A selection of older news items, moved from the Home page, most recent at the top.
27 November 2013
Results from last Sunday's GB junior sculling trials are now on-line. Layla was our highest-placed sculler over the 5km, coming in a creditable 19th out of 72. Well done to all who took part, or organised transport & support for the athletes.
We have 6 plucky scullers contesting the Scullers' Head on the tideway tomorrow.
A further 12 junior boats are at Hampton Head tomorrow.
We were sorry to read this the national news yesterday. The couple involved are the parents of Tim Kettyle, who was one of our J16s last year until injury forced him to give up rowing. We offer him our condolences at this difficult time.
24 November
There was a good day for Weybridge today at Teddington Head in very benign conditions. Happily, competitors remained remarkably dry despite predictions of incessant rain. We had 7 wins out of a possible 9.
21 November
Good luck to Layla, Megan, Lucy & Jess who are contesting GB junior trials at Boston on Sunday.
17 November
There was some good results at Henley Sculls on Saturday. The junior squad came away with wins in WJ18 4x and J16 4x.
The Club's Christmas Dinner is on Sunday 14th December at 1pm. Further details and the booking sheet are linked here.
10 November
The results from yesterday's time-trial session are now on-line.
The Masters D 4x won their event at Kingston Small Boats Head by just 0.3secs over Ardingly, with the other 3 boats a long way behind.
The women's IM3 4x were the 2nd fastest women's crew of the day, but couldn't match the juniors from Surbiton HS who were in the IM3 event.
6 November
We have two quads competing at Kingston Small Boats Head this Saturday.
2 November
In recognition of their achievements during 2013/14, the Seniors & Masters of Weybridge Rowing Club took 2nd place in the Elmbridge Senior Team category at the Elmbridge Sports Awards last Friday evening.
At the Fours Head on Saturday, the WJ18 4x came a decent 3rd out of 28 in their category.
At a wet and windy Veterans' Fours Head, which was held over a shortened course due to the weather, we had 3 wins:
Masters H 4- , Masters F 4+ , and Women's Masters D 4+. Well done to all who raced.
20 October
Silver Sculls results are now up. All of our crews accredited themselves well and we ended up with an excellent 7 wins.
Layla Wheeldon became the first Weybridge person to take home the Bonnie Bird Cup as fastest junior women's sculler.
Thank you to everyone who helped out. Every little effort makes the day work and we know a lot of volunteers go well beyond the call-of-duty.
Dave Gaylard was pointing his camera at Weybridge crews and his snaps are here.
14 October
Silver Sculls starting order contains 557 boats which is the largest number we can realistically accept. Please note that first division starts at 10am. We welcome some long-distance visitors this year, in the colours of Glasgow Academy RC. This will be the first Silver Sculls to be run without the obstacle of any Walton Bridge piers.
10 October
Silver Sculls is proving to be popular. The first 3 divisions are at full capacity, with only Div4 remaining open. We impose a limit on the numbers because we must allow a distinct gap between divisions to a) allow boats to safely return to the Surrey (towpath) bank after racing, and b) enable the following division to start on-time.
The next 200 Club draw is this Sunday (12th) from 12noon.
Nick is kindly assessing all of the ergo displays with the intention of upgrading them all to fully-working PM3s.
6 October
Here are the results from the 9 Weybridge boats at the Pairs Head, which was held on wet and chilly Saturday : there were convincing wins for Megan and Emelia as WJ18 2- and for Phoebe and Layla as WJ18 2x. Good performance from all crews: J16 2x of Scott and Adam 4th of 17, Kathy and Eva WIM3 2x 2nd of 28, Cath and Kate WIM3 2x 11th of 28, D2x Dale and Dudley 10th of 16, Peter and Ashley E2x 7th of 14, Dave and Mike G/H2- 2nd of 5, Rachel and Mags WC/D/E 2- 2nd of 3. Well done to all.
Today’s single division time trial results are posted here. We couldn’t run a second division as there were too many other activities happening on the river later in the morning.
3 October
We have a kit ordering window from Godfrey Sports. If you wish to order any club kit from Godfrey Sports please take advantage of our ordering window which is now open until midnight Sunday 19 October. Please place your order online : http://godfrey.co.uk/club/weybridgerc
Payment is direct to Godfrey and the orders will be delivered one box to the club in mid-November.
2 October
We have 9 crews contesting the Pairs' Head on Saturday.
Please be aware there is a half-marathon event running on the towpath on Sunday morning, commencing at 0845. It might involve over 1000 competitors. The start & finish are at Cowey Sale, with the route going down to Hampton Court & return via Weybridge Ladies'.
Also on Sunday, is the National Canoe Marathon host by Elmbridge CC. There are two waves, starting at 1045 and 1200 heading downstream to Sunbury and beyond before returning upstream by 1500. Please give them a wide berth.
1 October
A reminder that 2014-15 subscriptions are due today.
A large contingent of scullers contested Wallingford Ling Distance Sculls last Sunday. There were some good, solid results and a win for Phoebe & Layla in WJ18 2x. Plus a couple of 2nd places amongst a lot of encouraging performances in singles and experimental pairings for the first head race of the new season. Big thanks to Clive for trailering, and for the juniors who came back to unload the trailer and re-rig the doubles ready for the seniors in the morning. Appreciated.
The next Sunday Social is this coming Sunday (5th), from 12noon. The President invites everyone to see the new photograph display described below.
The club room and lounge have had a lick of paint this week. Greg has reframed and is re-hanging the club photographs of the Weybridge Rowing Club members with Olympian, International and National Champion status. It is a very impressive set of presentation photographs and the President would encourage as many members as possible to attend this Sunday lunch time social to witness what the club has achieved during its history including, of course, our 2013 win at Women's Henley and international success in the 2013 England v France Match. Some of the oars people & coaches shown in the photographs will be in attendance so that should be interesting.
22 September
Kathy & Eva completed the 31-mile Boston Marathon yesterday and set a new record time for W.IM3 2x of 3hrs 54mins 40secs. Congratulations.
Sunday's time trial results are now on-line.
17 September
The entries are open for Silver Sculls on Saturday 18th October. Here are the event details. The race instructions are still being re-worked to reflect the disappearance of the old Walton Bridge and will be posted shortly.
A reminder that the AGM is tomorrow, Thursday 18th, commencing 8.30pm at the clubhouse.
15 September
A big thank you to all those who organized and supported the Late Summer Ball on Saturday night.
8 September
The results of yesterday's time-trial sessions are posted here. Thanks to all who organised and conducted the timing.
3 September
The next Sunday Social is this Sunday (7th) from 12noon.
Congratulations to former Weybridge junior Matt Tarrant who was the 2-man in the GBR eight that won gold at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam last weekend. In case anyone missed it, the final is here on Youtube.
1 September
There's a collection of Rag Regatta photos posted here in Dropbox, courtesy of Dave Gaylard.
28 August
The Rag Regatta is this Sunday (31st), organised by Rob Steel. The sign-up sheet contains more information. Let’s get all non-rowing parents, siblings, children and partners along so that they can see what you do all those hours at the club, and help them feel part of the club.
12 August
The first-ever Late Summer Ball is planned for Saturday 13th September. The marquee will be on the island, near the Weyfarers' Hut. Guests are promised a hog roast, buffet, bar, DJ music and a raffle. £25 a head, to include a welcome drink. Here is the sign-up sheet. Poster below (click for full-size).
11 August
There was a successful end to our regatta season with 3 wins at Maidenhead Regatta on Saturday : Masters D 4x, Mixed Masters E 4x, and Women's Masters E 2x. And a near-miss for the Novice 4+ in an exciting final. Well done to all.
We've had 48 regatta wins this year, which equals the tally in 2013.
6 August
The Weybridge juniors dominated at Staines Regatta last week, claiming 14 wins and the Victor Ludorum trophy. Amongst this tally, three juniors won their novice pots and the women scullers were particularly notable in winning the WIM1, WIM3, WJ18, WJ17, WJ16 and WNovice events. All-in-all, a good day out for a group who has worked hard all year.
We have a group contesting senior & masters events at Maidenhead Regatta this Saturday (9th).
Elmbridge Canoe Club will be holding their postponed regatta on Saturday afternoon. Desborough Cut will be closed from about 1300-1530.
Please be aware that access to Weybridge will be difficult on Sunday (10th) due to the Ride London bike events which pass through the High Street.
4 August
The date is set for the Annual General Meeting : Thursday 18th September at 8.30pm.
22 July
We have crews racing at Staines Regatta on Saturday; and at Burway on Sunday.
The President is organising a gardening & tidy-up session on the morning of Sunday 3rd August, prior to the Sunday Social at 12.30pm. Please come along.
21 July
Eva won a stylish WIM3 1x event this weekend at Molesey Regatta; and the Mixed Masters E 8 won their event with a high energy win over a younger Twickenham crew in the final. The predicted thunderstorms held off to give us baking and almost wind-free race conditions.
News is coming in from the British Junior Championships at Nottingham where the weather conditions were far from ideal. We had 4 crews in finals:
WJ162x (Phoebe, Layla) came 4th
WJ 2- (Elena, Jessica) came 5th
WJ 4- (Elena, Beth, Lucy, Becky) came 6th
WJ18 4x (Phoebe, Layla, Megan, Emelia) won a bronze medal. Congratulations.
18 July
For those who missed the excellent coverage of the latest World Cup Regatta from Lucerne, it is on the BBC iPlayer until Monday.
16 July
Last weekend, Graham S won the 'G' 1x at Henley Masters Regatta, coming from behind to beat his American opponent in the final.
Graham was also in the 'G' 8 who won their semi-final by just 3 feet but lost to Banks RC (Australia) in the final.
We had 5 wins at Kingston Amateur Regatta on Saturday: Kate and Emily W won their WN2x, Becky WJ16 1x, Layla and Phoebe WJ18 2x, Geoff E1x and Ashley, Peter, Geoff and Dudley E4x.
On Sunday at Kingston Borough (junior) regatta, Scott and Adam won J15 2x in an exciting final at the end of a long day.
We had a number of finalists in many other events. Congratulations to all.
This weekend we have senior crews racing at Molesey Regatta and juniors racing at Nottingham at the National Junior Championships. Good luck, everyone.
11 July
Good luck to all 3 boats competing at Henley Masters' Regatta today & tomorrow : G8+, WD 4+ and G1x (Graham S).
And also to crews racing at Kingston on Saturday & Sunday.
7 July
Saturday's time-trial was held in windy conditions and the results are posted here. Big thanks particularly to Clive, Nick and to Matt Andrews who got up especially early to make Div 1 happen for the seniors.
4 July
This month's time-trial sessions are tomorrow Saturday at 8am and 10am.
3 July
It seems some changes at Google caused the Boat Booking and Water Training sign-up sheets to become locked into read-only mode. The links have been amended now so both sheets should work normally now. If you have book-marked these links as favourites, you'll need to do so again.
30 June
There was a win in Masters E 2x for Peter & Ashley at Reading Town Regatta last Saturday.
The boys' 4x came within about 3secs of qualifying for Henley Royal Regatta; and the girls' 4x missed out by about 10secs.
Thankyou to those who helped out in the rain at the Elmbridge Leisure Live event.
26 June
Good luck to both the boys' and girls' quads who are racing the qualifiers for Henley Royal Regatta this Friday afternoon (27th). Results should appear here afterwards.
Club members will be representing our sport at the Elmbridge Leisure Live event in Weybridge Churchfields Recreation Ground this Saturday (28th).
23 June
The junior quad raced really well at Women's Henley and reached the semi-final after wins against Tyrian Club and Cork BC (Ireland).
The junior coxed four unfortunately went out in first round against decent oppostion form Bedford Girls School.
On Sunday afternoon, a mini fun regatta was held in Desborough Cut involving local crews from our reach. Big thanks to Walton and Weybridge people who helped with marshalling and especially to Graham and Graham who laid the buoys and picked them up afterwards. We had 26 crews racing in 1x, mixed 2x and coxed quads and fours, with a fair amount of doubling-up. And a huge amount of cake for afterwards. Well done to all who raced. It was all good experience.
20 June
Henley Women's Regatta is underway. Good luck to both Weybridge crews who start their events on Saturday : J4x race at 1432; J4+ at 1656.
19 June
Henley Royal Regatta runs from 2-6 July. The list of entries is published today. We have 2 crews entered this year, in the Fawley Challenge Cup (junior 4x) and Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup (women's junior 4x).
16 June
There is a mini fun regatta between the local clubs on Sunday afternoon (22nd). It is based at Weybridge and the 500m course runs upstream from D'Oyly Carte Island to finish at our flagpole.
The newly-arrived replacement raft modules were installed by Graham, Carl & Nick on Saturday. We've retained the old ones to see if they make useful steps for reaching the high racks.
Both Masters boats won convincingly at Marlow Town on Saturday, bringing the whole-club tally up to 21 so far this regatta season.
13 June
We have 2 boats competing at Marlow Town Regatta tomorrow : Masters 'E' 4x and masters 'E' 1x (Geoff T).
11 June
The draw for Henley Women's Regatta is now published. Both Weybridge crews are straight into the main draw : J4x race on Saturday (21st) at 1432; J4+ on Saturday at 1656.
10 June
A long, busy but worthwhile day's racing at Walton & Weybridge Regatta on Saturday. We had 5 wins. Well done to all crews and a big thank you to everyone who helped make the regatta run smoothly.
Brooklands Radio are running a show about the regatta on Wednesday evening at 1900. If you miss it, there will be a link to the podcast on Thursday.
At Weybridge Ladies' Regatta on Sunday, we picked-up 3 more wins and there was the added bonus of Sir Matt Pinsent presenting the prizes. Photos below.
4 June
This Saturday is Walton & Weybridge Regatta. The course is downstream on the Walton Mile. The draw is now available.
Sunday is Weybridge Ladies Regatta, which is held in Desborough Cut. Non-racing crews will need to use the old river from 0800 onwards. Please give way to racing crews, particularly in the vicinity of D'Oyly Carte Island.
3 June
Belated news from National Schools' Regatta at the start of half-term : all crews raced well, quite a few outside their year group. Three crews reached their respective finals. Layla and Phoebe came home with a bronze medal in WJ16 2x.
2 June
Congratulations to the J17 girls who won W.Intermediate1 4x at Metropolitan Regatta yesterday. Here are the full results.
Yesterday's time-trial results are now on-line. Thanks to all who helped out.
Progress continues to get the pontoon back in perfect working order following the ravaging flood of Boxing Day. Thanks to Graham Campbell & team for getting the up-turned section righted using a contractor's crane; and Carl, John & Caroline for re-connecting the sections in their correct order. Using a grant from Sport England's Flood Relief Fund, new modules and joiners are on order to replace those damaged beyond repair. And the frontage plank will be re-fitted to suit.
21 May
National Schools' Regatta is this Friday, Saturday & Sunday in Nottingham. We have 10 crews taking part. Good luck to all of them.
20 May
Entries are now open for Walton & Weybridge Regatta on Saturday 7th June. We also need lots of volunteers to make the regatta work. Please sign-up via Rachel if you haven't already done so. Thanks.
19 May
Weybridge had a good day at Nottingham at the British Masters Championships. We had our biggest contingent there for some years; 19 athletes in 11 crews. We returned with 3 gold medals (WA IM3 2x, WD4+ and Mxd D 8+) and 2 silver medals (E IM3 2x, G4+). And to cap it all off, there was lovely sunshine all day – congratulations to all.
12 May
There was an impromptu 2 x 1km time-trial session yesterday and the results are uploaded here.
British Rowing covered the recent Community Regatta in their news. Here is their article which includes lots of photos.
Additionally, our in-house photographer David Gaylard has uploaded his shots for all to share.
The British Rowing article on the Junior Inter-regional Regatta included some Weybridge folk in the accompanying picture.
9 May
The biennial Speadbury Dinner is this Saturday (10th). The kitchen will be available on Saturday morning for tea/coffee, but please can all members leave the clubhouse looking prestine. The dinner itself is organised by Greg Jones and is being attended by around 30 Spreadbury winners, with representatives ranging from 1950 to 2013.
6 May
We had 3 junior (J17) crews racing J18 4x, WJ18 4x and WJ18 4+ at Wallingford Regatta on Dorney Lake. Both quads raced the final with the girls’ quad coming a creditable third.
A much larger contingent of seniors and juniors raced at Marlow Spring Regatta, which was relocated to a windy Dorney because of the strong stream at Marlow. A lot of good first-regatta performances, quite a few finalists and 4 wins:
N2x Ben Parsons, Adam Lomax; WIM3 1x Rachel; E 4x Dudley, Peter, Ashley, Geoff and WD4+ composite with Weybridge Ladies; Rachel, Fiona, Cath, coxed by Emily Skinner.
28 April
The Community Regatta on Fri 25th April was a fabulous day even though it rained incessantly. The event ran smoothly and the competitors had a good day. The event had fantastic support from a huge number of volunteers, many of whom took a day’s leave to help out; Weybridge, Weyfarers and junior parents. There was a great atmosphere and really brilliant support from our sponsors; NatWest, The Holiday Inn, Lusso Homes, Innovate, British Rowing, Mundays, Weybridge & Walton Physiotherapy, Janousek, Sign Away, Biz Crowd, The Princes Trust, SportsBeat, Elmbridge Borough Council, Weyfarers and Waitrose. England Rugby Coach, Stuart Lancaster opened with an inspiring presentation on Leadership at the Holiday Inn in the morning before racing and Neil Chugani, CEO of British Rowing followed with an upbeat presentation on rowing before the teams all moved on to the river. Our MP, The Rt Hon Philip Hammond dropped in, in the afternoon and the prizes were presented by GB squad members, Mat Tarrant and Jess Eddie. Our own intrepid David Gaylard was photographer for the day and has captured the spirit of the event in pictures for us.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day a success. Lots of people have already asked us to do it again!
On Saturday, we had a J15 4+ and a WJ14 2x racing at Nottingham at the Junior Inter-regional regatta. The boys got through to the final.
On Sunday 27th, 4 seniors raced at Lea Spring Regatta and came away with 3 pots; Eva won WIM3 1x, Geoff T won his E 1x and Rachel won WE/F 1x.
The recent rain has prompted the re-appearance of red boards.
22 April
There was a good turn-out for the 2 x 1K time-trial on Easter Monday. The results are published here. Thanks to those who organised and performed the time-keeping.
Graham Campbell is speaking with a local riverworks contractor with a view to getting the up-side-down portion of raft turned over this week.
19 April
There are several events passing downstream this weekend. The largest is the Devizes-Westminster canoe race. The competitors will be tired and may not be particularly alert - so please give them extra space.
15 April
Elmbridge Council have kindly arranged for the flood debris to be cleared from the Cut towpath before the Community Regatta on 25th April.
Given the very high proportion of first-time oarsmen & women taking part, the Community Regatta crews will now be using more stable Weyfarers' boats. Thank you to Weyfarers for their help in providing the coxed fours.
14 April
There is a collection of lost property on the clubhouse balcony. Any un-claimed items will be disposed of this weekend, either via re-cycling or local charity shops.
10 April
The 200 Club Spring draw is on Sunday (13th) from 12noon.
5 April
We had 2 men's crews at this year's Veteran's Head and both returned pleasing results:
Masters 'D' 7th out of 30
Masters 'G' 2nd out of 8.
4 April
Matt Beagley is running the Paris Marathon on Sunday. Please visit Matt's fund-raising page and increase his 'running total' if you can, in memory of Big Jon.
Training camp at Annecy commences this weekend with a Saturday night departure for most folk.
Circuits sessions at Heathside have now finished, thereby marking the end of the winter season.
29 March
After a race-off at Hampton today, we'll have two crews representing our region at the Regional Regatta at Nottingham on 26th April :
WJ14 2x Izzy Truett, Jade Mepham
J15 4+ Scott Cowie, Adam Lomax, Dan Dowland, Fraser Steel, cox Emma Elrington.
28 March
A revised Safety Brochure is now available. It contains a number of small updates and includes the requirement for hi-viz tops.
27 March
Some excellent results just in from the Schools' Head which was held in pretty miserable and cold conditions :
J17 4x joint 2nd place (out of 10) and only 1 second behind the event winners.
WJ17 4x 3rd place (out of 19)
WJ 4+ 7th place (out of 15)
24 March
Two men's eights raced at Kingston Head on Saturday. The 'D' crew won their event and were 4th quickest of 18 masters eights overall. Although the 'G' crew had no direct opposition, they would have been 2nd from 7 if handicap had been applied to make an F/G event. Full results here. And photos.
21 March
We have 3 boats in the Schools' Head next Wednesday : WJ17 4x, WJ18 4+ and J17 4x. They have all trained hard despite the reduced time on the water and the February storm damage of the girls' boats.
20 March
The Natwest Community Regatta is 5 weeks away now - the date is Friday 25th April. This is a huge new initiative undertaken by the Club and we need a few more helpers to make it a success. Please offer your help, if only for a morning or afternoon - or for setting-up the day beforehand. Every pair of hands makes a real difference. Email judy [at] weybridgerowing.org.uk
Rachel advises that the regular Friday morning water sessions for seniors resume at 0930 tomorrow.
18 March
Caroline T is running a "Boat Rigging for Dummies" session on Sunday from 12noon for about an hour. If you'd like attend, drop her a mail so she can predict the number of attendees : carolinetu [at] aol.com
17 March
Some very solid results came from our crews at the National Junior Sculling Head on Dorney Lake last Friday :
J15 4x came 13th out of 55 crews, and
WJ14 4x were 8th from 48.
This coming Saturday is Kingston Head. We have Masters 'D' and 'G' eights taking part.
Crews ventured out onto our reach last weekend in big boats. Many of the river-side trees and bushes are adorned with plastic debris from the high flows that have been running since Christmas.
11 March
Racing activities resume this week at Dorney Lake : we have J15 4x and WJ14 4x participating at the National Junior Sculling Head on Friday.
