2010

For once the weather wasn't as bad as it could have been and out veritable flotilla of ladies did themselves proud, huge congrats to Katy B, Jenny, Katy O, Caroline B-S, El Capitan Sarah, Charlotte and Jackie Darling who won her vet F category - which also makes that at least one pennant for the club in every Head entered this season!

For the evening do it was back to Right Said Don't Tell Fred in Sheen. Many people thought they'd arrived in the wrong place, not recognising their fellow BB ladies all glammed up for once. After some viciously strong cocktails it was upstairs for dinner. Having been shooed upstairs for dinner though, there was then a pause of about 45mins before food. So plenty of drinking time. Good. Lucy's Nick excelled himself as the lotto meister although there was some form as fix as not one ticket sold by Rob Henderson won. We're expecting him to find the ticket stubbs he should have put in the draw in his jacket pocket this time next year. Captain Sarah made a jolly good speech and the annual club awards were dished out with universal approval from all:

Club Member of the Year: J Mee
Most Improved: Jasmin Meier
Best Oarswoman: Annabelle Bates
Best Crew: The Henley 4+, Jenny, Annabelle, M-T, Sarah L, Sue G

Congratulations to all, very well deserved. Then it was back to the club for more partying into the small hours...

Send in any photos suitable for publication - webmistress didn't take a camera so needs donations please!
 

Kingston SBH took place this last weekend and for the first time in recent history the weather was actually not horrendous. That chocolate offering to the weather gods obviously worked, thanks Sarah! It was a day of good results for the club; great races from Jenny, Sue G and el Capitan Sarah in singles (el Capitan may soon become la Tonta!) but it paid off as Sarah won the WMas B1x. There were also wins for the Novices in a 4+, a 'win' for the debut pair, a close second for the Katys double and a great paddle from the second novice boat. All in all a good day out. No tales have made it to the keyboard of post race antics which normally mean they are unprintable. You know I'll find out...

The weather gods were also in fine fettle for round 4 of the sculling ladder. The Katys apparently tied in a dead heat and la Tonta was just a second behind which may have spurred on the Kingston performance. The next 'round' will be doing the Sculler's Head course this coming Sunday. You can participate even if you haven't been doing the ladder. If you really want to. I'll take orders to meet you with hot tea at the finish line for a small delivery charge.

Back to the boring stuff, the next 5k test is due this Saturday. 'Tis true though that when you are three quarters of your way down the eights head course come March, you'll be glad of the training. Good luck all.

In more good news, David is back on the river bank after his serious collision with a car. In tonight's serious snippet: "wear a helmet". Especially you, Catherine-I-will-forward-Crackers'-video-round-but-still-not-wear-one.

COMING UP the Christmas Party is in need of raffle prizes! This is a fab way of fund raising for the club, so if you can offer a prize, or indeed offer yourself or your services, ahem, then please do so. Pop them in the box at the club or let Katy O know.

Also coming up is the training weekend in Henley on 10th & 11th December. It's well worth signing up for. Aside from the three line whip from Jo, the last time we went it was unseasonably warm and hit 27 degrees at the beginning of October. So Henley in December might hit double figures if you're lucky. Personally, I'll be busy packing my cossie for Rio. Do please let Charlotte-chocolate-thief know if you will be going by this Thursday, the 25th.

Don't forget this is a great time to get ahead of the crowds and do your spring clean now. Anything and everything you have to clear out can earn us money in one of the bags from bag4sport. Make sure you pick one up from the club!

Parting quiz question of the week: which BBL member, when boating, said without a hint or irony "oh, I have fond memories of four play"?

And great work to J, all caterers, boaters and general helpers. Webmistress pitched in as normal but this was the first time for a good few years I'd helped out with the set up phase of the catering operation. I really had not appreciated quite how much 'stuff' was required and am in awe of how J obtained two bin sacks of bread rolls, nevermind all the sausages and everything else. The hour or two asked of the rest of us from time to time is nowt in comparison. Webmistress also helped out with the boating. Granted some people aren't used to boating on tidal waters, but it never ceases to amaze how alien some basic concepts such as 'doing up an oar gate' are to crews about to race 4 plus miles. But it would be most rude to name and shame publically....

Crew reports from the two days are largely lacking, mainly due to this being the first big head race with our superstar bar steward back at the helm, aided by some wheeling and dealing of Cava between the bar steward, certain rowers and yours truly.  It was great to have so many people stick around after the race, especially as there was an important ceremony to be performed. At long last, out newest boat was finally, properly brought into the BBL fold and officially named. As a renaming, we also paid due homage to Neptune to ask for Jack Moody to be removed from the ledger of the deep and safe passage of our new vessel. The name had been voted on under Jenny's reign but such was her control over her committee that we soon decided on a better name. It was great to see the surprise on her face as she unveiled the new name 'Jenny'. Very well deserved after everything she has done for the club.

The drink continued to flow and highlights from the evening's shenanigan's included poor Catherine having her top likened to either Icarus' wings or odd epaulettes. Some men need to learn some tact. M-T was singing in the bar. Not too sure what she was singing but it sounded like a song entitled 'flaming cheese'. Given she then passed out on a sofa, this may not quite have been what she was actually singing.

So most outings are now in eights. There are a few bonkers peeps who are preparing for the sculler's head and we wish them well in their prep at Kingston.

For the less than bonkers, I think the next big thing in the diary is the Christmas party! See you there! (but actually there might be some training to do before then. Also important).

And finally - the results of this weekend's murder mystery weekend are indeed a mystery...

The Pairs' Head was a great success. Before an update on how the crews did, it's worth mentioning that it is completely run by an army of BBL volunteers, mostly behind the scenes, and it's thanks to them that we can keep running costs as low as possible and therefore ensure any profit goes towards new equipment for the club. So thank you to the committee, timers, marshals, organisers, numberers, boaters, tea makers and everyone else who pitched in. Further, there was also a good turn out to help with the catering, the other all important fund raiser. Abley led by J it was a cracking effort so thanks to all of you too.

As for the racing itself, we came away with loads of great results and 1.5 wins. Katy Baldwin and Katy Owen won the W IM3 2x category which was terrific. The equally terrific half a win was Jackie Darling in W Mas D+E+G 2X doubling up with Pauline Rayner from Thames. Many of our established doubles improved vs. last year. As you know, serious crews don't get nicknames, so well done for repeat performances to Jenny & M-T coming third in IM3 2x, Poppy & Lucy went faster than last year and Sharon & Kate also had a cracker - we missed the race plan stuck to your stroke's back though! El Capitan partnered up with Caroline B-S in a new combo and came in fourth in W Mas B+C 2x. The debut pair of the Kiwi and the Actuary also came in a strong 4th. And finally, buxom double also made their head race debut. Have learnt the hard way to avoid Masters A they were happy enough to have beaten six crews at IM3.

The focus is now on the Fours' and Vet's Heads taking place on the 5th & 6th November. Crews are set and training is well underway - certainly no shortage of miles being ploughed up & down the Tideway. Too soon for any amusing anecdotes and stories of general crew stupidity to keep us all entertained, but no doubt they will come!

Catering help will be required on the 5th - it's even bigger than the Pairs' Head so please do sign up for a slot. The race is at 11.30 so helpers are needed from 7am (just like outings - no fussing!) and the more people who sign up, the less time each have to do.

Webmistress has turned Spook and finally managed to have a shufti at the sculling ladder update. Unfortunately it was an out of date update but now a reliable source is in place, an attempt will be made at a more timely update in future.

Away from the water, el Capitan has organised some nifty photo guides to show how the core exercises should be done. No comment on some of the photos. Circuits continues, as does the circuits circus. After elephants in the last diary entry, this week the animals are chickens. Or at least chickens pecking from a bowl is what one charming Cygnet likened two BB ladies to as they were doing their press ups. Obviously not very well. At least the ladies didn't 'pass wind' whilst doing a v-sit, unlike the same said gent.

Katy O is organising a murder mystery night at the club - perhaps that's how you win heads, bump off the oppo? (For info, she's doing W IM1 4x at the Four's Head, you have been warned if that's also your category)
Murder Mystery Night
The next social event at the club is a murder mystery night 7.30pm on the 12th Nov. It will be approx £10 each depending how many people come along. There'll be a buffet & prizes for the best fancy dress & more. It's a 1920s theme, so gangster outfits for the boys & flappers dresses for the girls. For more info http://www.dinnerandamurder.com/themes/1920s.htm
Please let Katy know if you intend to come so that she can send you your character details.

