klinkenberg
Emily Lavelle
Sam Meijer
Zachariah Oglesby
Jaco Overturf

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

TALK BY JERRY MCCARTHY

Olympian Jerry McCarthy will be giving a talk at the Club at 7pm tonight about elite rowing in the 1950s. It is free to attend and you will be most welcome to come.

Jerry, a member of Poplar, Blackwall & District RC, reached the semi final of the Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta in 1965. Notably, he beat the reigning Olympic Champions from Canada in the second round. In 1966 Easterling and McCarthy reached the final where they lost to an East German pair by two lengths.

Jerry went on to be selected to represent Great Britain at the 1970 World Rowing Championships in the Men’s double sculls with Pat Delafield. He also raced in the Men’s pair with Matthew Cooper in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

CLUB SUPPER

The next Club Supper will be taking place on Wednesday, 2nd October. All club members are encouraged to attend the supper including Irregulars, Millennials and Squad members. You may also bring a guest.

The bar will be open from 7.00pm for all members attending the supper. Dinner will be served at 8pm, enabling those who wish to row beforehand to do so.

Tickets are £28 per person via My Club House. Please send any dietary requirements to events@londonrc.org.uk

Link to tickets here

Annabel Lawrence
LRC Events Manager

CASUAL BARTENDER/wAITER

The events team at London Rowing Club is looking for a casual Bartender/ Waiter to join its happy team. The hours are variable but you must be available for weekends and evenings. The position would suit someone who is studying locally or who is a looking for additional hours as hours will vary each week. The position requires you to work on the bar and floor so experience in both elements is helpful.

If you would like to apply for the position please email your CV to me at events@londonrc.org.uk

Annabel Lawrence
LRC Events Manager

LRC CORPORATE DAY

The Club is keen to utilise the Clubhouse on weekdays by accommodating business meetings and so I thought I would share my company’s experience to encourage other members to consider using the venue.

In February 2020, I invited my colleagues to the Club for a buffet dinner in the Long Room preceded by an ergo challenge in the gym. They enjoyed the food, the roaring fires, the music and access to the bar. I enjoyed the ergo challenge having chosen 500m because I knew they would hit an anaerobic brick wall after a minute!

After that occasion, my colleagues proposed further events and I have not had to promote the Club as a venue again. Unfortunately, the lockdowns intervened. We managed to squeeze in an offsite in October 2020 but the next significant booking was our Christmas party in June 2021 (yes, June!). The sun shone and my colleagues decided to make a June drinks party with clients an annual occasion. The invitation states 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, but it is very hard to clear the balcony before 10:00 pm by when the sun has finally set.

The venue is very popular for three reasons.

First, the Clubhouse offers a considerable amount of space inside and on the balcony and guests feel it is rather special to be there. Everyone enjoys the activity around the Club and on the river. Rowing creates a very positive impression.

Secondly, the food is always of high quality. There are catering options to suit different budgets and event formats.

Lastly, the Club’s events team are very skilled, attentive and hard-working. They seem to really enjoy the success of an event. My colleagues and I feel that they are part of our team.

If you would like to find out more, please email our Events Manager, Annabel Lawrence (events@londonrc.org.uk).

Andrew Boyle
LRC Hon. Sec.

FARRINGDON WARD DAY

In 2017, a short time after I had retired, I received a call from someone who had overlapped with me at Shrewsbury, Roger Pitts-Tucker.

Roger explained that he was getting a number of people together under the umbrella of Farringdon Ward in the City to row from Richmond to Teddington in Thames Wherries.

Thames wherries have been around for at least two hundred years.

The plan was to row to Teddington on the last of the incoming tide, moor the boats at the Anglers pub just upstream of the suspension bridge, have some lunch and a couple of pints and then paddle back to Richmond.

Jane and I agreed to take part - with me rowing and Jane relaxing as a passenger in the back.

We took part that August and again in 2018 and 2019. Sadly, before the 2020 trip could take place, Covid struck so all bets were off.

I heard nothing further from Roger until this spring when he told me the day was being resurrected and asked if Jane and I would like to take part again. The answer was yes.

The date selected was Saturday, 17th August. On the Friday, Jane and I were all set and ready to go when I received an email from Roger saying that two crew members had dropped out and although the trip could still go ahead it would better if two replacements could be found. I said I would what I could do.

I WhatsApped the Irregulars. In less than two hours, two had volunteered notwithstanding that they had little idea what they were letting themselves in for. Then, unexpectedly, I got a call from Roger to say that a third person had dropped out. Nothing daunted, I looked around again and a third person was found within a short period of time.

Thankfully, therefore, Roger was back to a full complement of twelve rowers and nine passengers.

On the Saturday, we gathered by Richmond Bridge at midday and set off in two wherries at 12.30.

The wherries set off for Teddington.

It always surprises me that it takes about an hour to paddle a wherry to Teddington, even with a three mile an hour tide running under you. But what a lovely row it is. Initially you look back to the old Star and Garter standing on the top of Richmond Hill. You go past Marble Hill House and Ham House. You also pass the well known Twickenham pub, The White Swan.

Then comes Eel Pie Island with all its ghosts of the pop world from the 60s and 70s and, on the Twickenham bank, The Barmy Army pub. Strawberry Hill House lies just to north of the river a little further upstream.

After a leisurely two hour lunch at the Anglers, it was time to paddle home. We arrived back at Richmond at 4.30.

The day was perfect weather wise - sunny all day with temperatures rising to about 24c but a gentle cooling breeze.

My thanks go to Mike, Zena and Ronnie who kindly volunteered to join in at the last minute. They played a real part in making the day a great success.

Miles Preston

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