River levels continue to drop. Some crews should be able to boat from Weybridge this weekend.
Jessamy Road is expected to be closed on Friday (14th) for re-surfacing. Its poor condition has been reported almost as many times as there are potholes.
Advance warning of widespread road closures in Weybridge on Sunday 30th March for the Brooklands half-marathon. Here is the course map. It will force special plans for most people going to the club or to Vets Head that morning.
17 February
There is no circuits session at Heathside this week due to half-term.
The path leading to the club is now dry; wellies are still required to reach the boats and men's changing room.
The water had filled all the bays to a depth of 1 foot, but has now receded leaving a layer of silt. There is no significant damage within the boathouse.
16 February
A big thank you to Glenn assisted by John T, who has detached the damaged section of raft and towed it inside the main piece. We should be able to turn it the right way up once the water goes down. Here are some photos of them at work:
13 February
ITV News filmed on Hamhaugh Island yesterday. Here's the report on You Tube . The rowing club appears half-way through.
The Port of London Authority (PLA) have introduced a flag system for the Tideway indicating when the ebb tides will make navigation hazardous. Here is their published notice. Lately, there have been several safety-related incidents involving tideway-based clubs; this scheme seems to be a response to that.
Here is what can happen when boats get too close to the Black Buoy at Putney. The people were rescued.
Thank you to all those who helped remove the fallen tree from the trailer on Monday. Two damaged quads will need to be assessed by Janousek.
11 February
The Natwest Community Regatta has been launched. Event day is Friday 25th April. You will find leaflets at the clubhouse; and the website is now live, via the blue logo above.
Please be aware of the new parking controls in place on Whittet's Ait. The new signage is already up. Please acknowledge that the residents' association have gone out of their way to make sure the Club's activities are not hindered. We have agreed proceedures in place for special events, boat loading and trademen's visits.
Here is an aerial shot of Walton Bridge and Thames Meadow, courtesy of Ivan Pratt. The bottom Cut bridge is on the extreme right.
(click for full size).
10 February
The water at the top step is now too deep for wellies. So tonight's weights session is cancelled. The clubhouse is still accessible although the water is lapping around the bottom of the stairs.
9 February
River levels rose markedly through the weekend. By Sunday morning, it was inside all of the boat bays to a depth of 2-3 inches. The path across Whittet's Ait requires welly boots for access to the club.
Here are some photos (click for full size).
7 February
Unsurprisingly, both Molesey Vets Head and Burway Head have been called-off.
For those land-training at the club this weekend, it would be a good idea to bring welly boots if you want to reach the men's changing room, boathouse or loos.
On Saturday morning, we plan to re-instate the outside racking that was dislodged by the Burns Night storm.
3 February
First wins of the year came at the Thames Valley Time Trials at Dorney Lake yesterday:
WJ17 4x Phoebe, Layla, Megan & Emelia
J17 2x Luke & Will
WJ16 2x Phoebe & Layla
W.Masters E/F 1x Rachel
WJ17 4+ Beth, Lucy, Elena, Becky & Matt.
Pictures here courtesy of David Gaylard.
The Hyne Cup date is confirmed as Sunday 2nd March. Weybridge are hosts this year.
31 January
The next Sunday Social is 2nd February, from 12noon at the clubhouse. All are welcome.
The President is offering to plant colourful bulbs alongside the club entrance and shrubs along the east wall of the boathouse, facing the canal. Please bring anything suitable and give them to Dave, or leave them on the balcony for his attention. If you have any questions or comemnts, he can be emailed : president [at] weybridgerowing.org.uk
30 January
We have 13 boats taking part in the Thames Valley Trial Head at Dorney Lake on Sunday.
More photos from Quintin Head have appeared on-line.
28 January
Supporting dads David Gaylard & Graham Jenkins took some decent pictures at Quintin Head and they are posted here for you to download and share.
27 January
A vicious squall passed through Weybridge at dusk on Saturday. The strong gusts from the west pushed over the racking that backs onto the the lock pound. Several small boats are badly damaged, some may not be repairable. Thank you to all those who helped recover the equipment afterwards. The same storm caused trees to come down across the town and extended to other areas of Surrey, as reported by the BBC.
We had 2 women's plus 2 men's eights racing at Quintin Head. All rowed well, but the best result went to the Masters 'G' who beat all-bar-one of the younger 'F' crews. Full results here.
This year's training camp goes overseas for both juniors & seniors - the venue is Lake Annecy, France, from 6-13th April.
23 January
Last call for the Burn's Night supper planned for Saturday 25th January at the clubhouse. Here is the poster from Caroline; and here is the sign-up link. Please come along if you can.
A quick update on the state of the river : it was half-way up the steps on Wednesday evening and dropping slowly. It remains to be seen if the promised rain in the forecast is heavy in the Thames Valley.
Thank you to Dave & Nick for extending the boathouse gutter to reduce surface water near the eights bay doors.
And thank you to Carl for replacing the temperamental lock on the changing room door.
20 January
We have 4 eights racing this Saturday at Quintin Head .
Nicola Parkins has offered some photos of Topnut taken in December.
17 January
The funeral for Richard Harris is next Friday 24th January at 9.30am at Woking Crematorium. All are welcome.
14 January
New company Bladerite have come on board as a sponsor of our races this year. Please visit their website to find out more about their business.
There is a collection of local photos taken by the Surrey police helicopter last Saturday afternoon. Page down for the gallery, then each location is captioned on the right hand side.
10 January
News reaches us of the death on Wednesday of Richard Harris. He had been struggling with pancreatic cancer for some time but managed to visit the club a few weeks ago. He was taken to St Peter's Hospital on Boxing Day. We'll post funeral details when we get them. We offer our sympathies to Julie and their two boys. Richard & Julie were jointly awarded the Spreadbury Cup in 1991 for their enthusiastic leadership of activities over several years.
It will come as no surprise that Weybridge Winter Head is called-off already because of the extreme river conditions. Thank you to all those who organised the event, offered to help or entered the race.
Tom Meade found some aerial photos of the river in flood in the Januarys of 1928 and 1936. You can see exactly where the flood-plain lies.
9 January
By Thursday morning, the water was lapping a fraction under the boathouse doors - still slightly short of the peak seen in January 2003.
The sculling bay already resembles a pond because it has a lower floor. The flow in the Walton Mile today reads 400 cubic metres per second.
There is a Burn's Night supper planned for Saturday 25th January at the clubhouse. Here is the poster from Caroline; and here is the sign-up link. Please come along if you can and support the event which is invariably a good laugh.
7 January
On Tuesday afternoon, the river was considerably over the top step. Wellies are required to reach the boat bays and men's changing room.
Here are a couple of photos.
(click for full-size).
The flow gauge on the Walton Mile is reporting 370 cubic metres per second. That's about 32 billion litres a day.
Thank you John Burnett for building a neat box to house the waste water pump next to the blade rack.
6 January
Circuit training sessions resume at Heathside School tomorrow 7th January, commencing 7pm sharp.
The river is covering 6 steps at Weybridge.
2 January 2014
Our feline friend Topnut was put peacefully to sleep on New Year's Eve morning. In December his kidneys began to play up through old age, and he took a turn for the worse just after Christmas. He hadn't eaten or drunk for two days and was becoming quite dehydrated, and Cath and the vet both agreed that his time had come. The vet came to the house and he died peacefully on his adopted mum's lap. Thank you to Nicola Parkins for passing on the news.
The next Sunday Social is this Sunday (5th) from 12noon at the clubhouse.
30 December
The president & captain extend their thanks to all those who turned out for the work-day on Sunday morning. Much was achieved and the grounds are looking very tidy. Other less visible tasks such as baling-out the launch and the ladies' changing room were also done. Greg's rum punch and sausage rolls were enjoyed afterwards.
There are bags of leaves & twigs left near the gate to take-away and dispose-of, please.
Most of the ergos have been cleaned and 'de-fluffed' internally (the exceptions are machines 3 & 9). So you may want to check the drag-factor before your next session.
27 December
The EA are publishing current river levels at many of the locks. Here is the direct link for Shepperton Lock (which is also added above for easy reference).
On their gauge, 3.2m seems to correspond with our 'red/yellow' status as the water approaches our bottom step; and 3.5m is 'red' boards as the water covers the bank. Thanks to Ashley & Rachel for the link.
26 December
The Thames is covering 5 steps at Weybridge. However, the Wey is the bigger problem at the moment. The 3 remarkable pictures below show the effect of the surge of water that came down the Wey on Christmas Day.
(click for full-size).
The upstream end of the pontoon was attached to tree which has broken-off. Today, we managed to get new ropes tied to both the main and over-turned sections, so with luck we can remedy the situation once the levels recede. We may lose a handful of modules if they have been creased beyond repair.
24 December
Red boards are likely to be in force over Christmas and perhaps New Year as well. Please check the EA's river conditions for the latest.
The President, Dave Cox, reminds us that the there is a Gardening Workday planned for this Sunday morning (29th). Please come along and bring rakes, strimmers, secateurs, gloves and anything else you can think of which would help tidy the club surrounds.
Greg Jones has promised that all participants are invited to his Special Lunch Time Hot Rum Punch and Nibbles Gathering.
23 December
Christmas Lunch was held in the clubhouse yesterday, superbly organised by Claudine and served by juniors Rob & Fraser Steel and Scott Cowie. Thank you to Cladine and her team for a very enjoyable occasion.
The Spreadbury Cup was presented at the lunch to Graham Cocks. Graham began his association with the club as a ‘junior dad’ and started by helping out on the bank in the early days. He has become more and more involved, gaining his L2 coaching award and is now an invaluable member of the junior coaching team. The team was under strain this summer having said goodbye to Katy, our Head Coach, Lisa, our HSCT coach, and with the sudden loss of Jon, and Graham’s dedication and help in particular on the junior courses and junior beginner group sessions this year was hugely appreciated.
Despite the conditions, around 50 people turned-out for Saturday's Christmas Pudding races. Thank you to Clive & team for their organisation.
16 December
Sunday's time trial results are posted here.
Sunday's 200 Club draw results are now on-line.
The associated Christmas raffle was well-supported by 50+ people. Members were most generous with their donation of bottles and buying of tickets : over £500 was raised, to be shared between the homeless charity CRISIS and 200 Club. Greg would like to record his appreciation for all the help he received, particularly from the junior squad on the day; in his words, a real club effort. Thank you.
13 December
A reminder that the combined 200 Club draw and Charity Raffle event is this Sunday from 12noon at the clubhouse.
Sunday's time trial is in 2 divisions : the meeting times are 8.45 and 10am.
There is a Junior Squad Christmas party on Saturday evening.
12 December
News reaches us of the death yesterday of Kevin Swain. Along with his younger brothers Michael & Graham, Kevin was a junior oarsman in the 1970s. Kevin teamed-up with Ian Shore to claim bronze in J16 double sculls at the 1974 National Championships. Here's a photo at Nottingham taken by John Shore (Kevin is on the right, alongside Ian, with Peter Levy on the left)
The following year -1975 - they won silver medals in both J16 and J18 doubles. And in autumn 1975, Kevin won the junior section of Silver Sculls despite being only a J16.
7 December
Some very respectable results at Walton Small Boats Head today, with several 2nd and 3rd places.
The 2 wins came in doubles events: Paul & Fiona took Mixed Novice 2x; and Ashley & Peter won Masters 'E' 2x.
Thank you all those who helped out on the towpath, including the start-timing team. A solid club performance overall.
3 December
There's a big entry for Walton Small Boats Head on Saturday, of which 40 boats are from Weybridge.
As per tradition, the start-timing team are Weybridge folk, returning the compliment of Walton's assistance at Silver Sculls. Thank you to those helping out.
This year's Christmas Pudding Races are on the morning of Saturday 21st December. More details to follow.
2 December
There was was a good win for the W.IM3 4x at Veteran Fours Head yesterday, beating 8 other crews in their event.
In the other events, our women's 'D 4+ were 2nd from 5; 'D' 4 x were 5th out of 11; 'F' 4- were 4th from 8; mixed 'D' 4x were 3rd from 4.
At the Fours Head, our WJ18 4x came a creditable 6th from 30 boats. J18 4x were 24th from 47; and WJ18 4+ were 13th from 14.
There are still places available for the Christmas Lunch on Sunday 22nd December, 1pm at the clubhouse. Here is the invite. And here is the link for making bookings.
28 November
The next Sunday Social is nearly upon us : 1st December, from 12noon. All are welcome.
Greg Jones & 200 Club are again organising a Christmas Bottle Raffle with the proceeds shared between the 200 Club and London-based CRISIS charity for the homeless. There is a collection box in the corner of the clubhouse for your donations. The raffle itself is on Sunday 15th December, in conjunction with the 200 Club draw.
The front path leading to the clubhouse is virtually complete. Thank you to Dudley and team for a great result.
The new plastic skirtings for the loos have finally arrived. Eric hopes to get them fitted in the next few days.
27 November
We are offering a Christmas Lunch this year, rather than the usual evening 'do'. It is at 1pm on Sunday 22nd December at the clubhouse. Here is the invite. And here is the link for making bookings.
The Fours Head is on Saturday at 1pm over the normal Mortlake-Putney course. We have 3 crews taking part : J18 4x, WJ18 4x, and WJ18 4+
And the Veteran Fours Head is on Sunday at 10.30am, but it is upstream from Mile Post to beyond Chiswick Bridge. Our 5 boats are: 'D' 4x, 'F' 4-, women's 'D' 4+, mixed 'D' 4x and W.IM3 4x.
Walton Small Boats on Saturday 7th December is now closed for new entries. We have 40 boats hoping to make the starting order.
25 November
We had 3 wins at Burway Small Boats Head on Saturday, plus some other high placings. Here are the full results.
20 November
Good luck to Beth Jenkins who is doing GB junior trials at Boston on Saturday.
19 November
Further to the President's recent informative message to members entitled "Matters Arising from the AGM", please note that AGM and committtee notes are posted on the Members' Area of this website. Please contact the secretary or website editor if you need log-in details.
We have 15 boats taking part in Saturday's Burway Small Boats Head.
18 November
Thanks to Nick for identifying and rapidly fixing the water leak in the ground next to the men's changing room.
And thanks to Dudley for an impressive start to the new front path. We need a little more hard-core to finish the job, so please let him know if you have any old bricks or rubble that we can use.
There is a new 'boost' time switch for the men's hot water. Press the button for 30mins, 60mins or 120mins of heat, depending on how big your crew is. Press again to cancel it and thereby help reduce the electric bill. Please let Carl know if you have any questions or comments about it.
13 November
We welcome Wes Pickering who has kindly taken up the role of 'kit guru'. The kit page has been updated with the latest availability and supplier information.
Plans are afoot to re-lay the well-trodden path between the front gate and clubhouse stairs. It'll be done in stages, a metre or two at a time. If you see Dudley and his team working on this, please offer to help. There will be many bags of concrete to carry and teas to be made. So don't be shy and do your bit to help this cause.
13 November
Claudine has kindly registered the club with Easyfundrasing.org.uk . Here is the flyer in pdf format. The banner above will serve as your quick way to go on-line shopping and fundraising at the same time. Remember, registration is a one-off step. After that, by using the above link you are raising funds through 2000+ well-known retailers at absolutely no cost to yourself. Typically this commission is 2% and we hope it will all add-up to a useful sum.
12 November
We have 3 junior boats taking part in Hampton Small Boats Head on Saturday. It's a huge event with almost 800 entries.
The latest By The Wey newsletter mentions the Henley Women's Regatta WJ16 4+ races. Here's the YouTube link to all 3 clips. They are best enjoyed with sound on.
11 November
There was a win for the Masters E 4x at Kingston on Saturday. They were the fastest masters crew of the day, ahead of the younger crews even without any time handicap.
The last-remaining uprights of the old Walton Bridge were removed on Saturday.
8 November
The river is now running higher and faster than it has for many months. Please take extra special care near weirs, islands and other obstructions. Remember that crews heading downstream generally have priority over those returning upstream. Please make sure the exit from the weir pool is clear before you go across.
We believe that a few recently-joined members in the last 12 months may not have received their "New Member's Information Pack". If this affects you, then please drop a mail to Dudley on: membership @ weybridgerowing.org.uk
Weybridge Winter Head will be on Saturday 18th January. Please keep the date free because we shall be needing volunteers to help run the event. Further details to follow soon.
6 November
We have a Masters 'E' 4x racing at Kingston Small Boats Head on Saturday morning.
Members are asked not to lean on the old flag-pole mid-way along the clubhouse balcony. It has been repaired sufficiently to take its own weight but not for people to perform stretching against it !
Dudley has kindly laid a concrete path to the men's loo. The mix should be set by end of the week. Until then, please use the inside toilet.
Next Monday evening (11th), he would like some help between 5pm and 7pm to lay slabs inside the front gate. Please come along if you can, and bring gloves if possible.
Shepperton Lock is closed until 14th February for EA maintenance. This will affect anyone hoping to row up to Burway Small Boats Head.
5 November
For the third year running, Weybridge Rowing Club has been recognised at the Elmbridge Sports Personality of the Year awards. Our WJ16 GB 4- girls, Megan Pickering, Layla Wheeldon, Phoebe Truett and Emelia Cole won the Youth Sports Team award.
And J18 GB Coupe de la Jeunesse bronze medallist George Stewart received a Highly Commended trophy in the Youth Sports Personality category. Congrats to all 5!
The girls are photographed here with GB M2- Olympic bronze medallist George Nash:
(click for larger image)
4 November
There was a win by 30 seconds for the Masters 'F' 4- at Teddington Small Boats Head. As a club, we alresday have 10 head wins this autumn.
Sunday's time trial results are posted here.
Circuit training sessions resume at Heathside on Tuesday evening, from 7.00 to 8.00pm.
31 October
The next Sunday Social is 3rd November, from 12noon. All are welcome.
The plumbing works are complete and the new toilets are fully operational. Members will be doing the flooring, skirtings and painting to finish the job.
The worn-out kitchen taps will be replaced in due course.
We have a Master 'F' 4- racing at Teddington Head on Saturday.
28 October
It's half-term at Heathside School this week, so sorry - no circuits session. There is a 4-mile run planned, starting from the end of the path on Whittets Ait at 6.45pm on Tuesday. The route is : Thames Street, Monument Hill, Oatlands Drive, Oatlands Chase, Oatlands Avenue, Queens Road and return via Monument Hill.
21 October
If any winners at Silver Sculls missed the presentation, then please contact silversculls @ weybridgerowing.org.uk to arrange collection of your prizes.
Any feedback on the event can be sent to the same address. We'd love to know what you liked or disliked about the race so we can improve it each year.
19 October
Silver Sculls ran in 3 very different divisions today : division 1 was cloudy and calm; division 2 was wet; and division 3 was sunny and breezy. Results are now available. There were wins in J17 2x (Ben & Alex ), WJ17 2x (Megan & Emelia), WJ16 2x (Phoebe & Layla), W.IM3 1x (Eva), and WJ14 4x+. The Silver Sculls trophy went to Jack Barrett of Burway.
Silver Sculls photos are available from Rowing Photography.
Thank you to everyone who helped out with running Silver Sculls. Your efforts are much appreciated.
On Sunday morning, Eric & Carl will be repairing the broken balcony rail support. Please be tolerant of restricted balcony access whilst we pull it back into place. The backdoor will be open. Breakfast Club will be operating as usual.
Work on upgrading the toilets starts at 8am on Monday, starting with the men's outside loo. The floor is due to be laid on Wednesday, so please respect any barriers put in place to defend the wet concrete.
14 October
Good luck to our 43 boats taking part in Silver Sculls. This is likely to be the last chance to race through the buttresses of the old Walton Bridge. Please note that the contractors' barge moored just downstream of the bridge has altered its position today - it's worth taking a close look at it as you paddle to the start.
14 October
Despite the wet conditions, there were some spirited performances from our 11 crews at the Pairs' Head yesterday. The two WJ17 crews did well at J18 level. However it was Phoebe & Layla who won WJ16 2x by an impressive 10 seconds. Well done. Full results are listed here.
The starting order for Saturday's Silver Sculls is now published. It contains 555 boats.
8 October
Dave Cox makes his first announcement as President : work on the new toilet facilities starts the week commencing 21st October!
Thank you to the team of members who have offered to do the decorating.
7 October
Yesterday's time-trial results are now available on-line.
Matt Beagley is planning to run the Paris Marathon next April. His training is already underway, with a 10K next week, followed by a 10mile at the end of October. Please visit Matt's fund-raising page.
2 October
'Breakfast Club' returns this Saturday & Sunday mornings 8.45 to 11.15. Please bring money for teas, coffees, flapjack, chocolate banana bread, porridge and bacon rolls. Thank you to Sharon Pickering and her band of fellow parents for their support in this fund-raising initiative.
The new committee line-up for 2013-14 is now listed on-line.
Around 35 people attended circuits yesterday, led by Mark. These sessions run every Tuesday evening during school term times.
Also in attendance were Katie Laverick, the new Henley Stewards Charitable Trust coach for this area; plus Sarah Harris (nee Merryman) - British Rowing's Area Education & Training Manager - who rowed for Weybridge in the 1990s.
This Sunday (6th) includes the time-trials - 9am for women, 10am for men.
Followed by the Sunday Social from 12noon.
30 September
Circuit training sessions start at Heathside School from tomorrow - Tuesday 1st October. All are welcome. 6.45pm for a prompt start at 7pm. £1 per head towards the hire of the hall. If you're not sure where to go then get there a few minutes early, meet at the first school gate and follow the crowd. Heathside School postcode is KT13 8UZ.
Yesterday's 200 Club draw results are now on-line.
27 September
Tomorrow, Saturday, the club is hosting the Thames Traditional Boat Society's end-of-season lunch party. Please be aware that the clubroom will be unavailable for training purposes. From 12.30pm, some guests will arrive by river and moor-up on part of the landing stage. Please be patient.