And finally, it sounds like there may be a new way to get out of 5k ergs about "I'm sorry I couldn't get into the Googledocs to sign up for a slot". I'm not sure that one will wash.

Have a great weekend everyone.
 

Pairs head training has been under way in earnest. We were short of boats, so for a time it looked like some form of selection process would be required. In the end, thanks to some amazing work by Sarah and the kind support of others we have enough boats for everyone who wants to race to do so. However, an interesting thought would have been what kind of process to use, were it required. Straight line speed is obvious, but the course isn't straight... General competence might have been another idea, but then most crews would have probably failed. Various 'blonde' moments observed during recent outings have included: an anonymous crew in Teen Spirit, having landed, let go of the boat and stand watching it like lemons as it made a bid for freedom in the tide; an anonymous crew in Jackie Darling head sideways across the river (damn steering!); an anonymous bow of an anonymous crew put her blade in with the gate the wrong way round. Twice; an anonymous crew in Jo Byrne failing to spot the tide had turned and trying to land the wrong way. We are truly awesome.

We've also quite enjoyed the new gadgets in the form of the spangly back lit surge driven rate stroke coach I don't actually know what they are called gadgets but they are blue and very useful. Except they switch themselves off after 17 minutes. Are they trying to tell us something about the length of outings?

Seriously though, the Pairs Head on 8th October, is our race - the one we organise and the one which is a fundraiser for us enabling us to have good kit & coaches without paying silly subs. So HELP IS REQUIRED PLEASE:

There are two ways you can get involved:
The catering team will need volunteers. Over the past 2 years Mel and J have consistantly banked more money with each race and are keen to keep up this tradition.  With that in mind we have the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the late start of the race and do a 'Heads Breakfast'  followed by the traditional BBLRC BBQ feast. 
 
To enable us to have a double focused day J would need to know who of you would be interested in an early start to get tea, coffee and bacon baps on the go (9 AM)
 
The second round of volunteering would start at 11 with a view to start selling Sausages, sandwiches, burgers and CAKES at 12.
 
J will also need a couple of people to feed soup and rolls to the volunteers that will be working on the river to make this race possible.
 
No BBLRC event would be the same without our world famous home baked cakes, so baking hats and aprons on please & bring your cakes to sell on the day too.

Zoe also needs more recruits for the timing team:
Meet at the club at 12.15pm for briefing, Race starts at 2.30pm, Time in pairs at the start (Chiswick Bridge), or the finish (Hammersmith Bridge)
Race should take about an hour, but in case of race delays, you should be available until 4.30pm
Training will be given, so no experience needed

Please email J or Zoe if you can help.

In other news, circuits has started again this week but it's not too late to start now if you meant to go and somehow managed to find just a teeny weeny more important job. Now, the concept of circuits may indeed sound scary and intimidating and you might worry that you aren't fit enough to go. Well that's not at all what it's like, so take the plunge and come along on a Wednesday evening. It's definitely a good thing to do. Plus there's dinner cooked afterwards for a couple of pounds and plus, webmistress feels a bit like an elephant trying to do ballet at circuits so would appreciate some fellow plodders for company. Athletes also welcome.

We have welcomed some new arrivals in the last couple of weeks: Firstly, we have a new hero, Hacan (sp?) who has done an amazing job cleaning the club house. It is terrific and much appreciated by everyone. Amusingly, when he first started, having seen the state of the place, he did comment that he wondered how we were still alive! Secondly the four new sets of sculls have arrived. They are lovely and henceforth known as L, M, N & O. This also means A, B, C & D are no longer the new blades. Whaddya mean your confused? Keep up, and hope we never get more than 26 pairs or we'll need to ask to DVLA for help with a new system.

The sculling ladder is still happening. Because elephants don't do singles and webmistress still hasn't asked the right people for updates, no more light to be shed on these secretive gatherings for now, however we'll work on it for future updates. Might have to make like paparazzi or infiltrate.

Which I think brings us up to date but no doubt something has been forgotten. Remember to send in any updates webmaster@bblrc.co.uk and bon chance to everyone heading to the flat water of Henley for training this weekend.

If you know anyone who may be interested in coxing, please do ask them to get in touch with Sarah, captain@bblrc.co.uk Coxes pay a hugely reduced membership fee of just £60 per year, but still get all the benefits of being able to use the gym, fully join in all the social events etc.

More importantly, as we're such a successful club, the chances of building up a fab collection of shiny pewter tankards is very high!
 

BBL's VP Jackie Darling is moonlighting in this boat!

Sculling Camp is next weekend. Lots of details are further down this page.

We have had a contingent of BB ladies racing at the World Rowing Masters Regatta at Poznan in Poland, some in composites, and wins galore. Congratulations to all ladies for what sounds like some great rowing and very well done to all the winners!

Day One Report from Jo Byrne: "day one of racing at the world masters - in tough conditions (ripping tail wind and rather large waves) we managed 2nd in the vet B8+. We were leading most of the way but a few waves got the better of us and we were pipped on the line. 2 quads raced in the vet C category with both crews being out classed by some extremely strong European sculling and finishing 5th in their races."

Day two report from Poznan from Jo Byrne..
Waves better - results better. Still windy but no white horses.
Much better row in 8 for Vet C and we won.
A4- for Jo, Zoe, Rachael and Carrie followed up with another win.
D4x with Hils, Alice, Lesley, Pauline B battled tough oppo.
B4x Jo, Zoe, Rach and Ali came second- rowed them down with a storming finish and could have done with another 100m.
Second also was D4- of Hils, Ali, Lesley and Alice.

Also, from Hilary...
"We won C8s this morning- fairly comfortably rowing better than yesterday in less wind and in a time of 3min 21 second
...The standard of quads is scary..."

And the final day - more great news from Jo B...

The A 8+ was off first on the 3rd day of racing at the World Masters. Conditions where far better than the previous day. Sadly making times slower but the rowing slightly easier. The BBL crew of Hils, Lesley, Zoe, Jo, Rach, Carrie (Thames), Alice, Pauline (Scullers) and Debbie (swiss cox) rowed well but were sadly beaten by a strong Swiss/German composite crew.

Jackie D had an excellent regatta picking up wins in the F 2- (with Pauline Rainer) and they F 4x (with Pauline, and two Austrian friends). Another close finish in the F4- with Jackie's crew getting beaten by half a canvas by an Australian crew. In the F8 with Alice and Hilary as stern pair and former BB member liz mcveigh at 5 they had a great row rating 35 down the course to another win

Zoe and Jo had a good race in the VetB 2- but not quite good enough as they were pipped on the line by a slick German crew.

However revenge was sweet against the German crew from the pair as the four of Zoe, Jo, Rach and Carrie beat their crew to win A4+ with Ali proving to be a great cox and winning her second coxing pot.

Now doing what we are all good at - the sun has finally come out and Barnes Bridge ladies are leading the drinking. Plans as usual are to train harder for next year - which is in Duisberg. Lesson also is that the standard of sculling is scarily high in Europe.

Well done all and good luck for Duisberg!

A plea for punctuality... the OTW times on the outing plan mean on the water. Obviously, before we can get on the water, the boat shop may need unlocking, blades taken down, launches taking down etc. Please arrive in sufficient time for this. Similarly, at the ends of outings, please pitch in to help put things away, or go and grab the keys so we can all get done quickly. Or webmistress might get grumpy.

The Club Day Bake Off cakes were extremely popular and by request, the recipes can be found here.

Congratulations to Holly Vare who has recently got engaged. Your outgoing novice captain has composed the following Tideway version of a well known ballad to mark the occasion:
Love is in the air
Every time I run aground
Love is in the air
Every smell and every sound

Beautiful.

Sport and Remedial Massage Outgoing captain Jenny is now making the most of all her new found free time by setting up in business and would like to offer people an introductory discount until the end of September. A 20 minute sport massage would cost £10 and a posture analysis and treatment plan would cost £25. Contact her for more details or visit www.jenniferhawtin.co.uk. If you do look at the website, you may not recognise the Jenny not in a boat or in a bar photo, but it is her. 

That's all folks. Webmistress is now off for a holiday work trip to Spain but look forward to seeing you all on the Island for some sculling next weekend. Hasta luego!
 

Sculling Camp is on the 17th & 18th September, more news in a separate article below.

