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On a mild still autumn Sunday two GGBC
crews rowed as if their lives depended on it.....32 miles
(50km) of high exertion all the way from Oxford to Pangbourne in just 7.5hours!
The Sponsored Row Crew - 2007
It wasn't the crew members lives they were rowing for but
those in deprived areas of the world.... the row was to
raise funds for
WaterAid,
a charity dedicated to the
provision of safe domestic water, sanitation and education
for the world's poorest people.
The day started early.....the crews were stirring from their
beds at 6am.....under strict orders from Tim. Everyone was
expected to maintain precision timing to ensure we met our
deadlines during the day.
Anita did a great job ferrying three of us all the way to
Oxford, while the remaining 15 were transported in Geoff
Hick's luxury minibus. Geoff did an excellent job
transporting the crew to Oxford and getting their tired limbs
back home at the end of the day. We very much appreciate
Geoff's generous contribution to the day and we thoroughly
recommend his services - (07876 041533).
We were very lucky to borrow two of the
Oratory
School BC's best boats for the event - an octuple and a
very smart eight. Both were transported to the to
Oxford City Row Club on Saturday, and rigged ready for
action the following morning.
As
we arrived at OCRC there was an air of anticipation.....32
miles (it's only 29.1 miles a cross the channel!) of rowing
seemed such a good idea in the pub all those months ago, but
now the enormity of the task in hand was beginning to sink
in! It has to be remembered that a good number of the crew
only started rowing in May at the
Learn2Row course....in
just 5 months they had gone from complete beginners to
marathon rowers!
Speed was of the essence at OCRC....the reach is used every
Sunday for head racing....if we missed our slot we'd be
critically delayed. We boated in double quick time, adjusted
and checked our boats on the water and waited until the
final head boat went past - a prompt turn and we were off.
Iffley lock was soon in sight.....the gates were open and a
smiling keeper was waiting to welcome us in - we were
truly on our way.
The Eight crew ready to start
The Octuple crew
Sara, Tim, Sarah, Catherine, Jen, Iain,
John & Lester + Nev (& Andy) coxing
Conditions were almost perfect - ideal temperature, zero
wind, excellent river conditions and very little river
traffic.....we knew we were in with an excellent chance of
reaching our destination before the day was out.
Sandford lock - may be?
Tim, Sara and Nev...looking good despite some scraps
with the bank side vegetation en route
Locks came and went, the odd sharp bend kept our coxes minds
engaged. The rowing and sculling was relaxed and
powerful. Both crews kept together and managed every lock
without incident....although there was some rather
unconventional methods of extracting the octuple form the
open locks.....seems some bright spark at bow thought that
hanging on to the eight while it struggled out the lock was
a good way to save energy!
Amanda, Alison & Gude from WRC
Fantastic cakes, sandwiches and tea!
At Abingdon we made a scheduled stop at the
rowing club - and were very pleasantly surprised by
three Wallingford RC members who had come down to refuel the
crews. Tea and coffee, salmon and cress sandwiches, and a
superb cake....fantastic!
Culham Lock with the bridge in the distance
We had no time to spare.....11am, and we were soon
negotiating Culham cut - fortunately there were no craft
coming the other way, quickly through the lock and then
carefully under the rather tight bridge below. Warmed up
both crews were itching for some firm pieces, so when the
first good straight appeared it wasn't long before we had a
side by side battle on our hands. These guys and girls may
have rowed 10 miles but they still had an impressive turn of
speed...as the video footage will soon show.
The eight speeds past the octuple....but they'd
pay for it later in the day - 'the hare and the tortoise'
Click on the photo above to see the
MOVIE!
Nev and Rich....the brave coxes |
 One problem we had anticipated was the lock keepers lunch
hour.....we needed to get through Benson lock before
1pm....and we weren't going to make it. We had a plan -
a quick call to Andy and when we arrived there he was
waiting for us. Operating a lock looks pretty
simple.....well it is, but when the only power source is
manpower it's rather physically demanding! Andy did a great job but by
the time he'd opened the last gate he looked in worse shape
than the rowers! Many thanks Andy, we're really grateful.
Entering Benson lock much to the
amusement of the locals
The eight crew ready to push off after refreshments at WRC
Jeff, Ronan, Roger, Adam, Louis, Brian,
Mike & Brian + Richard coxing
The Octuple still going strong just past Moulsford railway
bridge
We reached Wallingford RC at 1:50pm, quickly landed,
stretched our legs, quenched our thirsts and raided the
bar....for energy drinks! This was only a flying visit, we
had just 10 miles to go...but these were sure to be the
hardest few miles our crews had ever encountered.
Goring Sailing club...kept our coxes on their toes!
Goring Lock - Phew....just one lock to go
Cleeve and Goring locks were soon traversed.....we were
on the home straight. Goring to Pangbourne never seemed that
far ..... until now. Those firm pieces earlier in the day
were now taking their toll, cramp and fatigue started to
cause discomfort. Blisters were common place and bums were
painfully throbbing. The crews dug deep, and managed to
overcome the pain and struggle on to Whitchurch lock.
Octuple crew looking in good
shape with just a mile to go
At last....a sight that gladdened our hearts!
As we rowed under the toll bridge we all knew we had made
it. Both crews sat up, got the timing exactly together and
struck out the last half mile as perfectly as they had
started the day some 7.5 hours earlier. They rowed in unison
side by side down the reach, heads held high.... and managed
a fine piece of controlled firm pressure to the
boathouse....cheering each other as they crossed the line.
Octuple crew land at Oratory....4:30pm
What a great achievement - 32miles in under 8
hours....but more importantly well in excess of £4k
raised for
WaterAid. A very proud moment for all who took part
and helped make the day such a great success.
The celebrating crews at the end of the row |