There are remarkably few changes to the committee following the AGM. But we do have a new president - Mr Dave Cox.
Subscriptions are due on 1st October. Here are the new rates.The 200 Club draw is this Sunday from midday. If you are not already a member, please come along and join for just £3 per month. 200 Club is looking to support the cost of the proposed new toilets but needs the support of new members & parents to make this work.
24 September
On-line entries are now open for Weybridge Silver Sculls. Please go via your squad's entries co-ordinator as you would for any other race.
Pairs' Head is on Sunday 13th October. We presently have 11 crews entered, across a wide range of ages.
23 September
Here's a reminder that the Club's Annual General Meeting is on Thursday (26th) at 8.30pm. Here is the calling notice.
Dave Cox is leading a project to renew the club's toilets now that we have a mains drain connection.
There is a kit-ordering window open until 29th September. Order this week for the best group discounts.
19 September
In a change from the recent custom, Silver Sculls will be in 3 divisions this year, combining both 1x and 2x in each division, plus 4x+ in division 2. Here are the entry details.
The date is Saturday 19th October.
Nigel Bowman's funeral is at 12.30pm on Monday 30th September at Leatherhead Crematorium, followed by drinks at the Old Crown in Weybridge. Nigel was 58 when he died last week. A photo of Nigel steering the VIII of 1971 appears in the club history book.
Topnut, the former club cat is well. Recently, he had a fight with a young fox who had invaded his house to steal his food. This prompted a pre-cautionary visit to the vet, but he recovered in a day or two.
16 September
Excellent results from a wet & windy Boston Marathon yesterday. By all accounts, it was a battle against the elements with some crews giving-up mid-course.
All 3 Weybridge boats won their events - Eva in by 29mins, Anne & Jayne by 30mins and Cath & Kathy by 49mins. The doubles both set new course records. Well done all.
Weybridge now hold course records in Women's Masters A, B, D & E 2x.
The next 200 Club draw is on Sunday 29th September.
13 September
Rachel announces some significant coaching updates:
Mark Calvin has agreed to extend his role to that of Head Coach - covering both juniors and now seniors. This now includes Monday nights, plus Tuesday circuits from 1st October.
In addition, Matt Beagley will kindly run the Wednesday night erg sessions. And we weclome Rachel Knight for the the Saturday morning session. Ian Baldwin will be available to help with some Sunday morning sessions, subject to his availability.
The new Friday morning session will be run by Mark's wife, Chihiro.
Please can seniors use the "Seniors Water Training sheet" linked on the left side of the home page so we know who to expect for each session. Thanks.
12 September
News reaches us of the passing of Nigel Bowman on 9th September. Nigel came to Weybridge as a boy, following his brother Kenneth; they lived in Jessamy Road. He became a successful cox, and steered the well-regarded VIII of 1971.
The Jon Beagley memorial gethering is tonight, from 7.45, with food served at 8.30. Supper is £4 per head. Thanks to the parents Clare Cole, Tracey Wheeldon and Sue Gowland for organising the catering. Those who pre-booked on the spreadsheet will get priority on the food.
Videos have turned-up for 3 out of 4 Henley Women's Regatta WJ16 4+ races: 1st Round against Walton, semi against LEH and final against Borlase. They are some of the more remarkable races you will ever see. Best watched with the volume up for some classic commentary !
11 September
This Sunday is Boston Marathon - 31 miles of rowing torture from Lincoln to Boston on the River Witham. We have 3 small boats taking part this year: Cath & Kathy in W.Mas.A 2x ; Anne & Jayne in W.Mas.E 2x ; and Eva in W.IM3 1x.
9 September
Rachel & Liz have been away to Varese, near Milan in Italy, for the FISA World Masters championships. They contested WD 2x, and composites in WE 4+ and WE 4x .
Results are published here which show 6th, 3rd and 6th in their respective events.
Geoff T undertook a review of the men's result from last week's time-trial and, after feedback from all involved, ascertained that some finish times were assigned to the wrong sculler. The full corrected results are published here.
6 September
The Annual General Meeting will be on Thursday 26th September at 8.30pm, which is a week later than originally suggested. Here is the calling notice for all members. Nomination forms for officer and committee positions are displayed in the clubhouse.
3 September
Thankyou to Dave Cox and his team for the spruce-up of the clubhouse and surrounds last Sunday morning. The place is now looking much smarter and less cluttered.
A reminder, please, not to leave full bin-bags outside where the local foxes can reach them. Please either take them away immediately, or park them on the balcony overnight. A fox was seen sniffing around immediately after training last Wednesday.
Nigel Dawes of Weyfarers has created a 360 degree panoramic shot of the club, taken earlier this year.
A new day-time coached session for seniors is being planned, for those who can make it at 9.30am on Fridays. Please sign-up via Rachel if you haven't already done so.
2 September
Yesterday's time-trial results are provisionally published here. There may be a couple of errors in the men's section. Next edition will be on Sunday 6th October.
30 August
This Sunday will be busy :
- time-trial session at 9am
- work half-day all morning whilst we have a further tidy-up and do some gardening.
- Sunday Social from 12noon.
Around 500 people attended Jon Beagley's funeral service in Cobham on Wednesday. There is a 'memorial supper' planned for Thursday 12 September at 7.45pm in the clubhouse after training. All are welcome. Here is the sign-up sheet.
The fender plank on the raft is much improved using Carl's newly-deployed nuts, bolts and washers.
Silver Sculls is planned for Saturday 19th October. The Walton Bridge contractors have pledged that the middle arch will be available. Given the rapid demolition work seen so far, it's possible that there won't be any arch remaining by then.
There was a win at Oxford City Regatta for Eva Ferlez in women's novice 2x (composite with her old club Oxford Academicals).
Here's a reminder to please be sensitive to our neighbours when parking on Whittet's Ait or on local roads.
On this same subject, there are yellow lines proposed for some nearby local roads, including the bottom end of Jessamy Road. Please see the Surrey CC website and in particular their statement of reasons.
16 August
A team led by Judy kindly tidied the inside of the boathouse today.
There is a half-work-day planned by Dave Cox for Sunday 1st September, prior to the Sunday Social at 12noon. The plan is to cut the grass and undergrowth and paint the fences by the front gate. Please lend a hand if you possibly can. No special skills required, but please bring old clothes.
The fender plank on the front of the main landing stage is loose. Please take special care when leaning on it, especially if you're climbing out of the river. Carl is obtaining new securing pieces which should improve the situation; fitting is planned for bank holiday Monday and the weekend after that.
14 August
Jon's funeral will be in Cobham on Wednesday 28th August at 2pm. Full details here.
The Rag Regatta is being this Saturday 17th August. It's being organised by the juniors, led by Flo Tilling. Further details posted here.
13 August
At Coupe de la Jeunesse in Lucerne, George Stewart claimed a superb bronze medal in the GB quad, just 0.75sec behind the winning crew from Poland. Full results here.
Costain's have advised that the demolition of the 2 old Walton Bridges is taking place during August and September. There will be partial closures, so please watch out for the navigation signs and use the appropriate arch with care.
Zac & Ivan are racing in IM1 2- at Oxford City Regatta this Saturday.
We welcome Mark Calvin as our new Junior Head Coach. Mark comes from Coleraine in Northern Ireland and, as a junior, rowed with the likes of Alan Campbell and Richard & Pete Chambers. Mark will start with us later in August, after the summer break.
Thank you to Katy for her help in identifying the right person to help us continue to thrive. We offer Katy our best wishes for her new full-time role with British Rowing's talent selection team, based in Norwich.
Shepperton Lock will be closed between November and February. The EA website has full details of all lock maintenance work.
British Rowing have published Clive's report of the passing of 'Big Jon'.
12 August
After some exciting racing over 500 metres at Madenhead Regatta, we picked-up 4 wins:
Masters 'E' 4x
Mixed Mas.D 2x
Mixed Mas.C 4x
Novice 2x - first pots for Laszlo & Lindsay.
Previously, the juniors won mixed IM3 8+ at St Neots.
And there were wins at Burway for Mixed Mas.C 4x, Mas.E 4- and Women's Mas.E 4x composite crew.
This brings the running total to 47 regatta wins for the club so far this summer.
Well done to all.
10 August
Members will be saddened to learn that our good friend, Jonathan Beagley, passed away this afternoon at the age of 58. Jon almost single-handedly laid the foundations for the club's brilliant junior section, inspiring dozens of young rowers to achieve success on the water, whilst at the same time enjoying every moment.
Clive and Nick have posted a tribute to Jon on the junior website.
Funeral arrangements will be notified here in due course.
24 July
We have crews racing at St Neots Regatta this weekend (both days).
Closer to home, we also have crews at Staines and at Burway Masters & Juniors.
22 July
Two wins for the older vets at Molesey Regatta on Saturday : MasG 4+ and MasG 2x.
At the National Junior Championships, Ben came a creditable 11th from 30 in J16 1x in a decent time of 7:43 for 2000m.
Yesterday's 200 Club draw results are now on-line.
The next adult beginners' course is on 4 consecutive Sundays, commencing 18th August. Details here.
19 July
We have 6 crews racing at Molesey Regatta tomorrow - a mixture of seniors and masters.
And Ben Brisco is at Nottingham for National Junior Championships where he is contesting J16 1x.
17 July
George is in the GB 4x for the Coupe de la Jeunesse, starting on 2nd August in Lucerne.
For the first time ever, the clubhouse is now connected to the mains sewer (via a pump inside the gate). Thank you to Tim and all those who pursued this very long-term project to a final conclusion. Normal cleaning products such as bleach can now be used in the toilets; but no "rags", please, which could block the pump.
Please be aware of recent thefts from cars on Whittets Ait. Don't leave windows open, or valuables on display.
Take extra care if swimming in the river. There is debris on the river bed below the pontoon and some people have suffered cut feet. Always wear shoes. And avoid ingesting the river water which isn't exactly fresh at this time of year.
14 July
News from the GB-France match at London Docklands: WJ16 4- won their race by 1.5 lengths. Another fantastic result !
Here is a photo of Megan, Layla, Katy, Phoebe and Emelia. Overall, GB won the match 13-2.
The winning run continued at Kingston Borough Regatta yesterday with victories for: J16 2x, WJ13 4x+, J16 1x, WJ16 4x. Here is Clive's detailed report.
Next weekend, it's Molesey Regatta for the seniors & masters.
The next 200 Club draw is this Sunday, 21st July from 12noon.
13 July
Katy texts us today to reveal that George has seriously impressed at the junior squad trials at Nottingham. He has gained selection to the GB sculling team for at the Coupe de la Jeunesse to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland, from 2nd-4th August. This is effectively the European junior team championships. Congratulations! The selectors now need to determine whether he'll be in the 4x or 2x and we await news on this.
Jon Beagley is now convalescing at home after his recent operation. He may be at the club sooner rather than later.
11 July
The Walton Bridge flotilla took place just before 1100 this morning under sunny skies. We supplied 5 crews for the event, which comprised about 40 boats in total. here is a brief BBC report.
On Youtube, there is a timelapse film of the bridge being built in 3 minutes.
News reaches us from GB juniors' final trials at Nottingham : George Stewart won his race-off in singles this morning by 8 secs and has earned a place in the seat-racing over the next 4 days against the top 18 scullers. Well done.
10 July
Here's a reminder that the President's Reception is this Sunday, from 12noon at the clubhouse. All are welcome.
The WJ16 4- race against France is at 1130 on Sunday. Here's a copy of the racing programme which includes a brief history of the event.
The girls are at Docklands from Thursday onwards, preparing for race-day. Good luck and enjoy the experience !
Tomorrow Thursday is the 'official' opening of the new Walton Bridge. We are providing 2 eights and 3 quads for the row-past procession at 1030. The webcam is still working, although it does need a clean. The bridge opens to traffic towards the end of July, after which the old bridges are due to be dismantled.
8 July
Our best wishes go to junior coach Jon Beagley who has been admitted to Atkinson Morley Hospital at Tooting.
Good luck to Gerorge Stewart who is at the GB junior squad final trials this weekend.
On Friday, we have a 'D' 4- and a 'G' 2x racing at Henley Masters' Regatta.
And we have crews racing at Kingston Regatta on both Saturday & Sunday.
3 July
At Henley Royal Regatta, Ben, Alex, George & Luke came up against a talented crew from Northwich this morming. They sculled well but lost by 2 lengths. Please offer them a 'pat on the back' when they return. Most of the crew should be available for another shot next year.
2 July
For those unable to be at Henley, do remember there is live streamed commentary on Regatta Radio.
Weybridge are racing at 9.50am on Wednesday. Also St George's are on at 3.40pm. Full timetable is on the HRR website.
Here is an on-line version of an article in last week's Surrey Herald. Clive Capel & Chris Marchington provided much of the content - but not the puns!
1 July
The WJ16s switched to a 4- for GB v France trials at Nottingham last weekend. They went even faster - winning by 12 secs over Sir William Perkins and 20secs ahead of other high-quality crews, including national gold medal winners. The selectors were suitably impressed with their rowing style and dominant performance. Congratulations to the crew - Phoebe, Layla, Megan & Emelia, Katy for coaching and all the support people for providing the equipment and the training structure.
The international match is at the London Docklands course this year, on Sunday 14th July. We hope we can get a sizable support contingent mobilised by then.
Our junior men's quad have drawn Northwich RC in the first round of the Fawley Cup at Henley at 9.50am on Wednesday.
7 June
We have a junior quad entered for the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Their qualifying race is at 7pm tomorrow, Friday. Best of luck, chaps.
On Saturday, we have a Masters 'C' 4+ racing at Richmond Regatta.
We're advertising for 2 coaching roles on the Rowing Service noticeboard. Please contact Rachel for more information.
Here's a reminder that the Pre-Henley summer party is this Sunday lunch-time (30th June). All are welcome. Please book your places here.
24 June
Huge congratulations to Emelia, Megan, Layla, Phoebe & Emily for winning WJ16 4+ at Henley Women's Regatta. This is the club's first ever win at the regatta since it began 25 years ago. The crew used a combination of technique, stamina and determination to overcome the opposition and the windy conditions in their 4 races. What's even more remarkable is that 2 of the crew are J15s. Here's a full report from Clive. Credit to Katy for her coaching and now she has a HWR medal, too, presented by Kath Grainger.
Photos here and here, courtesy of Isobel Pickering from the J13 squad.
Having beaten the gold and silver medallists at National Schools, the crew are now invited to trial for the GB v France J16 match in July.
Further afield, news reaches us of "problems" on the FISA Tour in Ireland. We've since heard from the Weybridge/Weyfarers folk on the tour. Apparently the report is grossly exaggerated - our people were on the land at the time. Please be assured that all people and equipment are intact and en route for home already.
21 June
Good luck to our WJ16 4+ crew who are racing at Henley Women's Regatta this weekend. Their first race is at 11:24 on Saturday against Walton.
Former Weybridge junior Matt Tarrant is in the GB men's 4- at this weekend's World Cup regatta at Dorney Lake.
17 June
Well done to Rachel & Liz for winning W.MasD.IM3 2x yesterday at Marlow Regatta.
The fishing season is underway again. Please watch out for anglers and their lines, some of whom hide behind trees or moor their little boats in unusual places.
Thank you to all the kind volunteers led by Dave Cox for their gardening efforts at the club on Sunday morning. The place is looking much smarter.
12 June
The Weybridge & Weyfarers Pre-Henley Lunch party will be on Sunday 30th June. Please see the social calendar for full details.
Dave Cox is planning a gardening morning for this Sunday, from 9.30am. The plan is to tidy-up the club's grounds. Please bring gloves in case of nettles.
We have both junior and senior crews racing at the Coronation Regatta at Windsor this weekend.
And we have masters crews racing at Marlow Regatta (Dorney Lake) on Sunday.
10 June
George Stewart won his novice rowing pot in style on Saturday - by winning Elite 2- at Reading Amateur Regatta with his junior trials partner from KCS Wimbedon. Congratulations on this most unusual achievement.
Protest group "Rowers Against Thames Sewage" have alerted us to a problem at Marlow treatment works which has been pumping out raw sewage into the river. Please see Ashley's document about it and note how to take steps to avoid unpleasant illness.
5 June
Brooklands Radio were at Walton & Weybridge Regatta last Saturday. They will be broadcasting a highlights package this Friday 9pm-10pm which includes interviews with Robert Moore (regatta president) , Clive Capel (regatta co-organiser) plus competitors and winners.
Here is a short BBC film made during May. You may recognise most of the locations around Desborough Island. Thanks to Clive for the link.
4 June
Apologies are due : during WLARC regatta on Sunday, we blinked and missed a win! Well done to Tom Birch and James Saloway for winning J16 2x. Here's a photo.
So that's brings the total to a wonderful 22 pots & medals for last weekend.
3 June
What a busy but rewarding weekend we just enjoyed! 14 wins at Walton & Weybridge Regatta plus a further 7 at Weybridge Ladies' Regatta yesterday. Quite possibly our most successful weekend ever.
Katy was keeping a tally and her summary is posted here. Congratulations to all involved, including coaches, organisers and helpers. A special mention must go to Ben Brisco for competing in 10 races over the weekend and winning all 10 of them. That is a quite extraordinary feat.
30 May
Here is an illustrated update for Topnut the cat. By all accounts, he is well and not missing us too much.
29 May
A windy Friday caused the first day of National Schools Regatta to be abandoned.
However on Saturday, WJ16 8+ made the final and came 6th ; George Stewart J18 1x missed his final by just 1.7sec; and J16 4x were 3rd in their semi, missing out by just 0.5sec
On Sunday, J16 2x and J16 4x were both 4th in their semis; but the breakthrough came right at the end when WJ16 2- took silver mdeals. Congratulations to Megan and Emelia on this achievement.
There's a full write-up from Clive in Nottingham.
This weekend, the action comes to our own reach:
Saturday 1st June is Walton & Weybridge Regatta along the Walton Mile where we have 35 boats taking part.
And on Sunday, it's Weybridge Ladies Regatta in Desborough Cut, featuring 31 of our crews.
22 May
This weekend, it's National Schools' Regatta at Nottingham. We have 8 boats taking part across a wide range of boat types.
Friday : J14 4x+ , WJ15 2x
Saturday : J16 4x, J18 1x , WJ16 8+
Sunday : J16 2x, WJ16 4x, WJ16 2-.
Good luck to all crews. Clive is planning to provide updates through the weekend.
Leif Mills announces his President's Reception will be on Sunday 14th July from 12noon at the clubhouse. All members are welcome.
17 May
The kit page has been updated with the latest stock list and supplier details.
This Sunday is the British Masters Championships at Nottingham. Rachel & Liz are in the W.Mas.D/E IM.3 2x event; and in a composite 4x with Walbrook and Tideway Scullers.
14 May
Entries for Walton & Weybridge Regatta are open until Saturday 25th May. Regatta day itself is Saturday 1st June.
We still need more volunteers to help things run smoothly. Please let Rachel know if you can assist, even if only for a couple of hours; no previous experience necessary. Thanks.
10 May
The monthly time-trial race is this Sunday at 10am. Crews can sign-up here and get full details.
8 May
Greg Jones reports that there is a pile of lost property on the clubhouse balcony. Any items unclaimed by next weekend will be recycled or donated.
Nick Coxhead has kindly provided some sunny photos from Marlow Spring Regatta.
Thank you to Gareth Duffill for providing the cox-box charging station in the boathouse. Please ensure equipment is replaced in its correct place after each outing.
7 May
We took a big contingent to Marlow Spring Regatta on bank holiday Monday. It was a long hot day in the sun, so thank-you to all the coaches, trailer drivers and supporters. There were some good perfornances with several crews losing to the eventual winners. In the end, we picked-up 6 wins:
- women's masters-novice 4x
- masters D 4-
- WJ18 2x. First wins for Kirsty & Flo.
- WJ16 2x
- J14 2x. An all-Weybridge final after both our crews won their semis by huge margins.
- masters E 8+. Won by a few feet in the last race of the day.
Ever-helpful Glenn Wouters donned his diving equipment yesterday and went under the club's raft to examine the wobbly facia plank. Part of the plank has been removed for refurbishment, so please take care when using the raft this week. Thanks to Greg, too, for his assistance. And to Moni for spring-cleaning the ladies' changing room.
5 May
Today Emelia Cole won W.IM3 1x at Wallingford Regatta. That's a great result given there were 13 scullers in the event and she is a J16. Emelia becomes the first Weybridge person to win at a full 2000m regatta on Dorney Lake.
30 April
D'Oyly Carte Island is up for sale at £4million (thanks to Nick for the link).
Thanks are due to Cath for providing a new airer for boat towels. Please only use it for the mirco-fibre cloths and small towels. Any wet or heavy towels should be hung over a rigger or plastic boat hull.
29 April
The regatta season is well underway. Yesterday Geoff Thomas took his 1x to Lea Spring.
Next Sunday, we have the "A" juniors competing at Wallingford Regatta on Dorney Lake.
And we have 22 boats across a wide range of ages racing at Marlow Spring regatta on bank holiday Monday.
The junior inter-regional regatta took place in Nottingham on Saturday with sun, wind, rain and occasional hail. Luckily we had our new sturdy club gazebo to run to in times of need, with cups of tea and food on hand from helpful parents.
Weybridge juniors representing "Thames Central" (one of 12 competing regions) put in some excellent races to come away with 6 medals and earned a significant proportion of the team's overall points:
WJ15 1x - Layla Wheeldon - Bronze
WJ16 1x - Emelia Cole - 6th
WJ15 2x - Becky Gaylard and Phoebe Truett - Silver (less than 0.2secs behind gold)
WJ16 4x- Megan Pickering and Elena Foulkes composite with Tideway Scullers - Bronze
WJ16 8+ Emily Skinner (cox) Emelia Megan Beth Lucy (in first ever regatta) Layla Elena Becky Phoebe - Silver
J16 2x Ben Brisco Luke Gowland - Bronze
J15 4+ Emily Skinner coxing Westminster - Silver
Alex Haines (rowing for St Georges) also won Silver in WJ15 4+
On Sunday George Stewart competed in the J2- event at Great Britain trials. They had a tough time in an incredibly close fought event, with lack of coached practice time together becoming an issue against set pairings from the same club or school. They finished 28th in the time trial and then improved every race to get the 19th fastest time in the finals. We should find out by the end of May whether this is enough to progress to the last set of trials for selection in the summer.