Cox wanted or more than one if possible... as a club we desperately need more 'full time' coxswain rather than just Dave plus lots of rowers helping out. If you know anyone who might be interested, bring them down to the club.

Boats wanted for the pairs head. If you have any contacts at any clubs who may be able to help by lending boat/s, please let Sarah know.

Coaching Course we're delighted to announce that Sue G has been selected to attend a coaching course, to be paid for by the club, in return for Sue running two learn to row courses in 2012. Well done Sue!

Training Plan There is a new and spectacularly comprehensive training plan on Googledocs. Webmistress is thus far doing best impressions of an ostrich as far as 5k erg dates are concerned. Expect more on this topic in future updates.

Pay up with the regatta season over, now's the time to get your finances in order... please pay Lucy asap any outstanding fees. Thanks!

Sculling Ladder the first round happened, however as this is a secret gathering only for the brave/stupid/anti-social, webmistress doesn't get the emails and hasn't got a clue how people got on...but very well done to everyone who took part and I shall now work on infiltration of this crazy bunch or start making some news up.

Sculling Morning One Sunday, we had a massive focus on sculling, rounding up all possible coaches and hiring sculls from EMA meant that we had 12 singles and 2 doubles all on the water at once! Only one person went swimming as well (although David D seemed disappointed it wasn’t more). Massive thank you to David, Ali, Carry and Neil for the coaching and to EMA for the hire of boats. Following on from this jolly little jaunt was the sculling ladder, near perfect conditions ensured everyone improved on their time. Cake and tea followed which to me was most definitely the highlight of the morning! Thanks Jenny for organising it all.

New Season Meeting so the handover is nearly done and it's time for Sarah to take the helm. Come along and find out the plans, Monday 5th September, 7pm.

That's all for now folks, there have been a couple of quiet social events recently, in the shape of Ciara's 30th and Club Day, but webmistress is still waiting for the boozy haze to clear from people's minds so she can extract updates from them. Full news to come soon, I promise!

Well the day started out early for most of the Cygnets/BBL crews going to Oxford City - a well loved regatta with lots of pots up for grabs including the famed 'Quart' pots which the BB ladies won last year in the sprints which lasted all of 350 meters. A big reward for such a short distance and well worth the effort of an early start for that day.

To qualify, for the Quart sprints the girls needed to enter an eight race which they did in the IM3 eight with a mix of experience,lightweight, heavyweight Henley rowers, novice and others! Once again, the boat was helmed by 'Captain Gledders’ who brought calm and control over the boat once he took over.

The eight comprised the crews from the two fours that had raced earlier in the morning under IM3+ and IM1-.  Each crew reported that several parts of their earlier escapades on the water were good but probably both could have been better. From the IM1- point of view, the Steerer has an interesting view to report:

The steerer of the 4- faced the ‘ultimate’ steering challenge on the row up to the start when a flotilla of 6 boats (ranging in size from small and wooden to large and plastic, driven by pimms-drinking stay-cationers) coming from the other direction within the navigation channel – (which was just about wide enough for an Eight and a gaggle of anorexic geese in single file) - bore down on the crew. The Marshall on the bank helpfully pointed out to the crew that there were several boats coming towards them when the first gin palace was merely 10 feet away. But the steerer had already spotted the hazard and had taken the executive decision to temporarily exit the navigation channel to avoid a collision. The 4- made a safe passage to the start straddling the navigation channel and the racing lane and arrived at the start alive and in one piece, thus allowing the crew to fully re-aquaint themselves with the navigation channel during the race for several strokes, during which time the Marshall on the bank helpfully informed them that they were required to return to their station immediately. But the steerer felt their station was a rather dull
place to be and so tested out the other crews station to see what that was like and finally tucked back into their own lane for the final 300 metres of the race to avoid any further hassle from the marshals. Miraculously no birds were whacked, no boats were banged, no banks were hit and no trees were hugged or even caressed during the race and the crew made it back to tell the tale…

Nevertheless they were now warmed up for the Quart sprints and eight races! At midday the Quart Sprints lined up and there was a mass of boats and breeds lining-up to vie for the 'Big Mug'. Many more than last year but BBL was determined. Captain Dave managed to find a few friends on the water, not in your normal way, but in the way of grumpy umpires who probably didn't realise there were too many boats to fit into the navigation lane at the time. Little did he know he would come back later to umpire our race. NOT saying this had any bearing on the race, the BBL met their competition on the side of the course, MAA who turned out to be a pretty decent bunch who said we even looked like super elite rowers - little did they know what lurked beneath was a slightly gnarled mongrel of a dog ready to pounce!

After watching two sprints take off the girls were up, in the outside lane with our very friendly umpire. Dave had advised us that we would start the race on his call of, “attention….WUFF”. The girls were lined up and very happy to see no advantage given to the opposition, Flag up, Ready, Go! The girls set off at a cracking pace (rate unknown due to the seat magnet not working) but they had a flying start and then settled at the optimal rate recommended by Coach David, of 38-39. They were with MAA at the start and hung in there then slowly MAA squeezed up on them then a bit more. 350 meters is not long, and soon the line was close, and bodies were starting to flag a bit, last 10 strokes to the line but unfortunately not good enough to beat MAA who won by a length, but as they say, a good race.

Next up was the IM3 eights race, so back to the hard and clubhouse for refuelling & some crew members devouring more than their fair share of Sharon’s superb flapjacks, winking at old men and prepping for the next race. Now we really feel 'warmed up'!!

After this back to the start, and as Dave commented on the way up on the blinding finishes as all 8 blades popped out of the water together - looking good. Next race was the heat of the IM3+ eights against City of Cambridge. BBL had a great start and found themselves 3/4 length up. The Cox’s call was then to hold the distance and not to do any more unless needed. Cambridge pushed for ten around the 500m mark but made no ground so BBL carried on to eventually win by 1.25 lengths.

After more refuelling and rest, it was back down again to the start, where the opposition this time, some strong Welsh (& UK) ladies from Llandurgh. Another good start, and BBL were up by a length and the Welsh ladies pushed hard and started to come back around the half way mark, the pressure went on but the call was do the same as the last race, powerful and strong, settled and power through.

They did this to great affect and just sat off them for the last half of the race, to win by 3/4 length. Next up was the final against Green Templeton, an Oxford University college, a local college who all seemed to have American accents - they were a well rehearsed looking crew who had looked good in previous races. BBL stepped up and was ready to fight it out, like a pack of hungry blood hounds chasing the smell of victory, and they kept up with the identikit Yanks to the 350 mark when GT seemed to start pulling away, they then continued to move at the 500 mark while BBL put everything in.

Unfortunately, BBL were not fast enough on this occasion to win a pot, but having made the final and giving some people their first ever win, some very good experience and better still no points! It was a good day all round.
 
Thanks to all who came and competed, it was a great day, lots of good experience and fun also. Bring on more racing! Wuff wuff!!

Moving from the big boats to the small boats, Sue G, made her racing debut in a single:

City of Oxford Royal Regatta was to prove to be a valuable lesson in self management. Having registered myself for my first race I went about rigging my boat and generally faffing about the trailer – with only an hour before the race and my opposition having not checked in I thought I’d go in search of them – turned out they were approximately a metre from the trailer – who knew that Nautics and Pangborne College were the same club! Anyway after having a few stern exchanges with the coach who seemed to take offence that his organisation was being questioned myself and my very young opposition headed across the road (having pressed the pedestrian crossing button) with our singles to our special boating area – fortunately I had Marion to help.

After a very leisurely paddle up to the start during which my oppo (Georgina) assured me that it would all be ok after the first 3 strokes I lined up at the start…..starter said attention… go.. I did a bit of a squeal thanks to a wobble on the 2nd stroke ….and that was pretty much the last I saw of her!

Nevermind the IM3 race in the afternoon was a local derby between myself and Putney Town – I chose I slightly less manic start which thankfully didn’t have a squeal involved but still topped off at rate 38!! I had the advantage after about 400metres and continued on at rate 32 before crossing the line at rate 27 with a 4 length advantage. Sadly my domination in the single ended here because Georgina from the morning was in the final for IM3 – happily though I did make her work harder in that race so her winning margin was only 2 lengths.

