Chocolate Bunny Month Already!!!

Hello, I hope you are all well, I cannot believe it is March already, which means just one week till our Head race on Saturday 12th. We have a lot to share with you this week including an article from Quentin Allen talking all about his first ever coastal season with CRC back in '74 (including a throw back photo or our Mike Green), but first I want to start by celebrating last weekend...

Please join me in saying a huge congratulations to all those who represented CRC last weekend at Avon County. It sounds like it was a brilliant day of excellent racing. I hear there were some very near misses with the girls J14 quad being pipped by just 0.3 seconds! We also have a lot of wins to celebrate, congratulations to Faye & Jennie in the W MasE 2x, Beth in the WJ17, Franc & Alex in the J15A 2x, Charlie B in the WJ14 1x and an especially huge congratulations to first time racers and winners Sol & Oscar in the J15B 2x.

I only have a couple of photos which I've pinched from FB posts but have put them in a dropbox for you all to see. I know there were lots of people snapping away that day, it would be great for everyone to be able to see them. You should be able to upload them directly to the Avon County folder. Let me know if you have any trouble. Thank you James Erwin for the video clips which have been posted in the CRC FB page.

 
Photos

Important Meeting

We have some important information to share with you regards Club Captain Nominations, Water safety – circulation patterns – adverse weather and the planning for our Head of Stour.

 

We require members to sign off on the safety information that will be presented before water sessions can be resumed. If you are unable to make this meeting you will need to book a time with Jenny Gould to go over this information before your next water session. 

 

7.30am session will finish at 8.45 with the 9 am session commencing at 9.30.

Next week a photo board of all our members is going up in the boat house. It was an idea that came through one of our meetings after members saw it at another club and it is a great way for members to get to know each other a bit better. With everyone training at different times, there are probable members here whom you have never met. So if I did not take your photo at the end of last season, please be photo ready this weekend. I will be down both Saturday and Sunday mornings, please come find me.

HEAD of STOUR Saturday March 12th

We need your help...

Cakes are one of our best sellers and we have some amazing bakers in our club. Please can we ask for you all to get your bake on. If you wish to drop your cakes in before the 12th, please contact Jenny at enquiries@christchurchrowingclub.co.uk and I'll arrange a time to meet you at the club. 

We have the wonderful Bailey's who do the catering for the day, but we ask for some people to support them with the food stall on the day. We are looking for volunteers to help out for 2 hours slots. Please follow the link below to sign up.

 
Sign up to Help

A Tombola is also a great way to raise money. We would love any donations too make this appealing for people to participate in. You can bring prizes along on the day or call 01202 484964 to arrange a time to drop them off beforehand.

 

Thank you :)

We will be playing the rugby in the lounge, the bar will be open and if anyone wishes to have take out delivered you're more than welcome. Lets all celebrate a great day together. 

Name that Boat

Hello, we are in the very fortunate position to have purchased some new boats. We have 2 coxed fours and a coxless four all needing names. Please email your suggestions to enquiries@christchurchrowingclub.co.uk and they will be voted on at the next Rowing Meeting.

1974

 

The winters training is over, my first regatta season lies ahead....

There are three Christchurch novice crews eager for racing and I am the stroke of the ‘A’ crew. Surely we will win at the first regatta? We have been rowing since before Christmas, training two evenings a week and rowing Saturdays and Sundays.

The ‘B’ crew are mostly veteran social members, spending much more time in the bar than the gym, all full of advice for us youngsters and kidding that they were only drinking OJ & lemonade. We can beat them any day of the week!

The ‘C’ crew are late starters, only out of the old clinker fixed-seat since February, we wouldn’t be troubled by them...

At last! Lymington regatta and we are on the start line.... oh dear oh dear, what a disaster, we are beaten in the heat. The other crews are knocked out too, so it’s straight over to the Mayflower to drown our sorrows, hoping Mike Green hasn’t noticed!

Next regatta, Southampton. Racing along the docks the water is smelly, murky and oily. In lane 1 the water is turbulent, waves rebounding off the huge cargo ships towering above.  We qualify easily for the final. After a fantastic start.... we are overtaken by at least two crews. When we cross the finish line in 3rd the grim truth is revealed, the ‘B’ crew has not only beaten us, they won. The humiliation is almost unbearable. In the beer tent the victorious crew buys us OJ and lemonade and I consider throwing myself into Southampton docks.

The following week I gather the crew for a crisis meeting. “More training”, I suggest, “we’re not fit enough”. Our 3-man ‘big Pete’ (a 20 stone tree surgeon), grabs me by the arm, twists me into an excruciating head-lock, and says “speak for yourself, kid”. I reconsider. Training continues at 2 evenings per week.

Next it’s Coalporters. We make the final but lost. More pain and anguish.

The following week Poole regatta, held on the harbour at Baiter. Again we make the final, along with the ‘C’ crew. Surely this is it? In a hard fought struggle we are beaten in the final.... by the ‘C’ crew!

My Dad suggests I could take up cycling. Or maybe sailing? What about running?

But no, rowing is all about the crew. You stick together. Also it’s now school summer holiday, and I’m desperate to try sculling. – You must win novice before you are allowed to go out in the clubs wooden clinker built single scull.

Next regatta, Southsea. YEEESSSSS! Not only do we win, but the pot is a pewter tankard. Does this prompt a 15 year old to celebrate in the beer tent? I can’t remember, but I did feel a bit travel sick during the coach journey home.

I decided to stick with rowing and I did lots of sculling during that summer holiday.

 

Christchurch Rowing Club. H & D Novice Championship winner 1974.

Winning crews;

A crew; Geoff Cooling, Steve Newland, Pete Frazer, Quentin Allen

B crew; Ken Allen, Colin Neighbour, Mike Kenyon, Don Holmes,

C crew; Russell Copage, Brian Cobb, Dave Nichols, Alan Creswell

Coxes; Martin Graham and Nigel Sizeland.

 

Lastly, we have a junior taster session this weekend, so please introduce yourself to any new faces you see, I am sure they will have questions. Thank you everyone to all those who have volunteered to stay and help out. 

Christchurch Rowing Club, Christchurch, BH23 1HU
01202 484964

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