16 April
Four of our junior crews have been selected to represent 'Thames Central' at the Junior Inter-regional regatta in Nottingham on 27th April.. The boats are: WJ16 8+, WJ15 2x, WJ15 1x and J16 2x.
Also on the last weekend of April, George Stewart will be at Dorney Lake for GB junior trials with his pairs partner from KCS Wimbledon. They hope to achieve a top-12 placing to get an invitation to final trials for GB junior team events this summer. Good luck to them all.
5 April
The April time-trial session will be held on Sunday (7th). Crews can sign-up here and turn up for the briefing at 10am on Sunday.
The Sunday Social follows at 12noon. All are welcome.
The Allan Whitwell sculling course planned for 20/21 April has been called off because we couldn't raise the required 8 participants. It seems that people are lacking water-time in their single sculls over the wet winter.
The Junior section held another successful learn-to-row course during the past 5 days, introducing 12 youngsters to the sport. By all accounts, the cold and windy conditions were challenging but all participants passed with flying colours. Thanks are due to the volunteer coaches and junior helpers who made it all possible.
Thanks go to Paul Thomas and Derek Holmes for their efforts in cutting back the overhanging branches in Desborough Cut.
4 April
Stuart Craig passed away yesterday (3rd April) at the age of 69. Stuart joined the Club in 1968 when he came to live in Weybridge. He rowed in a successful four that year, which stayed together to race at Henley in 1969. With work and family commitments Stuart had less time for competitive rowing but joined the Club Committee and was Treasurer for seven years. He maintained an active interest in rowing throughout his life, helping at local events as a judge and timekeeper.
28 March
The river flows are decreasing slowly. We may be able to get experienced boats out this weekend.
There is a kit sale in the clubhouse this Saturday (30th) between 0945 and 1015. Separately, there is a Godfrey kit ordering window open until 1st April.
22 March
The Head of the River race due to run at 12.45 tomorrow has been cancelled due to the expected easterly wind against the tide.
And now Sunday's Veterans' Head has been cancelled too.
There will be an impromptu work session at the club this Saturday morning. The mission is to install a boat rack. Please bring warm clothes and a spade, if you have one.
Former Weybridge junior Matt Tarrant makes his GB senior debut at the World Cup Regatta in Sydney this weekend. He is in the 4-. Highlights are being shown on BBC2 on Sunday at 1600.
17 March
The 200 Club draw was held yesterday. The winners are listed here.
There is a first-ever Champagne tasting and Buffet Supper evening planned for the evening of Saturday 13th April. Here are the details. Please book your places through Caroline Turnbuull, or use the on-line form.
15 March
Matt Beagley is running a half-marathon in Reading this Sunday. He asks members and friends to visit his fundraising page for Cancer Research UK. Thank you.
14 March
Topnut the club cat has been kindly re-homed due to his recent health problems. Here is Nicola Parkins' report on his arrival. Topnut has been with us since 2002. Thanks to Nicola, Cath and everyone else who has made his time a happy one.
13 March
Here is a summary of the results from recent events:
At the Schools Head, our WJ16 4+ came 11th in their event; unfortunately the J18 4- has equipment issues which put them well down the order.
The 'Scullery' was held at Dorney Lake in wet but relatively calm conditions.
Two J16 4x are listed as 13th and 24th from 38 in this event.
WJ16 4x were 3rd from 30. Very impressive.
J15 4x+ were 32nd from 40.
WJ14 4x+ were 24th from 47.
J14 4x+ were 11th from 39.
Our novice crew in the Women's Eights Head overtook 11 boats on their way to 124th place overall, and a rewarding 6th from 39 in their event.
Hammersmith Head was the first race for our new fillippi VIII, crewed by an IM3 combination of juniors and veterans. A huge tide and an easterly wind caused near-sinking conditions along Chiswick Eyot. Everyone became quickly soaked as cold water broke over the riggers. The result was 19th overall, and 3rd from 20 in IM3. Some other crews did founder in the rough water but all were quickly rescued. Our new boat has passed its test.
8 March
The busy racing schedule continues into this weekend. On Saturday, the Women's Head gets underway at 1430. We have a novice crew entered, comprising 7 juniors plus Jane from the seniors. And Rachel is in a TSS/Walbrook/Weybridge composite 'E' crew.
On Sunday we have a men's IM3 VIII doing the Hammersmith Head .
7 March
Today is the Schools' Head in the Tideway. We have a J18 4- and a WJ16 4+ taking part.
Tomorrow (Friday) is the National Junior Sculling Head at Dorney Lake, where we have 6 boats entered comprising two J16 4x, WJ16 4x, J15 4x+, WJ14 4x+ and J14 4x+.
Good luck to all our crews!
The next 2-day Allan Whitwell sculling course is on 20th & 21st April. It is aimed at competent scullers (probably with some racing experience) who wish to progress to the next level. There are places available, up to a maximum of 8. Highly recommended.
4 March
Hyne Cup race yesterday was very well supported, both on the water and on the bank. Here are the results. Thank you to all who helped out behind the scenes.
Beginner courses are back for April ! The next course is aimed at people looking for competitive rowing. It comprises a 4-hour 'get-started' session on Easter Monday (1st April), followed by sessions on Sunday afternoons 1430-1630 throughout April, commencing Sunday 7th. Here are the on-line enquiry form and the formal application form .
26 February
George Stewart and Luke Gowland from the junior squad attended GB trials at Boston last weekend. Luke has received his invitation to the J16 sculling camp; and George is hopeful of an invite to spring trials. Well done to both lads, and to Katy for her coaching.
The Hyne Cup is this Sunday, with the first division at 1100 as usual, followed by a 2nd division at about 1215. These times are agreed with the local canoeists.
River conditions should be acceptable if it remains essentially dry this week.
The Sunday Social starts at 12noon at the clubhouse for those needing drinks and nibbles after the Hyne Cup.
Circuit-training resumes at Heathside School sports hall tonight (Tuesday) from 1845 to 2000. All are welcome.
22 February
The river continues to drop slowly. Yellow boards are now displayed but the conditions are still swirly and require the utnost respect.
News reaches us of an accident at Sunbury weir last night involving a J14 8x from another club. One of the crew actually went over the weir - and survived. The remainder were also rescued but must have been extremely cold given the perishing conditions. Please take this as a timely reminder to make a decent risk assessment of the prevailing conditions, and if opting to go afloat then please keep well clear of weirs and other obstacles.
20 February
Burway Head has been cancelled already, due to the strong stream. If it remains dry then hopefully we can get some boats out this weekend for training. On Wednesday evening, only the bottom step was covered by water.
Please be aware that the temporary navigation at Walton Bridge has reversed. Now the Middlesex arch is blocked and the centre arch is in use.
18 February
It's half-term this week, so there will be no circuits session at Heathside on Tuesday.
The river is dropping very slowly. On Sunday, it still covered 2 steps at the club.
13 February
Unfortunately, Molesey Veterans' Head has already been cancelled. On Wednesday evening, the river covered 3 steps at Weybridge.
12 February
We have 7 crews entered for Saturday's Molesey Veterans' Head. It remains to be seen if the river levels will drop in time.
The next Allan Whitwell sculling course is over the weekend of 20/21 April. Here are the details.
6 February
Hampton Head, which was due to run on Saturday, has been cancelled due to the river flows.
The river levels are gradually falling; it is looking promising that at least some experienced crews may be able to get out this weekend.
31 January
The river is covering 3 steps at the club. There's no chance that we'll be able to boat this weekend. Many crews will be visiting Dorney Lake instead.
The Sunday Social is on, however, from 12noon this Sunday 3rd Feb. All are welcome.
28 January
The river is rising after the recent rain and snowmelt.
22 January
Two bikes were stolen from the club on Monday evening during training - at least one of them was immobilised with a lock. The police have been notified. Please can everyone be vigilant and lock their bikes to something solid ?
21 January
The Hyne Cup will be on Sunday 3rd March. Please pop this date in the diary if you wish to take part. Subject to demand, there may be 2 divisions to allow boats to be re-used.
18 January
Regrettably we cancelled the Head at 1545hrs today because the majority of crews tell us they cannot get here safely.
We've had 10cm of snow here in Weybridge but the main roads remain clear, including Thames Street & Walton Lane.
So we are having an informal time-trial at 1000hrs for very local crews. Inquiries about this should go to Rachel : info @ weybridgerowing.org.uk
16 January
Please note the slightly amended competitors' instructions and marshalling maps for Weybridge Winter Head.
The official prizegiving ceremony will be at 4 p.m., but any 8s and 4s winners who wish to leave early may collect their prizes at 2 p.m.
The river remains on yellow boards. on Thursday morning; the level was still covering the bottom step by 2-3inches.
Saturday's conditions are likely to be challenging. Please can Weybridge crews assist visiting crews by
1) helping to ensure all boats stay away from weirs and piles.
2) keeping all boats facing upstream once below Walton RC.
3) being well-dressed, even when racing. Don hats and gloves when stationary.
15 January
The starting order for Saturday's Weybridge Winter Head is now available. Please read the competitors' instructions carefully and note the marshalling instructions for the start.
Also available are the volunteers' rota, the marshals' rota, and the boat parking rota.
10 January
Yellow boards appeared on Thursday afternoon. It's now likely that we'll be out in crew boats this weekend.
Construction work has resumed at Walton Bridge. During installation of the bridge deck on the Shepperton side, river closures are planned for the following dates:
Thurs 17 Jan 0800-1200 and 1400-1800
Fri 18 Jan 0800-1200 and 1400-1800
Sun 20 Jan 1000-1400
Mon 21 Jan 1000-1400
Tue 22 Jan 1000-1400
Wed 23 Jan 1000-1400
9 January
The river has dropped considerably this week and is now covering just the bottom step. There is a possibility that some big boats will be able to get out this weekend.
8 January
Circuit training sessons resume today at Heathside School. 6.45pm until 8pm. All are welcome at just £1 per session contribution for hiring the hall.
The results of the timed pieces performed at Dorney Lake on Sunday morning are posted here.
7 January
We reached the entry limit for Weybridge Winter Head today; but we are keeping a waiting list for bigger boats (8+, 8x, 4+, 4-, 4x) in case we need to cancel small boats events due to the river level. Please email info @ weybridgerowing.org. uk to be added to the waiting list.
3 January 2013
The first Sunday Social event is at midday this Sunday 6th January. All are welcome. Complimenatry snacks are provided.
Some junior & senior crews are training at Dorney Lake this weekend (5 & 6 Jan).
The workday at the end of December was very well-supported. A new blade rack was installed behind the changing room; leaves and debris cleared away; and new slabs laid by the front gate. Thank you to all who helped out.
24 December 2012
Due to the inclement weather and strong stream, the Christmas morning row and rum punch has been cancelled for the first time since 1962.
The Junior of the Year award was jointly presented on Saturday to Megan Pickering and Ben Brisco for their attitude and achievements in 2012.
21 December
The seniors' Christmas Dinner was held at the clubhouse on Saturday; deliciuosly cooked and served by Caroline and her team of Jayne, Cath, John, Inge and Daniel. Anthony kindly presented a framed drawing of the Wey that was auctioned for club funds.
The Spreadbury Cup for 2012 was awarded to Nick Coxhead for his commitment and dedication in both his coaching and as volunteer boatman. Nick becomes only the 3rd person to receive the cup more than once. Congratulations and well deserved.
The river is rising. There will be no outings this weekend. The Christmas Pudding races will be conducted on ergos in a team format, commencing 0945 on Saturday.
During Christmas week, there will be no organised senior training on Monday or Wednesday, nor circuits on Tuesday.
The work-day on Friday 28th is going ahead as planned, from about 0930 onwards. Materials have already been delivered by Dave Cox and the veteran men's squad.
19 December
The river is still running fast. More rain on Wednesday and Thursday will not help matters.
Novice 1x, Masters-novice 1x and Masters-novice 4x+ have been added to the list of events offered at Weybridge Winter Head.
Dave Cox says there is a preliminary work-morning planned Thursday morning (tomorrow) during which some new fence panels, sand and cement will be delivered. No doubt there will be some leaf-raking and tea-drinking whilst waiting for the delivery truck. Please come along if you can make it.
12 December
Not content with being Elmbridge Sports Volunteer of the year, Greg Jones has pulled-off a double by becoming the Surrey Volunteer of the year too.
The award was presented at Mercedes-Benz World last Friday. Here is the press release. Congratulations.
11 December
As of Monday night, the river is still just over-lapping the bottom step but yellow boards are now showing. The weir is still quite swirly.
This Saturday at 1030 there is an inter-club time-trial race on our reach. Please can seniors let George or Judy know if they are taking part; juniors will enter via Clive or Katy by Tuesday night, please.
7 December
Good luck to Geoff Thomas who is tackling the Scullers' Head from Mortlake to Putney tomorrow.
6 December
Hampton Small Boats Head has been cancelled for Saturday.
On Thursday night, the river was covering the bottom step at Weybridge and dropping very slowly. There is a chance that some experienced crews will be able to get out at the weekend.
Weybridge Winter Head is scheduled for Saturday 19th January along the usual upstream course. Details are now up. There is an extra division for single scullers this year, as recompense for missing out on Silver Sculls.
23 November
The river is covering 5 steps at Weybridge. There is no chance of getting afloat here this weekend. The captain's team have formed provisional plans for an away visit on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The next Sunday Social is this Sunday 2nd December from midday.
A reminder that the seniors' Christmas Dinner is on Saturday 15th December. Please sign up here; to see who else is coming, click here
23 November
Burway Small Boats Head has been cancelled due to the strong stream. There is more wind and rain due on Saturday.
22 November
River is over the bottom step on Thursday afternoon. Weekend rowing depends on further rain expected on Thursday night.
Please can all crews ensure boats are tied onto the outside racks? A spot-check today found 3 boats not tied down despite the forecast for squally winds.
21 November
River levels are rising again. We're likely to see yellow or maybe red boards appear on Thursday.
New boathouse doors were fitted last week. Thanks are due to John Turnbull for arranging the work.
Thanks go to Eric Wilson for fixing the plumbing leak and rebuilding the wooden panelling around the men's changing room water tank.
The latest collective order of Godfrey kit has been delivered.
Greg Jones has provided an update to the 200 Club list of winners.
19 November
On Saturday, we had a Masters 'D' 4x scull downriver to take part in the Kingston Small Boats Head . They won on handicap over a younger crew from Walton and two other Kingston-based crews.
Next Saturday is Burway Small Boats Head where we have 5 masters crews entered.
18 November
Some social events for your diary:
- Saturday 15th December: Seniors Christmas Dinner. Sign up here To see who is coming, click here
- Sunday 16th December: 200 Club Draw and Charity Raffle
- Thursday 20th December: Juniors Christmas Party. Sign up here. To see who is coming, click here
- Saturday 22nd December: Christmas Pudding Races
- Tuesday 25th December: Christmas Morning Row, followed by Greg's famous rum punch.
13 November
Dave Cox announces the next work-day at the club will be on Friday 28th December. The plan is to have a grand tidy-up, rake up the leaves, trim the trees and plant some bulbs. Tea and doughnuts are provided.
12 November
The Veteran Fours Head was held on near-perfect sunny and calm conditions on Sunday. There were some excellent performances.
The W"C" 4+ (composite with Walbrook) won their event by more than 40 seconds.
And WMasNov 4x dominated their event to win by well over a minute. Congratulations to these two winning crews.
In the men's events, our "D" 4x were 7th from 12; "F" 4- were 2nd from 4; "H" 4+ were 3rd from 3
Results are in from the Fours Head : J18 4x were 26th out of 53 crews, and the J16s were 52nd in the J18 event; WJ18 4x came 27th from 44.
8 November
Fours Head is on Saturday, from Mortlake to Putney. We have two J18 4x and a WJ18 4x entered.
Veteran Fours Head follows on Sunday. We have 5 crews entered : 'D' 4x, 'F' 4- , H 4+ ', women's 'C' 4+ and women's 'A' novice 4x+
A pre-Christmas order for Weybridge fleeces is being collated. Here is the order form with all of the details.
5 November
Circuit training sessions resume at Heathsde School on Tuesdays, 7pm-8pm, commencing 6th November. All are welcome. £1 per session covers the cost of the hall.
The next adult learn-to-row course is on Sunday afternoons, 12.30pm - 4.30pm, from 18th November to 16th December inclusive. There is a maximum of 12 places. Here is the application form .
Sunday's rain has now reached the river. Red boards appeared on Monday morning.
The new Walton Bridge now has a complete downstream arch.
2 November
Wednesday night's rain has caused the river to rise. Yellow boards appeared on Thursday.
31 October
This coming Sunday is time-trial day. Crews can sign-up here. Pre-race briefing is at 10am in the clubroom; boating will be at around 10.15.
Afterwards the bar will be open for the November Sunday Social, commencing 12noon. All are welcome.
We have 13 boats racing at Henley Long Distance Sculls on Saturday.
25 October
The river is returning to normal autumn/winter levels.
Following the short river closures, two half-arches are now erected at Walton Bridge.
23 October
The Walton Bridge construction project is imposing two daytime full river closures this week:
Weds 24th Oct 1100 to 1500
Thurs 25th Oct 1100 to 1500.
Progress can be seen on the Walton Bridge webcam .
22 October
At the Head of the Charles (Boston, USA) Rachel's crew came 14th from 28 in the equivalent of W.Masters D 4+.
We believe this is only the second Weybridge representation at this huge event (Peter Morley raced there about 10 years ago).
Nearer to home, there was success at the Elmbridge Sports Personality Awards, held at ACS Cobham.
Greg Jones took the prize for Volunteer of the Year for all of his social organising and cleaning efforts;
and former Weybridge junior Jack Shepherd took the Senior Sports Award for his rowing achievements at Molesey.
19 October
SILVER SCULLS CANCELLED. The river has continued to rise and we have reluctantly decided to cancel on safety grounds. Entry fees will be refunded. We will try to reschedule if we can find another date, or possibly combine the event with the Winter Head.
Imperial Photos will be taking crew pictures at Silver Sculls this year (if and when it happens!).
15 October
Results just in from the Pairs' Head : Liz & Rachel were 3rd from 11 in women's D/E/G 2x. Cath & George were 4th from 6 in mixed B/C/D 2x.
14 October
The starting order for next Saturday's Silver Sculls is now available in numerical sequence. And by club too.
582 entries is a record, made possible by the downstream Molesey course being used this year.
A group of Weybridge scullers are going for a paddle on Tuesday at 0800 to look at the Silver Sculls course. All are welcome.
13 October
We have 2 doubles contesting the Pairs' Head on the tideway today: Rachel & Liz (W.Mas.D) and George & Cath (Mixed Mas.D).
The Silver Sculls entries close at 10pm tonight. The change of venue to the Molesey reach appears not to have affected the total entry which is likely to exceed 500 boats.
12 October
Normal river conditons are gradually returning.
Silver Sculls entries close on Saturday evening. Any last-minute inquiries can be made to silversculls[at]weybridgerowing.org.uk
We also need a few more helpers on race-day (Saturday 20th). Please log your availability on this link . Thank you.
A reminder that membership subscriptions for 2012-13 were due on 1st October. The new rates are listed here . This is the first increase for 3 years.
8 October
Yellow boards have appeared after the recent rainfall. Please respect the flow and make allowances for it.
4 October
Weekend breakfast service returns from this Saturday onwards. Here are the full details . Last year, the proceeds funded a set of quad riggers.
This Sunday's time-trial session will be at 8am for seniors only. The early start is due to the Elmbridge canoe marathon which runs later in the morning.
2 October
We are offering mixed-masters 2x events at Silver Sculls this year, in age categories B,C,D.
On Saturday, Cath Allaway joined-up with people from TVSC, Doncaster and Bedford in a composite 4x. But this wasn't any ordinary race - it was the 160km Tour du Leman a l'aviron. Despite near-sinking conditions, heavy rain and nightfall, they took the prize for fastest women'e elite crew in 14hrs 24mins, some 31mins ahead of a crew from Vesta RC. Cath describes the experience as "the most unpleasant thing I have ever done... Atlantic crossing condensed into 14hours of abject misery" !
30 September
Some excellent results just in from Wallingford Sculls which was held in nice sunny conditions but upsteam against a fair bit of flow after recent rain:
-winners of J18 2x : George & Josh
-winners of J16 4x : Luke, Ben, Alex P, Alex M
-winners of WJ16 4x : Megan, Elena, Beth, Emilia
-winners of W.Mas D 2x : Liz & Rachel
plus some very solid performances from a number of other crews. Well done.
29 September
Godfrey, the suppliers of technical garments for the club, has opended a time window from now until 20th October during which orders will be collated to achieve the best possible discount. If you need an all-in-one or any other Godfrey item, then now is your chance.
Order at http://www.godfrey.co.uk/clubproductbrowse.php?selcat=580 not via the club.
Choose your items and enter payment details.
Disregard the full-price total amount - this will be discounted after 20th October when payment is actually collected.
All items will be delivered to the club, individually wrapped.
You will be advised when items are available for collection.
Any issues or problems can be sorted out by contacting Godfrey directly.
Please note that T-shirts and hoodies are club stock items, ordered through Riccardo [at] wrcjnr.com
27 September
The Walton Bridge builders have a decent webcam. On Wednesday morning, a very large piece of steel tube was delivered to site; you may be able to see it towards the left of the picture on the Middlesex bank.