Highlight of the day aside from winning was chatting to the random strangers I had to accost to put my numbers on as having never raced in a single before it hadn’t dawned on me that activities such as putting on racing numbers are a little different when you don’t have a crew member to rely on! Thanks to Dave and the members of the 8+ for cheering me on from the bar and the bank. Oh and as always there were some fine cakes on offer at Oxford including cup cakes with the Oxford crest drawn on – very impressed

Well done everyone. You can see the 8+ in action here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZQGn_5YZgE

Elsewhere in the day, coach David showed his penchant for short men (!) partnering up in a pair with his friend 'Piglet' which was a close re-enactment of the Arnie & Danny boat from Neot's. There was also a close competition for hero of the day, between Hamish & George the Westie, of T&V fame. Hamish kindly did the trailer duty for the day, but George probably gets the prize for being so highly entertaining. Endless fun watching him paddle at the edge of the lake chasing a tennis ball, only for the shallows to end and him rush back to the bank as he could no longer stand up. A great day all round.

Tea tent report: with so much racing, there was no time for tea so it was straight into the bar once the day was done. Roving reporter is no expert on the badlands of Cambridgeshire but gut reaction says £3 per pint is a bit steep for a club bar.. especially as the bottom third had to be discarded due to wasp invasion. Twice. At least they could have tried to do something about the wasps.

And finally... after thickets scandals at Neot's, more evidence has emerged from Peterborough!

In this period of captaincy handover and double bombardment, webmistress will attempt to filter the key points:

Boo, hiss, it's getting dark: sadly it is. Whilst your webmistress yet again reflects on another year gone in which she has failed to emigrate to somewhere hot, warm and with at least 10 hours daylight all year round, please can the rest of you be mindful that you may well now need lights for evening outings.
Now then, I wonder if I can update this from Ouagadougou? If I can remember my A level Geography, that should fit the bill.

On-line availability
Everyone should have got an email about this sexy new way of working with the availability spreadsheets! If you haven't received the email please contact Sarah.

Rhine Marathon Please see below from Marj. It's a terrific weekend away, with rowing like you just won't get over here, wonderful hospitality and never ending beer. Also, if you've never heard of Killiepitsch, or if you have and wondered what it is, this is how you find out.

Dear all
 
Yep, it's mid August, time to start thinking of having an adventure on the Rhine! This year's Rhine Marathon (for the unitiated, a marathon distance row from Leverkusen to Dusseldorf) will take place on Saturday 8 October 2011 (Yeah, I know, the day of the Pairs Head). 
 
The usual weekend starts with travel to Dusseldorf on Friday, an evening with a spag bol and beer at the Benrath Boathouse, continues with an early start on Saturday to row the distance followed by beer and Bratwurst, dinner and more beer. Travelling home on the Sunday afternoon, after having had lunch and more beer. What could go wrong!
 
Please let me know whether you would like to be included in a crew and I will send more information about organisation and so on. Just be aware that this is not a race for the feint-hearted, as both the river and the waves are a lot bigger than what we experience on the Thames, but it's good fun.
 
Many thanks, and I look forward to your response.
 
Marj

Cycling....  this link might be a good one for members who are looking to commute to the club on their bike or who are just generally into cycling. It has details of cycle route planning, training and cycling events, as well as information about Boris bikes and the two new Barclays Cycle Superhighways http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11598.aspx

Henley T&V marked the end of July. We had many crews entered including quite a few sculling boats and for a few members, their first ever sculling races. Strong performances were had all round with particular mention to Katy B and Katy O who beat Thames and Vesta in the semi to get to their doubles final. Star performance of the day had to be Caroline B-S who won her singles event and was presented with a grand looking trophy. Very well done. The novice quad also had a great paddle, but seemed more interested in the overpriced Pimm's. It also transpired they made a new friend that day in the form of Tom W's Westie. Poor pooch was rewarded for being a little star all day by getting to spend the night in the club bar with Tom and Rob, and then being left in the (now whiffy) bar when they went for their outing the following morning.

Back home, a great number of people have been out clocking their times to submit for the sculling ladder. Allegedly there have been some underhand tactics though as some people haven't done the full distance and have been spinning too soon, thus shortening the course. Either underhand or just unable to read instructions. This seems to be a particular affliction for people with surnames beginning with 'B'.

For the less experienced scullers, there will be a sculling masterclass on Sunday 21st (N.B. originally planned for the 14th, now changed). The plan is to get as many people out in singles as possible (we have agreed to borrow some singles), and those new to sculling they will be out in doubles. Depending on how many people are available we may run two sessions but ideally the session will be at 8.15am. This is a chance to get out in a single and get some focussed coaching as hopefully we will have quite a few people out coaching, taking a few singles each. Please confirm your availability with Sue for that weekend. And I'll probably see you then for a swim!!!!

Kit and Crap amnesty you have been warned - please remove EVERYTHING you want to keep from the changing room by Monday 15th or it will be removed for you and you may not see it again. This is to enable a jolly good clean of the room, after which it will all be nice & lovely.

Club Day will be Sunday 28th. This is a lovely social day and your last chance at pots for the season. After some paddling, there will be a barbecue and of course the bar will be open all day. Please let Katy O know by 20th August if you'd like to be there so she knows numbers for catering.

New Captaincy The meeting took place on Thursday 4th to elect the new captaincy. We don't quite get to say cheerio and good riddance to Jenny and team just yet as they will be doing handovers across the next month, but it is a time for reflection. The club has evolved for the better a huge extent under Jenny's leadership and it is widely recognised and acknowledged how grateful we all are for everything which has been done. The roll call of new boats bought (Annelise, Jo Byrne, Alphaba, Jack Moody, new Launch) and blades, and coaches employed is impressive, as have been the results. HWR winners in 2010, finalists in 2011 are just a couple. To ensure we didn't get too sentimental, Dave, the home of witty banter, was on hand to say a few words during which he managed to liken Jenny to a penguin (great in the water, slightly clumsy on land). I think it was supposed to be complimentary, but just in case it wasn't, here's another big vote of thanks to Jenny, Sue, Catherine and Becky for everything they have done.

So heading your way soon as the new captaincy are: Captain: Sarah Powell, Vice Captain: Charlotte Sadd, Novice Captain: Jasmin Meier. What, I hear you cry, no deputy? Nope, no one. Situation vacant. Quite what this means for availability and outings is in discussion and no doubt the captaincy/committee will keep you all posted. We also voted for the club president and two vices and all present office holders were re-elected: President: Rubina Curtis. Vices: Jackie Darling & Pat Sly.

Boat Naming At the same meeting, a vote was taken on whether or not to rename Jack Moody. After some last minute attempts to fix the voting which would have made an illegitimate dictator proud, I am delighted to announce that there was a clear winner, in the shapely form of 'Scratch My Bottom'. Love it. In due course, a date will be set for an official naming, and based on our previous bad luck, we will offer anything and everything we need to, to Neptune, Poseidon, Pariacaca, and anyone else we think may help our cause. 

Two Crazy Ladies on Bikes: Part 2 Following their overnight cycle to Suffolk, Katy B and Lucy Bean Counter have since been on another adventure:

True to form, a great weekend was had by all at St Neot’s. Sadly not as much pewter as normal and the Mayor was rumoured to be bereft at missing out on his annual kisses from the Barnes Bridge Ladies. And from Dave. But there was a late in the day win on the Sunday so we didn’t come home completely empty handed, unlike the boys. All in all, it was a cracking weekend, made all the better by the return of Neil with stove and kettle, and new into the mix this year, the Hamish chauffeur service. To spare the ladies from a damp dash in the rain he kindly drove us from the marquee to the portaloos, door to door, and had cup holders to look after our drinks as we nipped out. So next year if we could please add to the tea and taxi some breakfast in bed, that would be good. Thank you. Other returning favourites included Stu’s rope belted shorts, as promised being strutted on the dance floor on the Saturday evening. In an exciting development, it turns out these are even embroidered with a ladybird, a heart and a cherry.  

Club marquee, with excellent tea service                  Stu looking for more embroidered motifs

Saturday’s racing started very very early for one of the mixed eights, but they were soon able to get their breakfast as they were beaten by a crew who had been practicing. Seriously, that’s not in the spirit of things! Poppy & Katy O were the crew of the day in their IM3 2x, winning the heat and the semi, and having a terrific race in the final, just losing out on the pots. There’s a reason these two hadn’t been given a nickname beforehand – they’re actually quite good and it would be wrong to take the mick, unlike the rest of the doubles who are fair game. The Kraut and the Tinker (n.b. that is Kraut, and not Croat as the Tinker half misread in the preview, but didn’t think to ask why it might be Croat) put in a really gutsy performance and impressed everyone with how well they did given how little sculling they have done. The multi legged insect silhouette look was not to be seen. Love Boat II caused quite a stir when they vanished into the thicket on the bend for a considerable length of time, hidden from view, leaving the crowds wondering where on earth they could have gone. Ahem. They did reappear, but that was another race we didn’t win.

Poppy and Katy showing us how it's done                   Love Boat II missing in action

On the Sunday, the Buxom Double had a great row against some skinny young students, losing by a length and a half but very pleased with how it went. During subsequent training, coach David has diplomatically confirmed they do have a “relatively high centre of gravity” so that’s apparently something for them work on. The much anticipated Schwarzenegger & DeVito double were thwarted by a footplate which broke on the second stroke. Or so they say – we all know what a bad workman says… So no win, but the entertainment value was there and at least by the race, Danny had more or less got the hang of steering, unlike during the cheeky practice on Saturday evening when he zigzagged across the river, initially taking out The Kraut & The Tinker, then crossing the river to nearly take out a small cruiser on the other side. And of course, none of it was his fault.  

The Hendercrofts were cheered down the course to coordinated chanting of Hen-der-croft, which was highly amusing but not enough to power them to victory. Anytime anyone needs a cheerleader though, Tom W is available. I’m sure he’d look lovely in a mini skirt with pom poms. This may also explain why he had a tiny pink coloured igloo tent! There was also some last minute partner swapping as Kraut & Arnie secured a late entry and looked pretty good. Kraut asked for some pre race tips and was advised “Just remember 3 things: 1) Row well 2) Don’t crash 3) Remember the lateral draw through”.

As for the bigger boats, there was a first ever race for the novice quad. After nearly landing in a garden party on the way up to the start, steerswoman got her act together and nailed the corner. Stroke and three managed the stake boats and set a great rhythm and two called it perfectly. Bumped up to IM3, they were beaten by some distance but still loved it.                                                                                                                       

On the coxed four front, there was a scheduled IM3 crew who nearly didn’t make it… yep, you do have to rig boats before you can race in them! Basics sussed, they set off, looking good. Unfortunately another one we didn’t win, but definitely plenty of potential here. There was also a late entry IM3 4+ put together in the bar on the Saturday night. Once sober, they easily won their first heat but in need of liquid and without enough time before the next race to go in, Dave pulled up at the pub and made friends with some Bedford rowers, despatching them off with a few pennies for some lemonades. Dave then also tried to pimp out the three single ladies in his crew to said Bedford boys, but un/fortunately they had a race to get to. After another win, the final was looming, but during the excessively long break, disaster struck as Catherine injured her wrist on a gluten free roll. Karen was able to step in and the rest is history – well done ladies, the only pots of the weekend! 

Happy quad                                                             Scheduled IM3 4+                                                  Bonus Winning IM3 4+

There was also at least a win in the heat of the mixed eights on Sunday morning. They might also have won the Saturday if their start preparations hadn’t been disrupted by a couple of humping cows in the field next to them, or if at least they hadn’t dissolved into childish giggles when Dave pointed it out. On the Sunday morning, cows were replaced by two Cygnets and one BB lady on a jog through the cow field. It was all rather jolly and they wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Carry On film. Which is incidental to the fact that what we actually all really want to know is who had what room in their tent/palace the previous evening. Apparently, half of Love Boat I was in there too! Back to the mixed eight. They then lost their second race on the Sunday to yet another crew that had been practicing. Perhaps next year both clubs should bin their respective Henley’s and concentrate on Neot’s Mixed Eights.  

Of course Neot’s isn’t only about racing. For Saturday night dinner, Marj and Ellie managed to conjure up enough pizzas (how do you get a delivery to a field?) to keep everyone very happy which was much appreciated. (And more so by the boys who then ate cold-been-left-out-all-night pizza for Sunday brekkie. Nice.) Whilst the party was in half swing in the marquee – full swing would probably have killed off the aging rockers who were a poor attempt at a band – back at base, Rob started playing pyramids. Tom W didn’t realise he was being had and was never going to get to the top. David failed to grasp the concept of drinking two digits and just necked his cider every go. Shame about the band, it was quite telling that the dance floor was at its busiest when the DJ was on during their break. But it would take more than poor music to stop us and there was plenty of dancing, drinking and rope belt swinging. Someone started a conga and one lucky BB lady, upon bending down to retrieve a lost flip flop, had her derriere patted. Kate S and Lucy F, those fine young boys of St Neot’s obviously still haven’t grown up if you want to go & check them out again next year!  

Tea Tent Report: With Neil’s kettle there was no need for actual tea, but the big tent was the main source of sustenance all weekend. Burgers were good, Waitrose sponsored breakfast was excellent. Roving reporter & friends also appreciated a pic ‘n’ mix salad bar as an alternative.
Bar was good too. Sadly all points negated by minus 50 for the shocking band.
And it wouldn’t have been Neot’s without the Ice Cream Man – top marks to him.

Here’s a parting thought for you – what do you actually call the squirty/comes out of the machine ‘draft’ ice cream as opposed to one that comes ‘ready made’ in a wrapper? Just wondering.  

Rowers/Drinkers/Trouble Makers:
Mx8+:  (In various boats, with changes between Sat & Sun) Becky, Ciara, Katie C, Ellie, Poppy, Helena, Jasmin, Catherine, Heidi, Liz, along with Rob, Matt, Tom, Jeremy, Luke,  Neil, Stu, Fabio, Matteo, Novice Gav,  
Doubles: Poppy & Katy O, Jas & Catherine, Stu & Kay O, Arnie & DeVito, Helena & Ciara, Becky & Rob, Jas & David
4x: Becky, Ciara, Katie C, Helena
Scheduled IM3 4+: Dave, Heidi, Holly, Karen, Liz
Bonus IM3 4+: Dave, Jas, Catherine/Karen, Ellie, Katy O
 

Two Crazy Ladies on Bikes: Part 1 Post Henley, some people go drinking, some people try sculling and some people choose to cycle thorough the dark to Suffolk on an overnight cycle ride. I guess if that means you don't have to actually see Ipswich, there's a benefit to doing it in the dark. Anyways, a very big well done to Katy B and Lucy Fry* for completing their mission - here's their story:

The End Congratulations, thank you and well done if you have got this far!

*Lucy is the club bean counter. As her sanity is now in question, we may have to review this.

Well folks, it’s almost that time again. More miles in training have been done on the Thames than Reed & Hodge can even dream of. The km’s on the ergs are in triple figures. The calluses are huge and tension in the air is palpable. That’s right, this weekend it’s time for the good, the bad and the ugly of Barnes Bridge & Cygnet decamp up the A1 for St Neot’s Regatta.

It’s a cracking weekend and for those unsure of what they are in for, previous year’s “highlights” have included:
- pots & points
- swimming home from the evening party. Clothing optional
- pots & points
- kissing the mayor. Or being kissed on your bald head by the mayor
- the bush at the bend jumping out at racing crews (aka poor steering)
- mixed racing
- pots & points
- lost undergarments found drying (post swim!) from tent poles like flags
- thickets
- the inaugural appearance of Kate’s & Lucy’s fine young things
- Barbecues, beer and general merriment

To help get a sense of the atmosphere, roving reporter has conducted a couple of interviews:

RR: “Ladies, what’s your best memory from Neot’s?”
Anyone of about 12 BB ladies: “The time Dave fell in and was left clinging to a rigger like a lemming”

RR: “Obviously you need to have a careful diet before such a serious race, how do you prepare”
Anonymous Irish female: “Burgers. Always a burger from the barbecue before the race”

Ahh racing. A whopping 16 crews are entered and fierce competition is expected, if only between ourselves in the mixed eights. The hottest topic of conversation around the boathouse during the build up has been the doubles and for some reason, many doubles have earned themselves a nickname. So this weekend we look forward to seeing (and not all appropriate names, you have been warned): The Kraut and The Tinker, The Love Boat II, The Hendercrofts, The Buxom Double and The Double of Destiny. There has already been trouble in paradise after the female of Love Boat II was apparently made very wet by the male.