24 September
Weybridge Silver Sculls is running on the Molesey reach in 2 divisions this year. Full details are now available. Entries close on Saturday 13th October - a week before race day.
24 September
Thank you to all who supported the AGM. The new committee is listed on the contacts page.
Congratulations to Mike Knowles on his election as a vice president. Mike has been a member for more than 50 years.
Subscriptions for 2012-13 are due by 1st October. The new rates are listed here. This is the first increase for 3 years.
There is an Allan Whitwell sculling course this coming weekeend (29/30th), organised by Peter Morley.
Please give priority to course participants on the landing stage (3 are members and 5 are guests). Some boats, blades and a launch will be allocated to the course. The clubroom will be unavailable to members during the classroom sessions; we hope to provide temporary kitchen facilities downstairs.
We have 20 boats taking part in the Wallingford Long Distance Sculls on Saturday.
River flows are increasing after the heavy rain. Yellow boards may appear later in the week.
20 September
Here is a reminder that the Annual General Meeting of the club starts at 8.30pm tonight.
Representing the Rowing Foundation, Greg, Rachel, John T, Carl, Eric, Crispin, Ashley, Alex, Zac, Derek & Alasdair joined-up with members from Guildford, Eton Excelsior & Weybridge Ladies to row the Gloriana to the finish of the Great River Race. Here is a short video of the departure from Richmond and a picture en route . GB Olympic medallists Sophie Hosking and Rob Williams were on board amongst the passengers.
There is a proposal to hold Weybridge Silver Sculls on the Molesey reach on Saturday 20th October. Further details coming soon.
The British Rowing Tour (hosted by Weyfarers) will be arriving at Weybridge on Saturday nuight. After an overnight stop, they will be departing on Sunday at around 0930-1000. It would be useful if other crews could give the touring boats priority at this time, please, so their group can stay together for the row down to Teddington.
17 September
Some excellent results from yesterday's Boston marathon:
- J16 2x Luke & Ben - winners and new course record
- W.IM3 4x Emelia, Megan, Beth, Elena - winners and new course record
- Mas.F 4- Tom, Geoff D, Graham, George - new course record
- WMas B 1x Cath - 2nd place
- IM3 2x - 2nd place
- Mas.Nov 2x - Carl T & Thomas - no opposition unfortunately.
13 September
Due to the closure of the centre and Surrey arches of Walton Bridge, members are asked by the Captain to stay above the bridge for all training outings at weekends and at other peak times. Visibility through the remaining Middlesex arch is poor and too risky for 2-way traffic.
Crews using the 'old' river are asked to go around Desborough island anti-clockwise to avoid conflict on the blind corners.
Rachel will be speaking to other clubs to try and get some concensus on the navigation.
The Silver Sculls situation for Saturday 20th October is being discussed and we'll have an announcement soon.
12 September
Good luck to all 6 of our crews taking part in the 31-mile Boston Marathon on Sunday.
The Surrey and middle arches of Walton Bridge are now cordoned off with buoys on floating ropes. They aren't very visible so please look extra carefully on the approach.
12 September
The training timetable has been updated for the coming winter season.
On Saturday, a contingent from Weybridge & Weyfarers organised by Greg Jones are helping to crew the 18-oar Royal Barge "Gloriana" at the finish of the Great River Race near Richmond.
7 September
The Annual General Meeting will be on Thursday 20th September at 8.30pm at the clubhouse. Nominations for captain and other officers and committee members can be made on the form in the clubhouse by 13th September.
Over the August bank holiday weekend, Tom Meade took part in the Ridgeway Challenge ultra-marathon of 85 miles in aid of the Helena Kennedy Foundation. Here is his sponsorship page.
Carl Tilling & Thomas Butler are doing the Boston Marathon on 16th September for the Teenage Cancer Trust via their sponsorship page.
3 September
Katy has published the results from Sunday's time trial and they are posted here.
30 August
The Sunday time-trials are back, commencing 2nd September with a briefing at 10am. Please sign-up here by Friday night to get a place on the starting order.
29 August
The Sunday Socials resume on 2nd September from 12noon at the clubhouse. All are welcome and free nibbles are provided.
Over the summer holidays, more than 70 juniors have been successfully introduced to rowing at Weybridge through the full and short 'taster' courses that have been run. Thank you to all of the helpers, coaches and parents for making this possible. And to Clive & Nick for doing the bulk of the administration.
Work on putting the new Walton Bridge deck across the river starts in September. Here is a letter received from Costain, the builders. Essentially, only the Middlesex "outside" arch will be navigable until end of December, as per their diagram. In the new year, the arch closures will reverse.
For the moment, please take special care near the bridge because barges are moored mid-stream.
22 August
Please be aware of unusual moorings appearing on our reach this week:
- downsteam : 50metres below Walton Bridge, barges moored 4-deep.
- upstream : piling barge 50metres above bottom Cut bridge.
We are also trying to establish plans for this autumn's Walton Bridge construction and proposed river & towpath closures. More news on this shortly.
20 August
Thank you to everyone who is contributing their time and skills in the summer-time tidy-up.
Grass has been cut and weeds pulled-up. The boathouse outer walls have been painted and clubroom is freshly decorated too.
Blades were being prepared for painting at the weekend.
13 August
The next 4-hour afternoon 'taster sessions' for aspiring beginners are on the followng dates:
Saturday 25th August
Sunday 26th August
Monday 27th August (bank holiday)
Please see the Learn-to-Row page for more information.
Thank you to everyone who supported the Rag Regatta yesterday.
30 July
To assist with planning, Caroline has provided a sign-up sheet for the Summer Party & Rag Regatta on 12th August.
Nick has posted photos from last week's junior beginners course. Amongst them is a rare shot of the Cat in a boat.
24 July
We had six sculling wins at Burway Juniors and Masters regtatta on Sunday.
The Summer Party & Rag Regatta is on Sunday 12th August. Here's the advert with all the details. All are welcome.
23 July
Lots of finals were contested but alas no wins for our crews at Staines Regatta. Seat trouble for J15 2x and a tangle with a swan for the WJ15 2x were among the problems faced.
Yellow boards have now disappeared from our reach.
Here is an advance date for the diary : a sponsored row from Henley to Weybridge is planned for Saturday 15th September. Further details to follow soon.
20 July
Please be aware of activity around the back of Desborough Island. Here's the BBC story .
GB rowing news: Matt Tarrant, who learned to row at Weybridge, won gold in the pair at World Under-23 championships in Lithuania this week.
Younger brother Elliot, who also started with us, has been selected for the World Junior Championships to be held in Bulgaria from 12-19 August.
19 July
We have bumper entries for both Staines Regatta and Burway Regatta this weekend.
River levels continue to drop slowly and we can expect yellow boards to be gone by the weekend.
18 July
During Saturday (21st), some canoeists from Regents Canoe Club will be passing through enroute from the Thanes to the Wey. They have permission and will give priority to rowing crews.
Also on Saturday, there is a sailing event going on between our clubhouse and Shepperton Lock. The scheduled time is 1230-1400 so shouldn't affect our activities too much.
16 July
Despite having to qualify via the repechage, our WJ15 4x+ claimed a well-deserved bronze medal at the National Championships on Saturday. Congratulations.
And at Molesey Regatta, held in tricky yellow board conditions, there was a win for Rachel in a composite Women's Masters 'D' eight.
13 July
The President's reception is this Sunday (15th) at the clubhouse, from 12noon until about 2.30pm (or whenever the drink runs out). A live jazz band and the Mayor of Elmbridge will be in attendance. All members are most welcome.
11 July
We have 3 junior boats racing at the National Championships up at Nottingham this weekend. Good luck to our J15 2x, WJ15 4x and WJ14 4x.
Closer to home, Geoff Thomas is racing at Moelsey Regatta in Mas.D 1x.
9 July
At Henley Masters' Regatta , the 'G' quad overcame a 22sec handicap to beat Nottingham in their semi-final. They were beaten by a German crew by 2 lengths in the final.
Rachel & Liz won WD 4+ in a composite with Walbrook. They beat a crew from Sydney by 1/4 length in a very exciting semi-final; then another Sydney crew by 3 lengths in the final.
And they won WD 8+ too, beating yet another Sydney crew.
Over at Kingston Regatta , our men's masters 'E' eight won by 1/2 length over Walbrook & Thames.
Later, the 'D' 4- reached their final and overcame Putney Town to win by 3 lengths.
To much surprise and amusement, the combined result was sufficient to jointly win the Victor Ludorum - the prize being a 3-pint pot and £150 for the club.
The river has risen after the recent rain and yellow boards are in force.
4 July
Good luck to our Masters 'G' quad who are racing at Henley Masters Regatta on Saturday.
And at Kingston Regatta on Saturday, we have Masters E eight and Masters D four racing.
26 June
Our summer courses for junior beginners are announced as follows:
2 full courses of 5 days from 0900-1300 each day cost £125 :
w/c 23 July (course reference D16)
w/c 20 August (D17)
2 taster mornings from 0900 to 1300, cost £30 :
9 August (T4)
10 August (T5)
Full details are at www.wrcjnr.com/learningtorow
17 June
At Henley Women's regatta today, our WJ16 quad came 5th in the early morning time-trial and narrowly missed out on making the semi-finals. Given they are all J15s, this bodes well for next year.
Over at Dorney Lake for Marlow Regatta, Liz & Rachel won W.MasD 4+ in a composite with Walbrook. W.MasD 2x, Mas.E 8+ and Mas.D 4- all contested straight finals without the same success.
River levels are slowly returning towards normal 'winter' levels - there is considerably more flow than is usual for June.
16 June
Yellow boards are showing on Saturday morning and the river is just below the bottom step, but still with a noticeable flow.
The combined effect of stream and wind have meant that Henley Women's Regatta have cancelled some races scheduled for the Saturday and made them time-trials on Sunday morning. Our WJ16 quad need to time-trial into the top 4 to make the sem-finals. Good luck !
The next 200 Club draw is Sunday 24th June from midday.
14 June
The river was covering the bottom step on Wednesday evening and dropping slowly. Activities this coming weekend will depend on the rain which is forecast for Thursday night into Friday morning.
We have participation at Henley Women's Regatta this year in the shape of our WJ16 quad.
On Sunday, we have 4 masters crews racing at Dorney Lake for Marlow Regatta.
11 June
At National Schools Regatta, our juniors achieved very creditable 5th places in the finals of WJ15 4x+ and WJ15 2x.
Geoff Thomas took his single to Barnes & Mortlake regatta and won Masters 'D' 1x.
Next weekend, we have our WJ16 4x making their debut at Women's Henley. And 4 masters crews are at Dorney Lake for Marlow Regatta.
29 May
Walton & Weybridge Regatta was held in glorious sunshine on Saturday. The breezy conditions kept the crowds cool but gave the crews a headwind to contend with.
Special commemorative winners' medals went to 5 Weybridge crews:
Masters Novice 2x - Gareth & Clive
WJ15 4x+ Emilia, Elena, Beth, Megan & Flo.
J15 4x Ben, Filippo, Tom, Alex & Emily.
J18 4x Zac, George, Andrew, Josh
MasG 4x Mike, Mike Eric, Dave.
Several other crews came close, in particular Ben & Alex beaten in J15 2x by a National Champion sculler from Bewl Bridge.
And the IM3 8+ who pushed Walton to ¼ length in the opening heat.
Thank you to all who helped out and made the regatta such a success. There are some photos posted here.
Weybridge Ladies' Regatta was held in Desborough Cut on Sunday and offered a first experience of racing for some of our newer members.
4 more wins were recorded:
J15 1x Ben
WJ14 4x Layla, Phoebe, Jessica, Rebecca & Rosie.
Mixed MasD 2x Cath & George
J15 2x Filippo & Tom
Well done all.
24 May
Here are the racing details for this weekend:
Walton & Weybridge draw for Saturday.
Weybridge Ladies' Regatta for Sunday.
There is a heart rate monitor for sale on the noticeboard.
23 May
There is a fallen tree blocking about 1/3rd of the river. It is about 200m below the top Cut bridge. It fell down right in front of a skiff on Tuesday evening.
We have big entries for both Walton & Weybridge Regatta on Saturday; and Weybridge Ladies' Regatta on Sunday. Draws to be published soon.
22 May
Brad & Scott took their novice double to Twickenham Regatta on Saturday and did well to each the final - a good result for their first regatta together.
On Sunday at the British Masters Championships in Nottingham, Cath & George were worthy winners of mixed C/D 2x in a very close finish.
And they took silver in mixed C/D/E IM3 2x.
There was also a silver medal for Liz & Rachel in W.MasD IM3 2x. Well done all.
We still need a few more people to help with the catering operation at Walton & Weybridge Regatta this Saturday. If you can spare a couple of hours anywhere between 8am and 6pm, please let Rachel know : captain @ weybridgerowing.org.uk
14 May
This year is the 150th anniversary of the first Walton Amateur Regatta (nowadays Walton & Weybridge Regatta). To celebrate, we are arranging a rowing marathon to take place at The Heart shopping centre in Walton. The idea is we - the local clubs - achieve 3000km which is the same distance as Athens to Dorney Lake.
The final day is Saturday 19th May, from 8.30am to 4.30pm. On this day, we will need a constant stream of people to keep the ergos spinning, so please visit and do a quick stint.
11 May
Here is an on-line calendar of club events . It shows activities both on and off the water.
A reminder that Walton & Weybridge Regatta is on Saturday 26th May. Entries are now open. We need a lot of manpower to run the event effectively, so please be prepared to help out. There are shifts available throughout the day.
10 May
River flows continue to fluctuate. Red boards have re-appeared at Shepperton lock during Thursday.
Thames Ditton Regatta - scheduled for Saturday - has been cancelled.
8 May
Yellow boards appeared on Monday night. Rowing for experienced folk in bigger boats is possible if they are happy to make their own risk assessment. In particular, take special care in the vicinity of landing stages, weirs, bridges, piles and islands.
The clubhouse heating and hot water were back on at the weekend. Thanks to Nick and Carl for sorting this out.
5 May
The river is falling slowly and on Saturday it covered 2 steps. Let us hope that conditions improve to allow rowing to resume on holiday Monday.
The Sunday Social for May is tomorrow (6th) from 12 noon.
Details of our forthcoming Learn-to-Row courses are now online, commencing Sunday 27th May.
3 May
By Wednesday evening, the river has reached our 3rd step and is flowing faster than it was on Monday.
Marlow Spring regatta has been cancelled due to the state of the river and their boating area field is waterlogged.
Other regattas coming up for our crews include Thames Ditton, Twickenham and British Masters (Nottingham).
1 May
On Monday evening, the river was just breaching the 2nd step.
Apparently the clubhouse heating has gone off for reasons yet to be determined. Eric has provided Topnut with a nice cardboard box with integral cushion. He is an old cat now and there are no longer any sofas for him to enjoy. Please leave his new 'house' in the corner of the bar where he can sleep in relative shelter.
30 April
Red boards are now showing all along the lower Thames. Given the widespread heavy rain on Sunday, the river is likely to be unusable for several days.
The WJ15 quad went to Notingham on Saturday to represent Thames Downriver at the Junior Inter-regional chamiponships. They clearly won the morning time-trial heats in challenging conditions. Then the afternoon finals were cancelled, so they were deservedly awarded the win! Congratulations to Megan, Beth, Elena, Emilia and cox Flo.
Across all events, Thames Downriver won overall.
27 April
Yellow boards are now showing at the locks. The river flow is strong, although the level just covers our bottom step. Do take special care, especially if your crew contains people who have not encountered such conditions before.
Make sure you turn well away from weirs, bridges, piles and islands.
23 April
We had a busy and productive day at Lea Spring regatta yesterday, with 8 wins recorded:
- mixed Masters D 2x - George Shiels & Cath Allaway
- J15 1x - Ben Brisco
- J15 2x - Ben Brisco & Alex Pope (by just 1 foot)
- Nov 1x - George Stewart
- WJ14 1x - Rebecca Gaylard (beating Layla Wheeldon in the final)
- W J14 2x - Layla Wheeldon & Phoebe Truett
- WNov 2x - Izzy Amarouche & Rachel Harris
- J15 4x+ - Rob Steel, James Saloway, Will Stewart, Alex Maund, cox Matt Andrews
For many, this was a first taste of regatta racing having learned to row with us since last summer. Well done.
19 April
The biennial Spreadbury Dinner is being held on Saturday evening. Over 40 attendees are expected, including cup winners from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000's and 10s. Many of these people are actively involved in committee roles, coaching and maintenance of the facilities. It is an occasion where the past, present and future stalwarts meet up.
Greg Jones asks that the clubhouse and kitchen be closed for preparations on Friday and Saturday. Alternative tea-making facilities are available in the Weyfarers hut on Saturday morning; ergos will be available in the men's changing room. Thanks for your understanding.
18 April
The regatta season is opening withLea Spring Regatta which is on Sunday. We have around 20 junior boats entered. It is also London Marathon day, so best to avoid travelling via central London.
Here are some photos of the junior beginners' course held over the Easter holidays for 16 new aspiring youngsters.
17 April
Last week, Clive did an interview for Brooklands Radio, primarily about the forthcoming Walton & Weybridge Regatta but also discussing local rowing opportunities. Here is the podcast , fast forward to 20'20" to reach the relevant bit.
A lesson learned here about messing with the swans, particularly at this time of year with their new offspring around.
13 April
A big Thank You to everyone who turned out to help with the Work Day on Thursday, or who did their bit in advance. Much was achieved and the club is now looking much more presentable. A short list of what's left to do will be drawn-up by Dave Cox.
8 April
US clothing label Nautica are launching in the UK. They have a free competition to win £5000 for a worthy rowing or sailing club. Members just need to explain why we deserve it, in 150 words or less. Entries close at midnight on Sunday 15th April. Any number of members can enter. Here's the link.
Members who are rowing on Easter Sunday should be aware that Embridge canoeists will be passing though through en route from the Wey Navigation to the Thames. This will be at around 1pm, so should not impact our activities too much. Please be kind and considerate.
There is a junior sculling course being held at the club this Monday (9th) to Friday (13th), 9am to 1pm.
5 April
The hosepipe ban is now in force so boat-washing needs to be done with buckets and sponges. It might also eliminate the muddy puddle that so often appears outside the boat bay doors.
The next work day is scheduled for Thursday 12th April, from 9am. All members who can make it are strongly encouraged to pop along and help out, if only for an hour or two. Thank you.
30 March
This Sunday is the first for April, so the Sunday Social will get underway from 12noon.
Weekend breakfasts have now concluded. Thank you to all involved, especially Sharon Pickering for her leadership. We raised £340 towards club funds.
27 March
Here's a summary of the results from Friday's National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships:
Year 13 boys Zac Cole 6th in 6:36
Year 12 boys George Stewart 8th, 2k time 6.50. Andrew Steel 2k time 7.25
Year 11 girl Rachel Harris 20th
Year 10 boys Alex Pope and Luke Gowland joint 15th, Ben Brisco top 20, Fillippo Carrozzo 73rd
Year 10 girls Emilia Cole 4th, Beth Jenkins 7th, Elena Foulkes 10th, Megan Pickering 14th
Year 9 girls Jessica Fraser 25th Phoebe Truett
Year 8 boys Fraser Steel
Year 7 girls Izzy Pickering 7th, Lydia Foulkes 28th
Boys' relay team 7th
Girls relay team 8th.
22 March
TheSchools' Head was held in idyllic conditions on Tuesday. Our J15 8+ raced well, despite cox moving to bow as a last-minute substitute on the day, with Katy having to cox. They came an honourable 27th out of 54 J15 crews, ahead of several established school boats such as Eton 'B'.
The busy week concludes on Friday when we have people taking part in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Chapmionships at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre in Edmonton, north London.
20 March
Results just in from the National Junior Sculling Head at Dorney Lake:
J18 4x bronze medals with 3rd from 13 in their event.
WJ15 4x+ 7th from 36
WJ14 4x+ 17th from 42.
So following all of the winter training, we should have lots of happy athletes, coaches and supporters looking forward to the regatta season.
Circuit training sessions at Heathside have now ended for the winter.
The 200 Club Spring draw is this Sunday from 12noon. It includes a free draw for a bittle of whisky for all those who attend.
19 March
Today the juniors are off to Dorney Lake for the National Junior Sculling Head. Watch out for J18 4x, WJ15 4x+ and WJ14 4x+ events.
And tomorrow (Tuesday) we have a J15 eight in the Schools' Head on the tideway. We think this is the first time we have entered such a crew - the going will be tough against the top rowing schools, so good luck chaps!
18 March
In the Veterans' Head, the 'E' came 8th from 25 in their category.
The women's 'C' crew were 10th from 11.
The Liz & Rachel composite with Walbrook & TSS were 4th from 12 in women's 'D'.
And a last minute women's Masters IM3 8x composite with Walbrook & WLARC featuring Kathy & Moni were 1st from 2 in this newly added event. Congratulations.
Our IM3 crew came 362th in Saturday's Head of the River, having started at 385.
13 March
The Head of the River is on Saturday at 11am with 400 eights racing in procession from Mortlake to Putney. Our IM3 crew is starting at 385.
The event is quite a spectacle and well worth a visit. Barnes and Hammersmith bridges are 2 popular vantage points.
The following day, the Vesta Veterans Eights Head runs over the same course, commencing at 12noon.
Our Masters 'E' crew starts at 117, Women's 'C' crew at 195, and TSS/Walbrook/Weybridge women's 'D' composite at 206.
Weybridge folk are boating from Barn Elms this year. Good luck to all crews.
12 March
Kingston Head was held in warm conditions with a gentle and mostly favourable breeze. All of our crews did well. Here's a summary of the results:
- J18 4x composite with Walbrook 3rd from 17, featuring Zac & George
- WJ16 4x composite with Walbrook 1st from 2, featuring Flo.