The Double of Destiny chose that name for themselves. I’d hate to give away who is in it, but it is likely to be the most watched event of the weekend. We can’t wait to see how they even manage to lift the boat together. We can’t think which way round they’ll sit in the boat without one of them flying up and down the slide, or crashing blades into each other, or ending up in the other’s lap, or general chaos.

And if you’re still wondering who is in it, here’s a few clues:
- They’ll be racing in men’s doubles as a Molesey/Barnes Bridge Ladies combo
- A more appropriate name would probably be the Twins Double a la Schwarzenegger/De Vito

Have a great weekend everyone!
 

Hello, apologies for the short break in updates, your websmistress had reverted to type (blonde) and had a few technical issues which are hopefully now resolved.

So what’s been happening? Well, since the last update, there has been some rowing! Shock, horror, we’d almost forgotten what that’s like in this post Henley lull. And what rowing! Two crews won at Henley Masters and have lovely shiny medals to prove it. Roving reporter was AWOL that weekend and the crews are still too high on cloud nine to pop finger to keyboard so you’ll have to read captain Jenny’s version of events in The Bridge. We also had crews racing at Kingston on the same weekend – great to see so many people out racing and well done to all. Incidentally, reading down this blog, it appears roving reporter has not been seen since BMI when the tea tent report was replaced by a beer/bar report. Perhaps that explains the AWOL…

Back at base, the unpleasant happenings sadly seem to be continuing. Latest incident is a burnt out Toyota people carrier found next to the trailers on Saturday morning. It cannot be stressed enough how important your personal safety is, so please don’t take any risks. The boys have been asked to at least pretend to be chivalrous and ensure no ladies are left to lock up/walk across the bridge or to cars alone. This blog will happily publicise such acts of chivalry if it helps encourage it, so let me know who has been your knight in shining armour and they’ll get a name check.

Your club needs you! - there will be elections for the four captaincy positions on 4^th August. None of the present incumbents (what a horrid word for people – “you are an incumbent”) wish to stand again so candidates are needed. So be it you’re a control freak, general organiser, lovely person or just want some more friends – why not step up?

Roving reporter finally surfaced from a period of self-inflicted exile to comment on the club social fundraising barbecue which took place this weekend – clearly tea tents are insufficient to prompt an appearance. It was very kindly hosted by Sarah P and long suffering Sian (seriously, anyone who can smile that much when surrounded by loads of rowers talking nothing but rowing must be long suffering). It was definitely the penthouse balcony – higher than all other surrounding, and once we’d worked out we needed to position chairs on the gazebo feet to stop it taking off, we were all set for a typical British barbie in the rain. The food was fantastic, all to do with the preparation and nothing to do with the fact it came from Ocado. The drinks flowed. Or at least the Diet Coke did. Why was that? And there was a token boy in the form of Matt C. Apparently being the only boy there was potentially a sore subject which he didn’t want pointing out. Ooops. Sorry.

Funny comment of the fortnight award goes to Kathryn… during a pre outing discussion in the changing room about which boats people were going out it, the following was overheard:
Other person: “Kathryn what are you going out in?”
Kathryn: “I think I’ll go out in my all in one”
 

The main event of the past week has of course been our annual club day at Henley Royal Regatta at Old Blades very kindly hosted by the Sly's and organised by Marj. Thanks very much to them all for a lovely day. All the right ingredients were in place; funny coloured Pimm's, sunshine, warm wine, and plenty of food - not sure if anyone this year tried to pass off an M&S salad as home made by putting it into one of their own food boxes, unlike last year though. And the ladies were out looking fab in the posh frocks and the boys were out in the their blazers and club ties, trying to see who could wear the most shades of blue in one outfit. Oh, and there was some fantastic rowing too - always nice to see the big guns. Webmistress hasn't been informed of any amusing tales from the evening to share but should anyone know anything which would be of public interest - pass it on!

Personal Safety - very important
Further to the earlier note of caution below, Dave's car was broken into round the back of the club, there has been an incident in the past week where a car attempted to block one of our members as she was driving off and the police have also had reports of women being followed to their cars from the Esporta club round the corner.

PLEASE please please be careful and make sure we all follow some very basic principles - don't leave anyone on their own to lock up, walk up to cars together and walk over the bridge together. If you are concerned or see anything suspicious, call 999 immediately.

Best of luck to all the crews racing this weekend at Henley Masters and Kingston - details in Jenny's weekly update - please do go along and support if you can.

Quiz question one: On a recent night out, what was the reason Lucy's Nick gave for why he learned to ride a bicycle?
Quiz question two: Which Cygnet was spotted running round a bar proudly holding a champagne flute, but saying at the same time "don't let the boys know I was drinking from one of these"
Quiz question three: Which highly technical term has David recently introduced to the coaching glossary?

Answers to webmaster@bblrc.co.uk and I'll make a cuppa the next time there's a clean mug and milk at the club for the first correct entrant.

And in other news:
There are some lovely new sofas in the club in three shades of brown. Also, as they are 'leatherette', they are apparently, 'liquid' proof. Lovely. Fortunately, they don't smell and have four feet on the floor. All in all a vast improvement on the previous models. Thanks boathouse peeps.
The Jack Moody is now rigged as a quad. With backstays, it has more bits sticking out of it than a millipede so has been a pain in the derriere to find a home for (and a pain in the derriere if you've sat in it! but nice to row). It now has a home, but has runaway tendencies so please chock the dollies. It tried to take out the Jo Byrne all by itself on Sunday.

That's all for now - let's hope the sunshine holds and see you at Club Friday!
 

This is from the Met police website:

It was noted, with pleasure, that David Bell, Chairman of CSSC Sports & Leisure, and Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, was knighted in the recent Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Membership
The main topic this year concerned membership.  With declining numbers of employees throughout the public sector, membership and income were declining.  Added to this, the steep annual decline in the Cabinet grant meant that a significant deficit of about £750,000 was expected this year.

The following measures will now be implemented later this year to improve matters and increase membership.
There will be the following categories of membership:-
1.    Full CSSC Membership  Current Civil Servants.  (Will be subsumed into the Extended group).
2.   Temporary CSSC Membership  Already available for those who work with eligible organisations for short periods, eg. contractors, military personnel in London.  These should decline.
3    Extended CSSC Membership  All employees in the public sector will now be eligible to join and must do so to participate in CSSC activities.  This widens the field considerably and includes eg.Education, NHS, the Military, the Fire Service, Local Government, etc.
4.   Linked CSSC Membership  All full members can propose up to three people, adult friends or relatives to be 'linked members'.  These will have certain limitations on their membership, eg their proposer must remain a full member during the linkage. 

Final administrative details still have to be worked out, but it is planned to introduce these changes this year.  An improved database of members will provide easier access to check up-to-date membership.  These changes should cause associate membership to fade out.  Rules of some clubs may need amending.  

Further mergers of clubs, facilities and so on may follow in due course from these changes.

 CSSC Games, etc
It was noted that the CS Games this year are being held at Loughborough University on 15-16 September 2011.  Well over 1000 members are already committed to competing in the entries available.  The closing date for entries is 31 July 2011.
CSSC will support  members who have volunteered to assist with the Olympics or who wish to participate in events such as various marathons or cycling events. See www.cssc.co.uk.  

Countdown and Online Shopping
The discount system of shopping with Countdown is still popular and the take-up of Countdown's main offers has more than doubled over the last year.  

The new CSSC online shopping service is growing fast and is now available in the London area.  Tickets for cinemas and other attractions can be purchased at very attractive rates.

London 2012 Olympic Torch  Relay
This Relay is looking for 8,000  Torchbearers to carry the Olympic Flame across the UK from 19 to 27 July 2012.  Can you nominate someone to be a London Torchbearer?  Nominations close on 29 June 2011.  Details from www. london2012.com/olympictorchrelay

2012 Subscriptions Subscription rates for 2012 are:-

Membership (1 share)
83p per week                              £3.60 per month                    £43.20 per year

The 2012 CSSC Conference will be held at Celtic Manor, Newport on 25 to 26 June 2012.

Rubina Curtis
23 June 2011

It would be great to have some photos - please send them in!
 

"Our Masters D 4 had just been discussing the merits of going to the National Masters Champs (we don't all much like Nottingham) when I got an email from FISA asking us to compete in a new event that same weekend - the Golden Blades Regatta. To be held in St Petersburg over a 250 metre course in the city centre. They would provide boats and accommodation, we just had to get ourselves there. Also invited were international scullers and eights. Tough decision...."