- Masters E 8+ 3rd from 5.
- Masters H 4+ (faster than Mas F 4+)
-WJ15 4x+ 3rd from 8.
- J15 4+ 3rd from 6.
This Wednesday (14th) the normal ergo session is replaced with "Yoga for Rowing". This is a free trial session, from 1900 to 1945. All are welcome (subject to space in the clubroom).
7 March
We've 4 crews taking part at Kingston Head on Saturday : WJ15 4x and Masters F 4+ in the morning; then Masters E 8+ and J15 4+ in the afternoon.
6 March
A brave effort but alas not a great result at the Women's Head , coming in 286th. But at least the beginners on board enjoyed the experience and can see the standard required to perform at national level.
Regarding the regatta anniversary 3000km ergo marathon described, below, here is the link to record distances achieved since 1st March.
2 March
This year is the 150th anniversary of the first Walton Amateur Regatta (nowadays Walton & Weybridge Regatta). To celebrate, we are arranging a rowing marathon to take place at The Heart shopping centre in Walton. The idea is we - the local clubs - achieve 3000km which is the same distance as Athens to Dorney Lake. We should be able to manage 900km on the final day - Saturday 19th May - but the remainder can be accumulated in advance. We would like everyone to record their distance rowed on the ergo, starting 1st March, and it will be aggregated by Clive. On the day, we will need a constant stream of people to keep the ergos spinning, so please put 19th May in the diary now.
If you ordered a club gilet or fleece, they are now ready for collection on Saturday or Sunday mornings from Riccardo.
And if anyone has a club spanner in their pocket, please can they return it to the tool box? Or see Riccardo who has a small stock of 10mm spanners available to buy.
29 February
The next Sunday Social is 4th March from 12noon. All are welcome.
The men's showers are now working again. Thanks to Eric for replacing the broken tap washer and to Carl for getting the water back on.
28 February
The faulty cooker in the clubhouse has been replaced with a newly reconditioned unit of similar size. Thanks to Nick Coxhead and the 200 Club for making this possible.
The Women's Head is this Saturday (3rd) starting at 1100 from Mortlake to Putney. Our novice VIII starts at no.96. Good luck !
27 February
The Hyne Cup was run is perfect conditions - warm, sunny and with negligible stream. The Cup itself was retianed by Walton and the full results are now up. Huge thanks are due to Rachel and team for organising, and to the marshals, time-keepers, caterers and supporters.
24 February
The starting order for Sunday's Hyne Cup race is now available. The main start is 11.00, with an additional few crews following so that some boats can be used twice.
The rules are:
22 February
Next Sunday (26th) is the Hyne Cup, from Elmbridge Canoe Club to Miskins Wharf, starting at 11am. We currently have 8 boats taking part:
Mas E 8+ , WNov 8+, IM3 8+, J15 8+, J18 4-, WJ15 4x, Mas G 4-, MasNov 2x.
Any further entries to Rachel, please, by the end of Thursday so we can get a final starting order out before the weekend.
We also need a few more helpers for marshalling and time-keeping. If you can spare sme time on Sunday morning, please let Rahcle know soonest. Thank you.
Our men's IM3 eight raced at Burway Head on Saturday, finishing 2nd from 2 which makes it tricky to really know the form going into the main Head in 4 weeks' time.
12 February
We had 3 crews at Molesey Veterans Head, held in calm and sunny conditions but with the temperature barely above freezing.
- Mas G 4- won their event on handicap.
- W.Mas E 8 composite with Walbook & Tideway Scullers won by nearly a minute.
- Mas E 8+ came 3rd from 7 in their event.
The row back too longer than usual due to the ice in the lock cut. The hulls were able to take the narrow line left by previous cruisers but the blades could not get any purchase on the ice alongside!
The EA river conditions page has moved to riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk
8 February
The next Allan Whitwell sculling course at Weybridge is scheduled for the weekend of 29/30 Seprtember. Applications are now invited via Peter Morley who can be reached via email: sculling@weybridgerowing.org.uk
7 February
We had 3 junior crews racing at Hampton Head last Saturday and the results are now up :
J15 8+ was 10th from 16 (just ahead of the Eton crew)
WJ15 4x+ was 5th from 20 (amongst the top school crews)
J18 4- was 6th from 7.
There are photos on-line, please use discount code WEYBROW for 10% off until end of February. Plus some more from Nick Coxhead.
This coming Saturday is Molesey Veterans Head. We have 3 crews entered : Masters 'E' 8+, 'G' 4-, and a Women's Masters 'E' 8+ (composite with Walbrook).
3 February
There is a 'club kit order window' open until 12th February. Go to www.godfrey.co.uk and choose "Weybridge RC" from the list of clubs at the top of the page.
Any orders will be collated together to get the discount. We know there are already orders for gilets, so these will be at the discounted price. Delivery is scheduled for the week commencing 10th March at which point it will be avaialble for collection at the club. Further details are on the Godfrey information sheet; or speak to Katy.
Sad news reaches us that Keith Symons passed away this week. Keith rowed in the successful veteran squad in the 1980s and 90s. Further information to follow when we get it.
Nigel Burton has sold almost 100 copies of his club history book which was published before Christmas. Copies have been sent far and wide - including one to Charlie Street who now resides in New Zealand. He was the first winner of the Spreadbury Cup in 1948.
Hard-back copies are still available at £13 each from Nigel at book@weybridgerowing.org.uk
1 February
The next time-trial is this coming Sunday (5th).
Katy asks if we can meet in the clubhouse at 0930 for a briefing, then going on the water at 0940. All are welcome. Please sign-up here.
The first piece is 3km downstream at 1015, then 3km upstream at 1100. Crews can do either, or both.
The Sunday Social follows the racing at midday on Sunday. Free bar snacks are provided. If you haven't been down lately, come along and see the changes - the site is looking quite respectable, with regular cleaning, the grounds being cleared & tidied by Dave Cox's Half Day Club, and the changing rooms cleared & painted.
Richard Harris will be in attendance before he heads off to Thailand for an extended stay.
27 January
Further photos of home crews at Weybridge Winter Head are on-line, courtesy of Nick Coxhead.
The other day, a guide dog visited the clubhouse with his owner. Unfortunately, Topnut the cat found himself cornered by the big black labrador, wagging his tail. Cat jumped on the dog and tried to force his way out of the situation. The men's vet squad were on-hand to separate them. No harm done, but do be aware that Topnut might be old and soppy but he still doesn't much like dogs in his house !
24 January
Next race coming-up is Hampton Head on Saturday 4th February.
The Hyne Cup is scheduled for Sunday 26th February at 11am. Weybridge are hosts this year.
Photos from Weybridge Winter Head are on-line, courtesy of local photographer Gary Dowzall.
22 January
Weybridge Winter Head was held in mild but blowy conditions. The results are now up. The home team took a very useful 8 wins:
- J18 2x Josh & Zac
- Mas Nov 2x Clive & Gareth
- J15 2x Alex & Ben
- WJ15 4x+ (Megan's crew)
- Mas E VIII (Ashley's crew)
- WMasNov 4x+ (Anne's crew)
- Mas H 4- (Alasdair's crew)
- WMas D VIII (composite with Walbrook)
and there were some encouraging results from some of the younger and newer crews too, especially those making their racing debuts such as the boys in the IM3 VIII.
A big Thank You goes to all of the organisers, umpires, helpers and supporters for putting on a successful and worthwhile event.
Many of the prizes were handed out at the presentation. We'll contact the few who went uncollected.
18 January
Apologies for the break in service. Our domain was not automatically renewed, even though it was paid for. Then we had an issue with name servers. Anyhow, we're back and will catch-up with updates over the next day or two.
The instructions for Saturday's Weybridge Winter Head are on-line. And the starting order is now available.
13 January
Circuit training will NOT be at Heathisde next Tuesday (17th) because the halls are being used for mock exams that week. Katy advises that training will be at the clubhouse instead, from 1830.
10 January
Circuit training sessions resume tonight (Tuesday) at Heathside School, from 1830 to 2000.
9 January
The January time-trial was held in perfect conditions. The results are posted here. Some of the upstream times were affected by a slow-moving cruiser that caused a bottle-neck at Walton Bridge. Thank you to all of the marshals, coaches and time-keepers for your help.
The clubhouse make-over continues:
- the balcony floor has been re-laid by Mark Johnson;
- Dave Cox is making a new concrete step for the bottom of the metal stairs.
- George has fixed the rear door of the men's changing room.
- many members have helped by taking away various items of rubbish which is much appreciated.
Two weeks to go until Weybridge Winter Head on Saturday 21st January.
6 January
Noel is compiling a list of volunteers for Weybridge Winter Head on Saturday 21st January. There are 2 divisions (1030 and 1230) and we'll need time-keepers, marshals, swan-feeders, caterers, carpark attendants as well has general help for set-up and tidy-away.
Please send him a mail if you can help : noel.watson @ weybridgerowing.org.uk . Thank you.
Tom reports that he found the Cat trapped on the balcony at New Year. Please check before you slam the outer door! Do look for somebody black on the yellow floor under your feet and either put him back in clubroom or on the outside steps.
3 January 2012
The next time-trial is this coming Sunday (8th Jan). Katy asks if we can meet in the clubhouse at 0930 for a briefing, then going on the water at 0940. All are welcome. Please sign-up here.
The first piece is 3km downstream at 1015, then 3km upstream at 1100. Crews can do either, or both.
Evening traning sessions for seniors re-commence on Wednesday (4th) at 1900. Please sign-up here .
Slightly belatedly, the results of the December 200 Club draw are now up.
28 December
Here's a reminder that the Dave Cox Work Morning kicks off at 9am tomorrow, Thursday. Many hands make light work, so please come along if you can, if only for an hour or two.
We had a couple of boats out on Christmas morning - including an eight. Around 20 people enjoyed the rum punch afterwards.
23 December
Josh Foulkes was awarded the Junior-of-the-Year trophy at the Christmas Pudding races last Saturday. Congratulations on a great year.
Thanks to the team led by Caroline, Anna, Anne and Jayne for laying on the Christmas Dinner this year. It was a lovely evening, by all accounts.
22 December
Details of our Learn-to-Row courses in Spring & Summer 2012 are now posted on-line.
20 December
The traditional Christmas Morning row is on. Turn-up at 1030 and we'll put some crews together for a paddle down to Sunbury and back. Rum punch will be served afterwards, courtesy of Greg Jones and utilising rum kindly supplied by Michael Swain, President of the Bermuda Rowing Association.
19 December
Heathside School have confirmed the sportshall will be unavailable over the holidays.
So the next circuits session will be on Tuesday 10th January.
Monday and Wednesday sessions for seniors are on as usual this week, break for a week, then resume on Monday 2nd January.
Katy has posted suggested training sessions for the holiday period on the board in the clubhouse.
Dave Cox is orgainsing a 'work morning' on Thursday 29th December, commencing 9am. The basic plan entails:
- replacing and painting the fence panels near the front gate
- removing vegetation from around the fire escape
- raise the racking of the octuple and the small boats about it.
Many hands make light work, so he looks forward to seeing all those who can make it.
Thanks are due to George Sheils for kindly painting the inside of the mens changing room.
12 December
Provisional results for Walton Small Boats Head are now out. Some excellent close racing results in 3 wins :
WJ15 2x Emelia Cole
MasNov 2x Noel Watson & George Sheils
WJ15 2x Emelia Cole & Elena Foulkes
So the year closes with 18 Head wins to go with the 26 Regatta wins. Well down to all these crews, coaches and supporters.
9 December
Good luck to our 25 crews racing at Walton Small Boats Head on Saturday. Please note that half of our landing stage is being used at Walton RC for the day, so do alow extra time for getting afloat.
The National Trust have filed a planning application for maintaining the trees around the clubhouse. The map and photos indicate which ones are involved. It is proposed that the big tree near the front gate is to only have its lower limbs trimmed.
7 December
Clive, Nick & Katy announce that the Christmas Pudding Races are on Saturday 17th December. Scratch quads will race from the sailing club up to the finish at our flagpole. Proceedings start at 0930 and aim to finish around 1300. Catering is provided by Sharon and Caroline. All Weybridge & Weyfarers folks can sign-up on this link until 1200 on Thursday 15th.
31 people took part in circuits last evening. There's space for a few more people. Sessions run every Tuesday (except 27 Dec).
Weybridge Head is on Saturday 21st January, which is only 6 weeks away. Details are now on-line.
6 December
There is a senior squad meeting at the clubhouse on Friday (9th) at 1930 for all those planning on racing in the new year.
The starting order for Walton Small Boats Head is now available .
Peter Morley has stepped down as vice-captain for non-rowing personal reasons; he is ably replaced by David Hudson who has a vast amount of relevant experience. Please offer these chaps your best wishes and support.
Here's an early reminder that the next 200 Club draw is on Sunday 18th December.
5 December
Some sound results from J15s at Hampton Head with the girls quad coming in 12 seconds behind the winners who won last summer's National Championships.
The J15 boys double and quad completed the course in the same time, which is a comparative improvement for the quad since Henley Sculls, while the double were 7th, just 24 seconds behind the winners. Zac and Josh were about 40 seconds behind the winners in their J18 singles and a minute in the J18 pair.
Results from Sunday's time-trial are posted here by Katy. The boathouse looked remarkably sparse during the session, with all 3 eights out on the water along with several fours and quads.
On Saturday, the president's crew took drastic evasive action to avoid a junior girls double from another club. They fell in opposite The Anglers, quickly extracating themselves from the boat and were rescued by nearby coaches from several clubs. It is extremely rare for a four to go for a swim so this is a golden opportunity to explain why we check and maintain heel restraints in all our boats.
Training for seniors will start at 1830 tonight to allow a prompt finish at 2000 before the December committee meeting.
The ergo #5 with non-functioning display has been fixed, serviced and cleaned. Thanks to Carl for wielding his soldering iron.
In an effort to reduce the mud outside the boat bays, the hose pipe has been withdrawn by the captain's team and replaced with buckets and sponges.
29 November
This coming Sunday 4th December is the monthly time trial. Crews will meet in the clubhouse at 10am. Given it is the week before Walton Small Boats, the course is likely to be 3000m downstream. Senior crews should sign-up here by 5pm on Saturday to be included; junior crews will be organised by Katy unless they have stated otherwise.
The Sunday Social will commence at 12noon, after racing. Please advise Greg Jones if you plan to attend so he can organise the catering.
We have junior crews racing at Hampton Small Boats Head this Saturday.
Regretably there will be no supper after Wednesday night training this week. The chefs are either on holiday or working, not on strike.
28 November
At Burway Small Boats Head, there was a win for Gareth & Clive in Masters-Novice doubles by a margin of 99 seconds. Well done.
Further afield, the Masters 'C' 4- raced at Wallingford Head, supported by the President who happened to be passing by. Photos are available here.
24 November
On the British Rowing website today, there is a summary of the volunteers of the year awards including a photo of Caroline receiving her certificate.
23 November
We have two head races this weekend. On Saturday it is Burway Small Boats Head where Clive & Gareth are doing their 2x; and on Sunday "Ashley's four" are off to Wallingford Head.
Tonight's supper is normandy chicken followed by chocolate tart, prepared by Caroline.
Yesterday's first circuit training session at Heathside school had 30 participants, most of whom are probably aching today! For those who missed out, there is space for a few more people next Wednesday if you want to take-up the challenge.
21 November
Josh and Zac attended GB junior trials at Boston for the first time coming 67th and 69th respectively out of 152. This was a sound result and the boys learned about the intensity required at this level. They plan to attend the next trial in Febuary in a pair together on completion of a good 5k ergo in the next few weeks.
Two well deserved wins at Kingston Small Boats Head:
- J15 2x of Ben Brisco and Alex Pope won by 18 seconds over the next crew from Hampton.
- WJ16 4+ won by 87 seconds over St George's, and faster than the WJ15 quads which is their normal event.
- a newly formed J15 4x raced and came 12th out of 25
- WJ14 4x+ girls were 6th from 9 with the usual cox making an appearance in the stroke seat.
Here's a reminder that circuit training is on Tuesday night from 1830 to 2000 at Heathside School. The sports hall is right at the back of the school, with access via the little drive that goes up the nearest (east) side of the main buidling. Remember to bring £1 per session (or £15 for the whole winter of 18 sessions).
Dave Cox has kindly painted the first of the men's shower cubicles. He asks if people could refrain from using it until the paint is dry, which could take a few days at this temperature.
18 November
A handful of junior crews are off to Kingston Small Boats Head on Saturday.
16 November
A little team led by Caroline & Anna have kindly decorated the ladies' changing room. The paint should be dry by now.
A different team will be tackling the men's changing room shortly, orchestrated by Greg Jones and Dave Cox.
If anyone knows of any surplus paving slabs, please can they either bring them down or a committee member know so we can arrange collection ?
We would like to reduce the muddy areas around the boathouse perimeter. Any size or colour or quantity would do. Thank you.
Post-training supper today is sausage casserole, cooked by Caroline.
15 November
Details of the Seniors' Christmas Dinnner (Sat 10 December) and the Juniors' Christmas Party (Thursday 22 December) have been posted by Caroline on the social events page.
This Saturday morning, there will be pre-outing boat inspections performed by the captain's team. Please could all crews allow 10 minutes for heel restraints, hatch covers and bow-balls to be checked, just as they would be at a regatta.
Also on Saturday, Zac Cole & Josh Foulkes are off to Boston for the GB junior squad trials. Katy will be with them. They are travelling-up with St Georges folk. We haven't had any candidates for a number of years so we wish them the very best of luck.
The joint Weybridge/Weyfarers Dinner Dance at the Cobham Hilton was a jolly affair with good food, short witty speeches and a DJ who responded quickly to requests. Thanks to all who helped to organise.
14 November
Circuit training returns! Tuesday nights at Heathside School gym from 1830-2000 (with allowance for those who can only make it for 1900).
Run by Katy, it all starts on 22 November and runs every Tuesday until the end of March (except 27 Dec).
Only £1 per session, or £15 for all 18 sessions, to help cover the fee to the school.
Some handy results at Henley Sculls on Saturday:
- a win for Zac & Josh in J18 2x (2nd quickest double of the day).
- 2nd place in J15 2x for Ben & Alex P.
- 3rd for WJ15 4x+ and WJ14 4x+
- 4th for J15 4x+ and J15 1x (Ben)
- plus other sound performances from the other 10 boats.
Well done. Thank you to all the enthusastic coaches and supporters.
Title picture above shows some of the crews in action on a warm, calm day. More photos here .
At Teddington Head the Mas.E 4- came 2nd in their event and were 12th fastest boat of the day.
Thames Street in Weybridge is open again; the sewer repairs were completed on Saturday.
9 November
Nigel Burton advises that a limited number of copies of "Weybridge Rowing Club 1880s-1980s" will be available at the Dinner Dance for £13 each. Cash or cheques payable to Weybridge Rowing Club accepted. Speak to Carl or Claire on or before Saturday night.
Six beginners are on the current Wey-to-Row course, led by Katy Knowles. It runs each Sunday afternoon until mid-December, between 1300-1600. On their 2nd session, the participants were out in the Eton whiff singles, making the most of the benign conditions.
8 November
The seniors/masters training sheet is posted here by Rachel, so people can amend their own availability and also see who else is training on a given day. It is also linked via the index on the left.
Supper this Wednesday after training is due to be lasagne and your chef is Carl.
This Saturday is Henley Sculls and we have 16 junior boats taking part.
And closer to home, we have a masters 'E' 4- racing at Teddington Head .
7 November
Results of yesterday's time trial are posted here by Katy.
There was a huge turn-out for John Burnett's medal-of-hounour presentation yesterday, including several long-distance visitors.
Nigel Burton sold at least 50 copies of his club history book at its launch. Hard-back copies are available at £13 each from Nigel at book@weybridgerowing.org.uk
Hopefully copies will be around for inspection and purchase at the upcoming Dinner Dance and Christmas events.
At the Veteran Fours Head, there were wins for the Mas.G 4x (Mike C, Dave H, Eric W & Mike K) and for the Walbrook/Weybridge composite 4+ (Rachel).
The Mas.E 4- was 6th from 8 and Mas.H 4+ 3rd from 3.
4 November
The deadline for securing places at the Dinner Dance is this Sunday morning. Please speak to Caroline if you would like to come along.
We will have crews taking part at Henley Long Distance Sculls and Teddington Head on Saturday 12 November. More details to follow once entries have closed.
2 November
Rachel writes "A huge thank you to the dedicated few who came to the work afternoon last Saturday, and to a noble few who have since cleared up riggers, bags of dust and taken away junk to the dump. A lot of dirt and cobwebs were removed which makes the boathouse already a more pleasant place to be.
This Saturday, from 12.15pm we will work on the Eights, so please do come and help if you possibly can."
The combined Sunday Social & John Burnett presentation & book launch is this Sunday from 12noon. There will be free wine and finger buffet kindly organised by Greg Jones. All are most welcome. Please could all members make a special effort to keep the clubhouse tidy in advance? Thank you.
Supper will again be served after seniors' training tonight. Claire advises that the menu is pasta carbonara.
1 November
A huge £2720 was raised by the juniors' 50km sponsored row to Richmond and back on 18th September (in lieu of the cancelled Boston marathon). Well done and many thanks to all involved. Included in this figure are all the Gift-Aid donations made during October.
The starting order for Sunday's Veteran Fours Head is now available. We have 4 boats to watch out for:
'E' 4- "Tom's crew"
'G' 4x - "Dave H's crew"
'H'" 4+ "Alasdair's crew"
W'D' 4+ "Rachel's crew" with Walbrook.
Over half-term week, the juniors ran their 14th beginners rowing course. Mostly fine weather enabled the youngsters to experience sculling in a range of boats from the octuple to fine singles, cumulating in a short race in quads up the club stretch. Thanks to Clive, Nick, Katy, Graham and Roy, and all the juniors who made it a successful and enjoyable week for all.