"Suffice to say the sun shone, we won our event comfortably, we were filmed for tv, Sir Steve Redgrave presented our prizes (including bouquets of flowers - UK regattas please take note), the hotel was walking distance of the course in the centre of a spectacular city and we were surrounded by rowers we normally only see on tv. Boating between the US and German men's 8s was a particular treat. "

"Back to reality, the Tideway, and and training for races lasting longer than 50 seconds."

For a more in depth feel for the weekend, it's well worth reading Hilary's official report which has been posted on the GB Rowing website. For anyone who wants to do their own 'admiring', there are lots of pics on the World Rowing website.

Congratulations ladies on your fantastic win, the only British crew to win at the event. Brilliant.

Big thanks to Dave, the home of witty banter, for this report. Not sure if you're crew will be thanking you by the time they've read it though... (and please remember the disclaimer at the top of the page!!)

It was a lovely sunny (very early) morning when the best of the rest arrived at the boathouse and got themselves psyched up for the Novice 4 race at the world renowned Barnes & Mortlake International Regatta. It was a mixed bunch of so called novices assembled on the hard. We have sky diving Sophie, a veteran of just over 3 months rowing at Barnes Bridge, but we think she did a bit at some minor up country University before joining. Behind her, the leather clad tri athlete Leonie, getting a wee bit fed up of being a novice. Next, we have power puddles Heidi, recently returned from a period of sick leave after having her appendix removed. Finally, we have Liz The Scabster, recovering from some deadly flesh eating disease that leaves nice looking crustations around the mouth / nose area, as well as a particularly loud and somewhat disturbing cough after a bit of mild exercise. Not forgetting of course, the dead weight, Dave, who having been overlooked for all the better crews entering Henley, managed to attach himself to this lot of unsuspecting young ladies.

What was truly remarkable about this crew, was that at least 3 of them appear to be in stable relationships, and I am sure the 4th does not go without offers. Lycra squeezed into, and then removed several times to go to the toilet, they finally set off for the first heat against Putney Town. They arrived on time at 0850, unlike the safety boat, so the Regatta had not actually started, as who would possibly risk racing without a safety boat? After waiting for half an hour, they were called forward to the start. The Putney Town girls looked quite good, and all appeared to have a BMI in range, although the 3 girl may have been borderline.

Attention - GO ! Off they roared, no drama, rowing as per their coaching and taking an early lead. Oops, Putney Town catch a huge crab and stop rowing. They start again, and some time later, catch another one. With good eyesight, the BB crew could still just make them out in the distance as they crossed the finish line, rating 28 and possibly 3/4 pressure. Verdict - a win for BB by a huge margin.

A quick stop to watch the next heat confirmed that we would be racing our neighbours, Emanuel, in the final, as they won their heat by 1.5 lengths. Some hours later (16:20 - who did the draw ??) - off they set to the start line for the final. For some strange reason, nerves were jangling, and as we lined up for the final, you could tell that a calm head would be needed to get the most out of these machines.

WINNERS Alert
Attention - GO - and another excellent start, but only gaining a few feet on Emanuel after the initial start. However, the horsepower was there, and they pulled away with every stroke, rowing with their heads as well as their muscles to eventually win by 2.5 lengths.

Heidi had pre-empted the win and pulled out a bottle of champagne that was drunk from the lovely lidded pots now in our possession, presented by the girls favourite Cygnet, Mr Ronnie Lamb. Apparently much later, someone's boyfriend (pissed) cycled into a hedge on
the way home, a great end to a great day.

Well it was an exciting and windy old weekend at the Met with thanks to many contributors for the various updates which follow – clearly some crews are more verbose than others!

The IM1 4+ had the pleasure of having their heat as the first race of the morning - so an early start saw them arriving at a sunny but windy Dorney.  The opposition were Upper Thames (with Catherine’s very tall cousin), Vesta, Thames, Sons and Reading. The girls were allocated lane 4, which was one of the windier channels, and thanks to being in a bow loader the task of getting onto the stakeboat was left in the capable hands of Jenny and Annabelle, plus a fair amount of tapping on from M-T to try and get them set for the start in a straight line – a bonus warm up!

They had a great start and were up with the pack from the start, not sure what happened to Thames but they seemed to do two starts and were soon having row through BBL’s puddles.  Meanwhile at the front the 4+ were keeping up with the pack after a strong start and moved through Vesta, who weren't giving up...... however entering into the 2nd 1000m, cox Sue spied the Upper Thames crew making quite a move - they eventually came through but despite hitting a few buoys on the way (oops) our girls secured 2nd place which was enough to get to the final.

They were the 5th fastest qualifying crew for the final so were popped in lane 4 again - though bumped to lane 5 to try and reduce the advantage of those crews in lanes 1 and 2.  They had another cracking start and were soon into their rhythm and were again up with the main pack, with main challengers being Agecroft and Southampton University.  They started to move ahead of Southampton with 1000m to go, and with Agecroft making a strong move to try and shake them off,  they held on.  It went down to the wire with neither cox knowing who had won - the results showed that they had lost by 0.3secs. Not a win, but a terrific result. Jenny's feedback on the coxing was that it was very exciting in the last 500m but perhaps it should be turned down a notch or two for future races - she then did an impression which could only be described as sounding like Beeker from the Muppets!

On Sunday they did is all again with super sub Rachael in for Annabelle. They had a rematch with Vesta and Agecroft plus with Thames and Oxford Brooks in their heat.  Sadly despite a solid row they missed out on a place in the final, but by that point I think the crew wanted to go home for a well earned kip!

Watch a video of the 4+ in action here, at 11.10 mins in

The lightweight 4- are having to ration their words to conserve energy but did manage to share the good news that the weigh in went well!

WINNERS alert:
In the cool, calm words of the stroke lady herself:

Jo and Zoe raced all straight finals in the pair.
Saturday in Senior 2- was an easy-ish win, pulling away from Vesta from the 1k mark.
Sunday's Senior 2- win was a much harder-fought race to win the Coronation Cup.  Thank goodness they beat the Borlase schoolgirls.

The Elite 2- was a different ballgame.  They were last off the start but managed to pick off crews to finish 3rd (beating MAA and Vesta from the Tideway).  Jo coxed a great last 500m ;-)
Thanks very much to Katie O and Rachael for being great Blade Bitches/Bike yellers on Sunday.

Many, many congratulations to Zoe & Jo from everyone at the club, not one, but two wins at the Met is absolutely brilliant. Photos of the prize giving below plus watch a video of them here, 10.40m in.

Last but by no means least, there were two eights out on the water. No news on the racing but interesting insights into the crews nonetheless. Apparently, one eight had the kindest umpire who personally lay down on the pontoon in his suit (beside the teenager who was already there) to make sure they were attached for the first race on Saturday (think he took a shine to Lucy!). Needless to say the 'windbreaker' at the start (a sheet of white plastic) which is the size of a child’s bath towel didn't function properly (surprise surprise) so all the eights had some difficulty getting attached. Lucy did a great job.

The second race on Saturday (IM1) should be described as 'Ritzy'! (their word for the weekend – selected to help explain ‘swanky’ to Jasmin when translated by a Teesider. Clearly, you had to be there, but the idea of a ritzy row is a nice one, as is the other new concept from the day of garish, as in ‘the crew beside us had a garish start’).

Also in the IM1 8+ race was the second BBL 8+, a poor lane draw leading to much buffeting in the wind, but a solid third place result all the same.

Crews:
4+: Sarah L, M-T, Annabelle/Racahel B, Jenny, Sue G (cox)
4-: Kate S, Alice/Sarah C, Sharon, Katy O
2-: Jo B, Zoe
8+: Catherine, Caroline B-S/Kate S, Poppy/Katy O, Becky, Charlotte/Sarah C, Jasmin, Katie C, Katie B, Lucy (cox)
IM1 8+: Ali, Rachael, Sarah L, M-T, Annabelle, Jenny, Jo, Zoe, Hilary (cox) 

Apparently, Weybridge Ladies Regatta has traditionally been a Barnes Bridge favourite and is well know for excellent tea & cake. So when offered the chance to race there, three crews were more than happy to give it a go. Novice double of Ciara and Helena took to the water first, up against Marlow. They'd only done their first ever starts on the preceding Wednesday so both came away chuffed that the race went so well. No disasters, no crashes and no hiccups. For Ciara, it was only 12 weeks to the day since the birth of baby Aoife and she was delighted to discover than an all in one has the same effect as Spanx! Various other ladies are now checking out other clubs lycra to secure all in ones in a range of colours. For Helena, the revelation of the day is the 'the cut', well known from sculling camp and the race course for the day, is not actually straight - steering definitely required!