Last Wednesday, Katy plus Lisa (our HSCT coach) ran an introductory, improvers sweep oar afternoon session, introducing 19 juniors to rowing in eights and fours, rather than just sculling. A good time was had by all and no doubt a follow up session will follow.
28 October
The weather should be fine for the work afternoon tomorrow Saturday, from 1230 to 1600. Feel free to bring a cake or some biscuits. Tea will be provided. Rigging tools would be useful, too.
Greg has collected lost property from the clubhouse and changing rooms and displayed it on a table on the balcony. Please can members take what is theirs? The left-overs are likely to be sent to charity shops ahead of the visit of Di Ellis, British Rowing chairman, on 6th November.
25 October
Pictures of most Weybridge boats competing at Silver Sculls are available here, courtesy of Graham Jenkins. Thanks to Nick for sending us the link.
Here's a reminder that Weybridge & Weyfarers combined dinner dance will be on Saturday 12th November at the Cobham Hilton. The details are here.
22 October
Silver Sculls was held today in idyllic conditions: blue sky, negligible stream and a little breeze that affected the later divisions.
There were 3 wins for the home club.
- Noel & George in Masters-novice 2x
- Rachel & Margaret in Masters E 2x
- Emilia in WJ15 1x
The organisation was excellent. Thank you to all who helped maintain the first-class standards that our competitors enjoy.
Click here for a photo of the presentation of the Silver Sculls to the winner Tim Male.
21 October
Here is an urgent message for those coming to Silver Sculls, particularly with trailers.
Thames Street has been closed at the junction with Portmore Park Road due to a defective sewer. Cars can divert via Portmore Park Road, but that corner is not suitable for trailers because there is fencing around the worksite in addition to the usual pillars. Please use Walton Bridge and Walton Lane to reach Weybridge Ladies ARC. Or trailers can go to Walton RC in Sunbury Lane instead.
20 October
The captain and her team are proposing a 'work afternoon' on Saturday 29th October from 1230 until 1600. This will entail a rapid tidy-up of the boathouse and provide an opportunity to address any boat problems or concerns. If you care about the facilities then please come along, even if only for an hour or so. Many hands will make light work !
This is a request for members to clearly mark private blades with their name before the 'work afternoon'. Any un-identifiable equipment is liable to be put into general use. If any dusty, disused blades are found, then the owners might be approached to see if they would like to offer these to the club. In essence, we want the boathouse to be a home for useful equipment only.
18 October
A super special Sunday Social is planned for 6th November! John Burnett will be presented with the British Rowing Medal of Honour; and the club's long-awaited history book will be launched. Proceedings will start at 12noon, with the presentation at 1pm. There will be free wine and finger buffet kindly organised by Greg Jones. All are most welcome.
John Turnbull is getting some custom boat covers made at the start of November. He is willing to help any scullers wishing to cover their private boats with the same material used on the Weyfarers quads (and on curtain-sided lorries). A single scull cover works out at about £50 which is extremely good value compared with other outlets. Contact John if you are interested.
17 October
We've had a large entry for next Saturday's Silver Sculls, completely filling 3 out of 4 divisions. The starting order is now available.
At the Elmbridge Sports Awards on Friday, the Mayor's Award went to John & Caroline Turnbull for their devotion to increasing participation in sport. Congratulations.
14 October
A remimder that entries for Silver Sculls close tomorrow Saturday at 10pm. The draw is on Sunday and the starting order should be available on Monday.
Thanks go to Paul, Alasdair and Derek for cutting back the trees in Desborough Cut. It is now far easier to navigate upstream without clipping the bushes.
The backlog of boat maintenance is being addressed with gusto. A couple of singles have been sent way for refurbishment. And the outlay on spare parts during this month will probably exceed £1000.
The skiffers are out on Sunday morning for their annual doubles marathon. Their course is upstream from Elmbridge leisure Centre, up the Cut, around Desborough Island clockwise and back to Thames Valley Skiff Club. The first wave is at 10am, then 11am and 12noon. Please allow them space and don't risk obstructing their race. Thank you.
13 October
Land training for seniors/masters got off to a good start with 18 attendees for the first Wednesday session. The next one is on Monday, starting at 1900.
Supper is available on Wednesdays at 2030. Caroline kicked-off the catering this week; next week your chef is Claire.
Last Saturday's Pairs Head was held in decent conditions on the Tideway. Here's a summary of the results:
Liz & Rachel were 2nd from 5 in WMas D-G 2x ;
Ruth & Kirk also came 2nd from 5 in mixed D/E 2x ;
Mike & Eric were 5th from 11 in E/F/G 2- ;
Al & Ellie finished 5th from 8 in WMas B/C 2.
11 October
Here is a reminder that subscriptions were due on 1st October. Click here for the rates.
Thank you to those people who have kindly used the "GiftAid It" link above to make donations beyond the normal subscription. Please note that the GiftAid system is free for debit cards but 6% is deducted for credit cards.
10 October
Land training for seniors & masters starts this Wednesday night at 1900. The coaching team have setup a sign-up sheet for this session and the rest of October. This is so they can anticipate the turn-out and adjust the sessions accordingly.
The club timetable has been updated to reflect the new weekly schedule.
Caroline, our new social secretary, has kindly updated the social diary for the remainder of 2011.
5 October
We understand that John Burnett is to be awarded the British Rowing medal of honour for a lifetime of supporting our sport at a multitude of levels. Congratulations are due from all at Weybridge. Look out for an official announcement from BR headquarters.
The Elmbridge Canoe Club marathon race is this Sunday. The rowing fraternity are kindly requested to avoid the congestion at the top of the Cut between 1000-1100 and 1230-1300. Full details are posted here .
Also - the Skiffers' singles marathon is Saturday (8th) afternoon; and the doubles marathon is Sunday 16th October (time to be ascertained).
4 October
This Saturday is the Pairs Head from Mortlake to Hammersmith. We have 4 crews entered. The race starts at 1430.
Rachel has taken 9 sets of high mileage Croker sculls to be re-sleeved and re-gripped. They are now back in service.
Claire has taken the boat towels to be laundered. The holey towels have been replaced with new ones obtained from a local Freecycler .
Our new committee chairman is Clive, to whom we convey the best of luck.
2 October
The results from the October time trial race are posted here courtesy of Katy.
Results and photos from Wallingford Long Distance Sculls are now available. This was the hottest 'head' race for some years, with afternoon tempertures reaching 27C.
30 September
Regular, organised time trial sessions return for the winter season! The plan is to run these on 2nd session of the 1st Sunday each month. The opening effort will be this Sunday (2nd October), with the race getting underway at 1045 from the Silver Sculls start and finishing near the top Cut bridge. The sign-up sheet has full details and is open until midday on Saturday.
29 September
10 coaches and crew co-ordinators attended the coaches' meeting on Wednesday evening. The programme for each squad - including land-training options- will be available very shortly.
"Pat's Workboat", the stalwart vessel of Walton & Weybridge Regatta and all the other events on our reach since 1982, has been condemned. It was removed from the river and broken-up on 24th September by a team led by John Burnett. A substitute boat is available from the nice people who run Sunbury Regatta.
28 September
Here is confirmation that the Weybridge & Weyfarers combined dinner dance will be on Saturday 12th November at the Cobham Hilton. The details are now on-line .
New picture above is the WJ15 quad, courtsey of Chris Marchington.
27 September
A new event for Mixed Masters-Novice doubles has been added to Silver Sculls this year; all crew members must be novices and no age handicaps will be applied. Entries are now open via British Rowing On-line Entry.
The next Seniors' Sunday Social is on 2nd October, with the bar open from 12 noon. There will be complimentary snacks on offer. Please come along.
Greg Jones has kindly offered to clean the clubhouse on Fridays. He has made a start on the wmoen's changing room and men's loos. Members are urged to help in maintaining basic cleanliness and thereby keep Greg happy. If you can take rubbish away when you leave, it will help enormously. Thank you.
In a spot-check, a club sculling boat was found without heel restraints last weekend. The sculler knew that a previous user had removed them for use elsewhere but had failed to re-instate them. Using a boat in this condition is an incredibly daft thing to do since the risk of drowning in a capsize is much higher. Please do not use any boat with defective heel restraints ! Fix them first, or if in doubt, report the issue to your coach, captain or vice-captain.
26 September
There are 5 entries from the junior squad for Wallingford Long Distance Sculls this Saturday 1st October.
The new boat booking sheet is now available. It is also linked to the index on the left of the homepage. Note that future months are on separate sheets, look for the tabs in the botttom left corner.
Katy has offered round a questionnaire for seniors to fill in. Please complete it here if you're a member over 18 and haven't already done so do. Closing date is Sunday 16th October.
Weybridge & Walton Physiotherapy, based in Weybridge high street, have continued their sponsorship for another year. They have specifically asked that it goes towards coaching for adult beginners.
Here are the salient points from the Annual General Meeting which was attended by 69 members:
- before the captain's election, there was a lively debate which mostly centred on the respective priorities of coaching, boats and facilities. Rachel Kornberg was elected as captain for 2011-12. Out-going captain Kirk Langley pressed that getting the boathouse linked to the main drains be a priority but negotiations with the owners of Whittet's Ait continue.
- Katy Knowles is appointed as professional head coach on a provisional basis until December. Funding beyond that is being actively pursued.
- new vice-captains are Peter Morley, Clive Capel & Claire Boon.
- elected committee members are: Jon Beagley, Nick Coxhead, Jason Mann, Tim Owens, Ashley Tilling, Caroline Turnbull & Ellie Wells.
- Leif Mills is confirmed as president for 2011-12.
- subscriptions are unchanged for another year and are due on 1st October.
- re-building/re-development plans are progressing; the working party is going to have costed suggestions in the next few months.
- the complete club history from 1880s to 1980s has been compiled by Nigel Burton and runs to almost 200 pages. It is with the printers now and will be available shortly for £12.
A reminder that the club's AGM is on Thursday 22nd September at 8.30pm. It promises to be a lively affair with a long list of nominations for committee positions and 2 candidates for captain which will lead to a ballot amongst those members present. The Agenda and 2010 Minutes are posted in the Members Area .
Katy Knowles advises that a beginners' course aimed at over-18s is planned for 7 consecutive Sunday afternoons from 30th October. Details are up on the Wey-to-Row page .
Boston Marathon was cancelled only a couple of days before race day due to weed in the River Witham. Ever resourceful, the Weybridge coaches organised a susbstitute event on Sunday from Weybridge to Richmond Lock and return, a distance of just over 30 miles. The 4 junior crews duly completed this distance against the clock and the results are available. Well done. The crews and coaches are keen to say that sponsorship can still be made on this link. Thank you.
An audible alarm is sounding from the control box for the boathouse cesspit. The captain advises that the tank is almost full and will be emptied shortly.
The recent 200 Club results are now on-line .
This year's Boston Marathon is on Sunday 18th September. There are several junior crews representing Weybridge including a J18 4x-, J15 4x+, WJ15 4x- and a mixed J17 2x. The latter two crews are attempting to beat the record time in their events. They are raising money to support the club in paying for a professional coach. Please support them by making a donation via the Gift-Aid It logo at the top of this page or use this link.
The British Rowing Tour runs from 1st-4th September on the Lancaster Canal. A good number of Weyfarers/Weybridge people are participating.
There is a rowing triathlon at Marlow on 2nd October. More details on the Weyfarers website .
Good luck to all those off to Poznan in Poland for the FISA Masters Championships from 8th-11th September.
Weybridge Silver Sculls is on Saturday 22nd October. Please can all members pop this in the diary and be prepared to volunteer to help on the day.
Local police have alerted residents to damage occurring to cars during the hours of darkness. Amonsgt the locations mentioned is Portmore Park Road. They ask people to take notice of car alarms going off and to call 999 if they see anything untoward.
During the week of 15th August, the junior section held their latest learn-to-row course introducing 15 new youngsters to the sport.
At the Proctor & Gamble/Surrey Advertiser 'Community Matters' awards on Wednesday night, Weybridge RC Juniors picked up bronze prize worth £750 for our "continuing commitment and achievements". The award was accepted by junior representatives Katy Denham & Zac Cole along with Clive Capel.
News from Maidenhead regatta : there was a half-a-length win for the women's IM2 eight; and a novice win for Elizabeth Flint in a composite with Maidenhead in W.Mas B/C Nov 4x.
Greg Jones advises that the next 200 Club draw will be on Sunday 11th September from 12noon. This is a week earlier than previously advertised.
The next Allan Whitwell sculling course is on the weekend of 17/18th September. Please contact Peter Morley if you are interested in participating.
2010/11
Around 8 Weybridge folk volunteered at the successful World Rowing Junior Championships at Dorney Lake from 4-7th August.
Ali Jackson and friends have completed their cycle ride from John O'Groats to Land's End. That's 1021 miles in 13 days. Please visit their sponsorship page for Macmillan Cancer Support. Their route log is interesting reading, too.
Here are some upcoming traffic warnings:
a) on Sunday 14th August, the Olympic cycling test event will cut through Walton & Weybridge, via Oatlands Drive which will be closed.
b) from Monday 15th August, A317 Queens Road will be closed at Haines railway bridge for up to 9 weeks.
The junior squad travelled up to the A1 to St Neots regatta and picked up wins in WJ14 4x+ and IM3 1x (Josh Foulkes).
Jason Mann & Dave Sutton made their racing debut in novice 2x at Staines Regatta and won !
The Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday 22nd September. Members are asked to consider if they might stand for election; in particular, new members often have valuable fresh ideas.
There are 2 remaining places for the summer junior rowing course from 15-19 August. More details are available here.
Some of the junior squad went to the National Championships at Nottingham over the weekend. Katy Denham came a very worthy 4th in the final of WJ16 1x; and the WJ14 4x+ came 5th in their final. The boys found the competition tough with a semi-finalist in J16 1x and J14 2x who progressed beyond the first round. The J18 2- and J16 1x had good races but didn't proceed. Their coach, Katy Knowles has provided a full report . Many thanks to her, and to Nick Coxhead for getting the boats there and back.
The secretary advises that the club has been short-listed for a grant through a promotion in the Surrey Advertiser. The entries will feature in the Elmbridge edition of the 'paper published on Friday 15th July. Please buy a copy and vote for the club in order to receive the grant for new blades. The awards will be announced in August.
A good win at Henley Masters Regatta in women's 'E' cozed fours : Lynette, Liz, Rachel & Jude, coxed by Emma Graham, beat a crew from Auckland, New Zealand by almsot 4 lengths.
Electricians are working in the clubhouse and changing room. Please be fore-warned that power may be switched off in the day times but should be on during evenings and weeeknds. The switches for the men's changing room lights and showers have moved.
Apparently, there have been a few instances of the boathouse being left unlocked. Please could all members do their bit to ensure the clubroon and boathouse doors are closed and secured when there is no-one around? This especially includes outings at off-peak times.
Henley Masters' Regatta runs this Friday & Saturday. We have a women's 'E' 4+ and a women's 'B' 2x taking part; plus half of a compsite women's 'D' 4+.
The long-awaited boat-booking system has been set-up by Kirk. It is on a spreadsheet residing on a PC in the clubhouse. Bookings can also be requested using this form .
We had 3 wins for the juniors at Marlow Town Regatta on 11th June which went unreported at the time, for which apologies are offered. That brings us up to 20 wins at the mid-point of the regatta season.
The President's Reception will be on Sunday 17th July from 12noon at the clubhouse. All members are welcome.
The east wall refurbishment is complete and attention is now turned to the west (balcony) side. The new blade racks are now in use and all equipment can be stored indoors again.
The women's IM2 eight came 2nd at Marlow Regatta on Sunday, over 1000m of Dorney Lake.
Despite the dismal rainy conditions, there were two excellent gold medals at the British Masters Championships. They came from Rachel & Liz in WD.Im3 2x and WD 4+ (composite with Walbrook). Ellie & Al were 5th from 7 in WB 2x.
3 wins at Marlow Town Regatta, full details to follow.
Here's a selection of photos from the half-term junior rowing course, courtesy of Nick Coxhead.
A handy4 wins at Weybridge Ladies Regatta on Sunday in breezy and then rainy conditions.
Kirk has provided a new boat booking system. Look for the PC at the clubhouse, upon which there is a spreadsheet linked from the desktop.
There is another junior beginners' rowing course from Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June (half-term week) from 0900 to 1300. The clubroom and landing stage are likely to be busy at times, so please bear this in mind. This is the 12th such course in recent years, aimed at introducing youngsters to rowing in an efficient way.
Zach Cole is racing his J17 1x at the National Schools Regatta at Nottingham on Saturday.
Walton & Weybridge Regatta had a record entry and with races every 2 or 3 minutes, there was planty of action to enjoy. Several Weybridge crews made their finals, such as both J14 and WJ14 quads, but it was the Masters 'G' crew - aka Alasdair's crew - who came up with a win.
There are photos on-line from Walton & Weybridge Regatta, presented by local photographer Gary Dowzall.
Former captain and president Mike Cumpper asks for your support in his upcoming 200km cycle ride for Alzheimer's Society - please see his fund-raising page .
A comedy moment at the clubhouse the other day ... the contractors rebuilding the east wall found some debris had mysteriously dropped into the adjacent lock pound. Unsurprisingly David the lock-keeper asked them to fetch it out. The brickies then discovered how shallow the water is - it's barely waist deep !
A huge entry for Walton & Weybridge Regatta means 10 hours of racing at 2 or 3 minute intervals and even then we could not quite accommodate everyone and still finish at a sensible time. The draw is now available.
The organisers of the upcoming World Junior Championships are looking for people to help advertise and sell tickets. Please see their poster .
Ball Cup victor ludorum result has been published. It confirms suspicions that Weybridge RC came first, a great result.
A very impressive 5 wins plus 1 silver and 1 bronze at the Ball Cup held at Dorney Lake. Picture above updated to reflect this haul of medals. More pictures and report now available .
The Spring 200 Club draw is this Sunday (15th) from 12noon at the clubhouse.
Work is due to start on the dodgy east wall of the clubhouse on Monday (9th). The blade racks have been cleared and you will find the equipment behind the men's changing room or under the whiff racks on the lower island.
Women's novice 4+ are making their regatta debut at Thames Ditton this Saturday (7th).
Many of the junior squad are off to Dorney Lake on Sunday (8th) for the Ball Cup, an event for smaller schools and clubs.
Ellie & Al won W.Im3 2x by 3 lengths at Evesham on Sunday.
Amid blowy conditions and rolling waves, we had 4 wins from 6 finals at Marlow Spring Regatta on bank holiday Monday:
Liz & Rachel (WMas. C/D/E 2x)
Zac, Josh, George, James & Becky (Nov. 4+)
Zac (J17 1x) and
Mas.E 8+ coxed by Flo.
Some 180 pieces of kit were recently ordered through Clive; he reports that Rock-the-Boat and Godfrey items have now arrived.
The events notice for Walton & Weybrige Regatta is now available. We have a new format this year, with separate morning and afternoon divisions to avoid problems with doubling-up. Regatta day is Saturday 21st May.
Thanks to the vet crews who have helped clear the bushes near the front gate and excavated the dwarf wall at the rear of the boathouse. Thanks, also, to Ellie for clearing undergrowth just downstream of the landing stage.
Clive has organised a first aid refresher/re-certification evening on Wednesday 4th May with St John Ambulance Weybridge division. There is an on-line booking form .
The club's boats and members' private boats registered through the club have all been EA-licenced since 1st April. This is done electronically and there is no sticky label to apply to each hull.
There are recent event photos appearing at Bigblade, JET, and Birdman.
Vesta Veterans' Head was held in good conditions on Sunday. Our masters 'E' crew were 10th from 29, women's masters 'B' crew were 4th from 9 and the Walbrook/Weybridge composite were 4th from 9 in their event. So solid results all round, which reflects the effort put in by crews, coaches and support teams.
At Head of the River, our novice crew containing mostly juniors came home in 356th place, a creditable 43rd from 65 in their category.
A preliminary assessment of the route for the sewer pipe may occur next week by our contractors, possibly during Tuesday. So please bear this in mind before running in through the front gate.
Kingston Head results are available on-line. We had a masters 'E' eight, J14 and WJ14 quads, plus a composite WJ16 quad taking part. Alas no wins.
Our J14 & WJ14 quads took part in last Friday's National Junior Sculling Head at Dorney Lake and the results are now up (Excel format).
Recent word-on-the-street alleges 'undesirable behaviour' in the vicinity of Whittets Ait, especially in the evenings just after dusk. This might be related to the broken pane of glass in the fire escape door. Please be aware and if you witness any such antics, please report it to the police.
Our IM2 crew in the Women's Head had a good row to come home 134th from from 297 finishers. To put things into perspective, bear in mind there are 5 mums in the crew (some quite recent), which naturally restricts the available training time. Also taking part was Rachel in the Walbrook Mas.D crew. Picture are available on Birdman and Jet websites.
There's a general invite from Richard Harris to his house-warming party in Addlestone next Saturday (26th) from 7.30pm. Contact Richard for directions : triker42 [at] gmail.com
Results just in from the Schools' Head. This is our first junior crew to race on the tideway in about 30 years. Good conditions saw Zac, Josh, George, Ballard & Mark come a creditable 16th from 20 in J4+. They will be pleased to be ahead of their friends from Guildford RC who row in the composite VIII.
The secretary will be lodging the club's application for annual EA boat licences on 20th March. If you have a private boat with a "WEYxxx" and want to take advantage of the £19 rate, please contact Rachel soon. If you need a set of boat-id labels, they are available for just £3. Further details of the scheme are on the British Rowing site.
We had good representation at the National Junior Indoor Rowing Champs. There was a silver medal for Jessica Frazer in the year 9 girls' event and top 20 positions for the other Weybridge participants. Well done.
The major spring head races are getting close now. We have:
- boys' and girls' J14 quads racing at the National Junior Sculling Head at Dorney Lake on 18th March.