WINNERS Alert:
Next out was the Vets quad, with thanks to Hilary for an excellent crew report:
"We keep trying and failing to find opposition for our Masters D4-, so  when we entered this regatta we said to Weybridge that we'd race in Masters 4x if there were no other 4- entries. When we learned that we would indeed be racing with two oars not one there we swapped Theresa over to a quad, moved Lesley and Ali, as the much better scullers, into the stern, and had two practice outings on the Tideway - with the rating steadfastly failing to go over 30. Our first race was against Christchurch. On the start line the starter
announced that since we were older we would get a 10 sec (!) start - and then told the opposition to 'wave us goodbye'. The race felt more like a head race and we hacked our way down the course to win by a very long way, rating 28."

"Come the final, against Kingston Grammer School Veterans, we were feeling altogether more confident about our ability to master two blades and decided we would decline a start if offered. As it turned out they were Vet D too, so we were started level in any case. This time the rating stayed up above 30 and we had a most enjoyable scull, winning by a very comfortable margin. But I still feel much happier with one oar in my hand!"

Roving reporter can concur that the BBL ladies did indeed look a class apart we are delighted it's another win for the super vets and the club. Weybridge Ladies organise the day into three 'waves' which means all rounds of each wave are completed before the next one begins. For you reading, this unfortunately means there are no reports of how the WIM34+ performed in the later wave but sadly it is known they didn't win. 

Most importantly, your reporter, aiming to provide complete coverage, has a report on the tea tent: Unless you are indeed a Surrey stockbroker you may find the £1 charged for tea a coffee a little steep. And if you are a tea drinker, be aghast at the gross injustice that the tea cups were smaller than the coffee cups for the same price. They also ran out of bacon sarnies by 11am. Disappointing. Which may not be the right positive note to end on because actually, it was a lovely regatta, great atmosphere, good facilities and friendly helpers. I'll just pack my Thermos next year.

The May bank holiday weekend saw two BBLRC crews entered into Twickenham Regatta, a novice coxed four and an IM3 quad. Yet another grey old day which sadly made standing around the rather grandly titled regatta enclosure a little chilly, but more of that later. First up was the quad, officially IM3 and with two novices on board, a lack of opposition meant moving up to IM2 to race Ardingly. There was a backlog in the boating area so no time for a warm up above the start, but fortunately just enough time for bow to turn her seat around as it was on the wrong way. Oops. Sarah P was steering her first ever race and for Lucy & Helena it was their first ever sculling race, sandwiched between the more experienced Sarah & also Sue G. During practices on the nice wide tideway they'd been warned there was a 'bit of a bend' at the end of the course. Well actually I'd say it was a bloomin' great corner but Sarah did a sterling job steering. The umpire's calls were all to Ardingly until we reached said corner and both crews were repeatedly warned to make changes. Based on the flag waving, the umpire may also have a career as a Morris dancer. At least we kept him busy. The race went well and the girls has their best scull yet. Happy faces all round at the end, despite losing by a few lengths.

For the novice four out later in the day, they have sadly not sent in a report but observations from the bank were that they looked good and kept it tidy through to the end, although no win this time around, it's all great regatta experience and I'm sure that wins will soon follow. Observations were made from the regatta enclosure and your roving reporter is happy to state that the barbecue was excellent and friend of roving reporter was delighted they even had barrels or real ale. Other friend of roving reporter had less joy with tea in paper cups so flimsy they fell apart, which was highly amusing but not great when one wanted to hold a hot cuppa to keep warm.

Thanks on this one to various Cygnets for doing the trailering and lending us the quad. We're sorry the barbecue had broken before you got there!

Got it? Well probably not, but after a protracted period quite literally involving mystery discs and lost secret pass codes, your new webmistress is finally able to write and upload articles, pics etc!

So although you will have seen the announcement in Jenny's news email, this is a great time to thank Sue G very much for all her brilliant work over the past 18 months at keeping us all up to date. At the same hotly contested elections, we welcomed J into the role of secretary and bid cheerio to Katie Coyle. Thanks too to her for making sure we've all been kitted up and we're delighted to see you back behind the boathouse bar instead. M-T continues as Social Sec and Lucy as bean counter.

Jenny the eagled eyed stroke of the boat spotted a Parakeet floating, or should I say bobbing (hence the name) head down in the water.  Jo was quickly dispatched and scooped him out of the water and using one of the crews tops wrapped him up and cradled him for the duration of the outing - there were some close moments when Bob took exception to high speed but on arriving back at the club Jo sat next to the radiator to try and keep him warm.

Jenny and MT then jumped into action and escorted Bob to the 24hr Vets by Chiswick - they left him receiving mouth to mouth from Vet.  However, there is good news!! Jenny called the Vets this morning and Bob, having spent a night in a heat chamber, was flapping happily and was due to be taken to a bird sanctuary for some well deserved R&R

Photo 1 - At her first ever regatta, Jasmin hasn't quite got the hang of the Barnes Bridge warm up

Photo 2 - Dave's cunning plan to look tall was foiled when everyone else stood up the step too

Jenny has calculated that those that did every outing (and there were a few) rowed about 200km during the course of the weekend - which is impressive in anyone's book!!

There was a good selection of boats out during the course of the weekend thanks to rowers stepping in to the coxes seat (and secretly loving it) as well as the ever ready Dave we also had a cuckoo in the nest in the form of Matt from Cygnet.  However he did manage to get in the rowing seat a few times and due to the impressive efforts of Rachel on the previous day he was forced to also complete the 23k row in a single.  He also subbed into the 4- on Sunday and Monday and now has a true appreciation of the skill, power and determination of a BBL crew.

A massive thanks must also go to the coaches that also put in the hours with us - Jo "loved the big launch" Byrne, David "no seat post required" Dearlove and Bev "I don't need a megaphone" Gough.

Quotes from camp........

"How long will a 7 minute piece take?" - Catherine O'Leary
"Dave you're rowing short" - Laura Fitzgibbon

Please feel free to add to the list.....

Photos are here
 

Gledders Redux*

 As you can see as part of the Victim Support scheme the perpetrator and victim are brought together
 
       

The results were :
W Masters C         12:32:7 - Pennant Winners
W IM2                   13.27
W Novice               14:12

If anyone cares to give me a bit more detail then please do

Masters C

During the night out we had some lovely food, and even more lovely beer.  We bumped into the Dutch crew that had used the same boat as we did (and only finished 40 secs ahead) and ended up having a fabulous night with them - I should add that the reason we started talking is that they wanted to tell us that they had to come back in after taking the boat from us because they needed to use a spanner to undo the nuts in the bow seat foot stretcher.  They were a bit shamed faced when Catherine said she had used only her hands apparently "tight nits - you just need to get your hands around them".

Photos of the trip are here

Key quotes from the weekend:

Sarah Caffrey (1) - Opinion on Glee "Its so cheesy you may as well eat cheese whilst watching it"

M-T (1) - At the chip van "Can I have sauce on my chips, I'm from Brisbane"

Laura - on having to sleep in the bed next to Sarah Caffrey "I'm not sleeping next to 2012"

Sarah Caffrey (2) - "I can't believe there's a Chipper open at 4am in Bruges"

M-T (2) - referencing the floods "Don't judge me until you've kayaked down your street"

Dutch man to Sarah Caffrey - "You are such an inspiration" apparently Sarah's level of sight does not translate very well and he thought she was blind - I should also add that she was giving it everything on the dance floor at this point.

Dutch cox - "I cox the Top 8+" not as impressive when you find out the stroke persons surname is Top and thats how they name their crews
 

I haven't had chance to chat to the crews about their rows but here are the results hot of the press......

and yes the Novices retained the Quintin pennant which is a great start to the 2011 season - Well Done!!

Thank you as ever to Matt "the photo" Byrne

Other inferior photos are available at www.birdman.co.uk

IM1

IM2 (Hawtin)

IM2 (Sargent)

Novices


 

Remember that you can access the previous years diaries by clicking the grey dates at the top of this page should you want to reminisce!

If you have any photos, stories or information you want publishing, just let me know. Its your website, anyone can contribute.