- IM2 crew in the Women's Head from Mortlake to Putney on 19th March at 1530.
- Novice crew in the Head of the River a fortnight later, on 2nd April at 1600. This crew features 5 juniors and 3 seniors.
- men's and women's crews for the Veterans' Eights Head on 3rd April at 0900.
At Burway Head on Saturday there was a win for 'Alasdair's crew' in MasF/H 4+ ; the novice 8+ comprising juniors from Weybridge & Guildford came a decent 4th from 9 in their event; and the WJ16 4x composite with Staines came second to Marlow. For full results, see the Burway RC site.
*Newly* added photos are now available.
We now have the February 200 Club draw results on-line.
At Molesey Veterans Head the Mas.D 8+ came 6th overall and 3rd in class; the Mas.F 4- had no direct opposition but finished ahead of several younger crews; and the Walbrook/Weybridge W.MasD 8+ beat their opponents from Lea to claim their prize. Well done.
Hyne Cup results are now on-line. In all, over 200 competitors took part in 46 boats.
There is a Level 2 Coaching course being organised at Reading in April.
Results for Weybridge Winter Head are now available and by event too. Well done and thankyous to all who helped us to run the event.
The Olympic cycling road races will be passing by in August next year. The announced route apparently includes Oatlands Drive and Hanger Hill. Click here for a schematic map.
Has anyone counted the number of Weybridge/Weyfarers folk on the front cover of February's Rowing & Regatta magazine ?
In the news, a grim dscovery opposite Elmbridge Canoe Club.
The 200 Club draw dates for 2011 are now published by Greg Jones. The next draw is earlier than usual - Sunday 20th February from 12noon.
Weybridge Winter Head is re-arranged for Saturday 12th February. Same times, same events, same course. Entries already made still count, there is no need to enter again. If you need to withdraw, please do so ahead of the new closing date - 5th February at 10pm.
The local press captured a well known face a boat-naming ceremony at Staines BC recently. The article does not mention that John T is a survivor of the 1971 accident.
River levels have subsided but flows remain strong. Take extra care in the vicinity of weirs, bridges and moorings.
Club chairman Ashley Tilling reminds us that we have a development plan for the years 2009-14 and it can be read here.
Poor old Topnut the cat had a minor surgery over Christmas to relieve an abscess. We owe Cath Allaway our sincere thanks for promptly taking him to the vet.
Update: the club is covering the vet's fee of £77 so if you kindly offered to help with the cost, then thank you very much for your kindness. Do feel free to bring him down some nice food instead.
The building of the new Walton Bridge is due to start early in the new year. No doubt this will affect the way we navigate in this area.
Amanda Craddock is organising a charity ergo event at Dorney Lake on Sunday 6th February. The details are on the Ergo Challenge website.
The British Rowing website news contains a report on the "Christmas Pudding Races".
Nick & Clive have a collection of photos from the "Christmas Pudding Races". We've used one of the pics above, taken as the snow fall was just beginning. By the end of proceedings, there was more than 3 inches lying on the ground.
Kingston University are asking people to help with their research into RNLI services. Their short survey is available here if anyone wants to offer their thoughts.
There are photos on-line from Walton Small Boats Head from local photographer Gary Dowzall. We notice that the local geese aren't camera shy .
There was a win for Margaret Fleming & Rachel Kornberg in W.Masters 'D/E' doubles at Walton Small Boats Head .
Burway Small Boats Head was cancelled on the preceeding evening because safety boat crews could not promise to turn-up. This is a most unfortunate situation for the organisers who have endured an awful lot of bad luck in recent years.
There is a new advert for locally made curtains & blinds on the noticeboard .
The Weybridge Winter Head will be on Saturday 22nd January. Details are now on-line .
This Saturday (27th) is the Scullers' Head over the full Mortlake to Putney course. The notoriously tricky conditions make it one of the hardest events available for single scullers, which is why people sometimes call it the "Nutters' Head". We have 3 entries this year : Steve Heywood (Masters C) , Ali Jackson (W.IM2) and Gemma Smith (W.novice).
We will have contingents racing at Burway Head on 4th December; followed by Walton Small Boats Head on 11th December.
We had 3 boats racing at Kingston Small Boats Head. There was a win for Steve Heywood & Alison Jackson in open IM3 doubles. We're not sure if their opposition realised they'd been well beaten by a mixed crew! There was a handy 2nd place for George Roberts and Toby Jeffries in J15 doubles; and a 4th place in WJ16 doubles for Becky Morris and Alice Shepherd.
The Weyfarers 10th anniversary dinner dance was held at the Cobham Hilton on Saturday (20th), well supported by Weybridge folk. Special guest was Rosemary Napp, British Rowing national manager, who gave a glowing endorsement of the pioneering work done by Weyfarers founding members John & Caroline Turnbull.
The EA boat licencing arrangements will change quite markedly from 1st April. Here is a summary from British Rowing.
The main Fours Head was on a Sunday this year. Our W.IM2 4+ came 20th from 30 in their event.
The Veteran Fours Head was held in reasonably kind conditions on Saturday at 0930. The 'F' 4- came a decent 2nd in their event; the mixed 'C' quad had no direct opposition; and the composite 'D' 4+ also lacked oppo but finished ahead of many younger crews. The mixed 'B' 4x and women's 'B' 4x scratched. Photos are available from Birdman.
Recent rainfall has significantly increased the river's flow. No warning boards as yet, but do take care out there, especially in the vicinity of islands, bridges and weirs.
In idyllic conditions at Henley Sculls there was a win for Emelia Cole in WJ14 1x plus some a couple of 2nd places for the doubles.
Thanks to Carl's glue 'n' screws, the notorious wobbly bar stool has been fixed. The two broken kitchen drawers were attended-to at the same time.
We've received a postcard from the Weyfarers contingent on the FISA Tour in Australia. It is pinned up in the clubroom.
The latest newsletter and committee minutes have been added to the Members' area.
Following the very unfortunate death of 1980s Olympic hero Andy Holmes this week, members are reminded of the risks posed by waterborne infections such as leptospirosis ("Weil's disease"). Although rivers with flow such as the Thames pose a very low risk, the following actions will help reduce your exposure:
- wash your hands before eating & drinking after contact with the river or the bank
- use covered-topped water bottles to avoid drinking water from the bottom of your boat
- cover any open wounds with waterproof plasters
- shower thoroughly after falling in
- see the doctor if you get 'flu symptoms and explain that you row and have contact with river water
For more information, see the British Rowing advice page or speak to Jenni Whitfield, our Club Water Safety Advisor.
Local photographer Garry Dowzall has sent us his collection of pictures from Silver Sculls.
The full results for Weybridge Silver Sculls are now available. Ali Jackson was the fastest women's single sculler of the day; Clive Curd & Gareth Duffill were the fastest masters-novice double; and Filippo Carrozzo & Edward Puckett won J14 doubles. Special mention must go to Mark Whitfield who capsized mid-way along Desborough Cut, climbed straight back in, re-overtook an opponent and recorded a time sufficient to come 9th from 10 in J18 1x !
Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2010 Silver Sculls a success. The Silver Sculls trophy went to Tom Barras from Burway RC.
Greg Jones advises that the next Seniors' Sunday Social will be on 31st October - a week earlier than usual.
Today's British Rowing website has a featured picture of Weybridge sculler Callum Russell taken in Desborough Cut. The accompanying article is about Hampton Head including an adaptive event this year and we can only guess this was the nearest available photo .
This Saturday (16th) is the Pairs Head from Chiswick to Hammersmith, starting at 1130. We have 5 crews entered.
October's committee meeting brought some newly co-opted members and the assigning of roles. The Who's Who list has been updated.
The subscriptions reminder letter, gift aid form and standing order mandate form have been added to the Members' area.
Elmbridge Canoe Club advise that their marathon event is this Sunday (3rd). Rowing folk would be best advised to avoid the congestion at the top of the Cut from 10am. Please see the warning notice.
The salient points from Tuesday's well-attended and lively AGM are:
- Kirk was re-elected as captain after a ballot with Richard in 2nd place.
- the proposed subs changes were rejected and last year's values remain unchanged.
- we have a new treasurer, Mike Knowles.
- Ashley Tilling becomes a vice president.
A reminder that club AGM is on Tuesday 28th September at 8.30pm. All members are encouraged to attend. Here is the calling notice along with an agenda. Election nomination sheets are now up in the clubroom. For the first time since 2004, it looks like there will be a ballot for captain. Sorry, under the club's constitution only those members present are eligible to vote for either Kirk Langley or Richard Harris.
Subs are due on 1st October. The rates are to be agreed at the AGM but those renewing in full before the end of September can do so at the current 2009/10 rates.
Full results from Boston Marathon are now available: Gemma won WNov 1x in a very quick 4hrs 32 mins, 1 min ahead of Ruth & Cath who won WMasB 2x; and Rachel was in a composite WMasD 4x with Maidenhead who also won in 4hrs 27mins.
According to the local press, somebody has been attacking the swans on our reach.
Thank you to all those who helped and co-operated with the latest Allan Whitwell Sculling Course. By all accounts, the guests enjoyed their visit.
At the final regatta of the season, Zac Cole won J17 1x at Lea on Sunday. Well done.
A contingent of Weyfarers have installed new racking for the 'Eton whiffs' just beyond the men's changing room.
There are some interesting pictures of the next generation "dynamic" ergometer under development on the Concept 2 blog.
On Sunday 30th August, a contingent from the senior squad cycled from Weybridge to Brighton - and back. That's 115 miles in one day. Special mention must go to Ali Jackson who properly fell off after only 20 miles but still completed the course.
The club's safety policy booklet has been updated; here is the latest version.
The Weybridge Thames-side festival festival took place on Saturday. Despite the short notice, we managed to field 5 boats for the row-past. Thanks to all those who turned-up to help, Kirk for organising the crews and Greg for his commentary.
The British Rowing Tour is underway from Nottingham to Lincoln via Newark.
All juniors became a year 'older' on 1st September. So former J14s become J15 etc. Please take this into account when making race entries.
We have 11 crews racing this Sunday at Lea Autumn regatta.
Another date for the diary : Silver Sculls is on Saturday 23rd October.
Weyfarers RC have announced their 10th anniversary dinner to be held at the Cobham Hilton on Saturday 20th November. Further details to follow, but places can be pre-booked by emailing weyfarers[at]aol.com
Good news reaches us that Emily Kean had a baby girl last Friday. Further details to follow once we have them.
The junior squad have been busy giving many of the boats a deep clean, both inside and out. The boathouse now has an aroma of lemon cif !
A new canoe club has appeared on our busy reach. Called "Surrey Canoe Club", it seems to be putting out a lot of recreational canoes in small groups. These craft are paddling quietly and slowly with virtually no puddles or wash. This can make them tricky to spot and there have been a number of near-misses already. So scullers and bow-steers, please beware !
A busy weekend of racing to summarise for you:
- at Staines Regatta, Zac Cole and Ben Jeffries won J16 2x. There are plenty of pictures available here.
- at Burway Masters & Juniors Regatta, Peter Morley won Masters E/F/G 1x, Lynette Skelton & Margaret Fleming won W Mas E/F 4x in a composite with Molesey and Mortlake ; and Liz Flavell and Rachel Kornberg won W Mas B/D 2x. Natalie Dailey had a series of good races to reach the final of WJ15 1x.
Another cat request - twice recently, Topnut has been locked on the balcony from whence he cannot escape. When closing-up, please look out for him and either usher him indoors or outdoors.
A reminder to all those who kindly feed the Cat : please only cover the bottom of his bowl with dry food. Our resident veterinary nurse Cath says dispensing any more than that is liable to make him fat or ill. Thank you.
The Weybridge/Walbrook composite eight returned to competition at Molesey Regatta and won Women's Masters D against Mortlake.
In hot and breezy conditions at Henley Veterans' Regatta , there were good wins for Liz Flavell & Rachel Kornberg in their 'D' coxed four (composite with Walbrook) and for Mike Knowles & Eric Wilson in their 'G' 2-.
After a cracking race, former Weybridge junior Mat Tarrant's Oxford Brookes/Oxford University crew were defeated by Harvard in the final of the Ladies Plate at Henley Royal Regatta. Next year, maybe ?
The ladies' changing room door lock has been fixed today. Thanks to Eric Wilson for procuring and fitting the new lock. For those not aware of the story from last Sunday, the lock mechanism broke thereby trapping Ali Jackson inside. After receiving a mobile phone SOS, several 'knights' rushed to her aid !
Henley Royal Regatta starts on Wednesday (30th). No actual Weybridge crew this year, but we know of many members and former members appearing in other boats:
- St George's College crew in the Princess Elizabeth Cup includes the Capel brothers James and Charlie, plus James Piercy. They race at 1405 on Wednesday against Hampton.
- Molesey 'A' in the Thames Cup has Jack Shepherd at bow; and Molesey 'B' features Chris Adamson, Telfyn Beddoe, Karl Foreman, Jon Harman and Chris de Mauny.
We had a contingent of juniors racing at Egham Regatta on Sunday. There was a win for Ben Jeffries and Zac Cole in J16 2x against Tideway Scullers School; and there was a final against Walton for George Roberts and Toby Jeffries in J14 2x, the boys losing by 1½ lengths in their first race together. There was much entertainment on the S-shaped course, with umpires doing their best to keep crews on course and away from passing cruisers.
Around 70 people enjoyed the Pre-Henley Lunch Party on Sunday in glorious sunshine. A big thank you to Roy, Graham and Nick who slaved over the hot barbecue, Jenny who made the salads and fruit platters, Greg and John T who dispensed interesting cocktails and other beverages and Caroline who project-managed the event. A number of people stayed to watch the football with the TV perched on the boat rack, but alas very little champagne was drunk.
Chris Adamson has been seconded to occupy the stroke-seat for the Molesey 'B' Thames Cup crew at Henley Royal Regatta. The qualifying races are this Friday afternoon/evening.
At Henley Women's Regatta our Senior 2x missed qualification by about 10secs.
Ali Jackson raced in a borrowed boat, and made it through the qualifiers reasonably comfortably. She came up against a large and athletic opponent from Tideway Scullers in the 1st round and had a good battle all the way to the finish. The TSS sculler prevailed by one-and-a-third lengths in a time that matched the old event record, a result that deserves a pat on the back.
Some good racing, but alas no wins at Thames Valley Park Regatta on Sunday. Natalie Dailey came closest, making the final in WJ15 1x.
Recent boathouse water leaks have hopefully been resolved now, thanks to the combined efforts of Nick Coxhead & Carl Boon. All water services are now on. Thanks, too, to Peter Morley for re-instating the supply to the tap for the hosepipe following the roof work some months ago.
Somewhat belatedly, we have the summer 200 Club draw results on-line.
Clive and the junior squad are running two 'taster' courses for new juniors. The dates are 12/13th and 19/20th August. Further details are now available.
The President Leif Mills confirms his reception is on Sunday 11th July at the clubhouse from 12 noon. Dignitaries and members are all invited.
The earlier advertised Thames Valley Skiff Club "Live Music & Supper Night" on Saturday 19th June has been cancelled due to lack of numbers. We only found out when some Weybridge folk tried to obtain tickets. Sorry about that.
We had juniors racing last weekend at Marlow Town - alas no wins - and we have a good contingent at Thames Valley Park Regatta near Reading this Sunday (20th). So good luck to all.
Please note the upcoming closure of Seven Hills Road between Weybridge and A3 from this Sunday 20th June until 30th August.
There was a record entry of 539 crews at the newly branded British Masters Champs at Nottingham on Sunday. Liz Flavell & Rachel Kornberg came away with a gold medal in the WMas D 4+ and a silver in the WMas C/D 8, both as composite with Molesey and Walbrook - the 8 was ably coxed by Walton captain Neil West after a last minute crew crisis! It was nice to see former Weybridge member Linda Goldsmith get a silver in her WMas C IM3 2x for Ardingly; and George Shiel, one of the Weyfarers who has found a racing crew with Burway, qualified in the final of the MasC 4x.
At Metropolitan Regatta , Ali Jackson came a decent 4th in the final of W.Im2 single sculls. Unfortunately, our W.IM1 2x did not progress from their heat.
Thames Valley Skiff Club are holding a fund-raising "Live Music & Supper Night" on Saturday 19th June at St James's School, Grotto Road, Weybridge. It starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £10 available from Sarah Clarke ( sarahclarke216 [at] btinternet.com ). Weybridge and Weyfarers folk are most welcome.
Last week, newsagents in Weybridge displayed Surrey Herald advertising declaring "Regatta edition". Here's the on-line version of their article.
Well done to Natalie Dailey for winning WJ15 sculls at Weybridge Ladies' Regatta.
Confirmation that the next Allan Whitwell Sculling Course will be on the weekend of 18/19th September.
The summer 200 Club draw falls quite early this year : it is this Sunday 30th May from midday.
The EA are working on the moorings between Weybridge Ladies and D'Oyly Carte Island. The towpath is liable to be closed until mid-August, during which time the diversion is via the car park at Elmbridge Canoe Club.
Full results from Walton & Weybridge Regatta are up on the regatta site. There are also hundreds of photos taken by local snapper Gary Dowzall : downloadable images are from 50p, prints from £1.
A closure of Thames Street in Weybridge is planned for 1st-4th June to do some sewer work between Old Palace Road and Grotto Road. Diversions are via little local roads such as Monument Road or Portmore Park Road.
Sunday is Weybridge Ladies' Regatta in Desborough Cut. We have 4 entries. Good luck to all crews.
The Cut will be closed to non-racing traffic from about 0900 until 1500.
Ahead of this Saturday's Walton & Weybridge Regatta, Clive Capel provided this article for the Surrey Herald.
The draw is now available on the WWR site. We have 9 entries this year. Racing is planned for 0900 to 1800 with a break for lunch.
Here's a quick results round-up from recent events:
- at the Ball Cup, there were silver medals for J14 double Toby Jeffries & George Roberts and for WJ15 double Natalie Dailey & Harriet Fisher.
- at Thames Ditton Regatta, there was another win for Liz Flavell & Rachel Kornberg in WMas C/D doubles.
Thanks are due to Greg Jones & 200 Club for organising the TV on the wall next to the bar; it was kindly installed by Carl Boon & Eric Wilson this week. If anyone would like the old PS2 playstation, please email us : website [at] weybridgerowing.org.uk
Congratulations to Richard Packer who is now a FISA umpire after passing his exams last week. British Rowing have published brief article.
3 good wins at Lea Spring Regatta : J14 2x, novice 4x and novice 2x all came home with pots, and the J17 girls narrowly missed out in the final of W.IM3 4x. Two of the boys - Zac & George - graduated from our junior beginners course only last December.
Well done to Keith and Pip Bolding who completed the London Marathon in 4hrs 53mins. They are raising money for the Rainbow Trust which is a small charity in Leatherhead giving help to critically & terminally ill children and their families. There's more information on their Just Giving page.
Ant Meyer and Ben Jeffries came 4th in the 'B' final whilst representing the Thames Down-river region at the Junior Inter-regional Regatta at Nottingham.
Our first win of the regatta season goes to Liz & Rachel in W.mastersD doubles at Hammersmith Regatta.
Almost 40 people comprising Spreadbury Cup winners and vice presidents attended the Spreadbury dinner on Saturday evening. A superb 5 course meal was cooked in-house by Mr & Mrs Gregory-Jones and much wine was consumed. We should also acknowledge the efforts of Dave Cox and others who scrubbed the toilets and changing rooms on Saturday afternoon.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the latest Allan Whitwell Sculling Course a success. Allan hopes to be back in the middle of September.
The next Sunday Social for Seniors will be on 9th May from 12noon. This is a week later than usual to avoid a clash with the bank-holiday weekend.
The latest Wey-to-Row beginners' course started on Wednesday 14th April. It runs each Wednesday evening (7pm) and Saturday afternoon (2pm) for the next 5 weeks.
Results for Walton Small Boats Head are now available. We had a good day with wins for Natalie Dailey & Harriet Fisher in WJ15 2x , Ben Jeffries & Anthony Meyer in J16 2x and for Liz Flavell & Rachel Kornberg in WMasD 2x.
Since April 1st, 'veteran' events have been renamed as 'masters' to come into line with international (FISA) terminology.
This weekend we are hosting a group of French junior rowers plus their coaches. They are participating in their "Different in Life, Equal in Challenge" project because some of the group have learning difficulties. Accompanied by some Weybridge juniors and Weyfarer adults, they intend to row up to Dorney on Saturday and row back on Sunday. Please offer your support if you see them.
A reminder that our home event Walton & Weybridge Regatta is on Saturday 22nd May, which is a fortnight earlier than usual so we can avoid schools' half-term. The events offered this year are shown on the notice of regatta.
We're pleased to report some very solid results from the Vesta Veterans' Head which ran from Hammersmith to Chiswick on a very slack tide. The men's Vet D crew came 10th from 34 on their category and might have been even higher but for a clash at Barnes Bridge. The composite women's crew with Walbrook came 3rd from 8 in WVet D. Kirk was racing for Treviris Trier (Germany).
Some good results from Kingston Head on Saturday : our Vet D eight was 2nd from 4; J16 4x was 3rd from 5; and WJ14 4x was 2nd from 8.
Conditions were rainy at times but the water was relatively flat by Kingston standards.
A handful of juniors raced at the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships (NJIRC) at Battersea on Tuesday 16th March. Well done to all who took part, in particular Natalie Dailey who came first in her heat and 7th overall out of 112, Harriet Fisher was 14th in the same event (year 10 girls) and Zac Cole was 12th out of 109 in year 11 boys. James Ballard (year 10 boys) and Amy Dyer (Year 9 girls) finished creditably in the top third of their events. A good show for Weybridge!
Congratulations to Tracey Westbey and husband Tim who had a baby girl Amelie on 15th March.
Our 2 crews racing the National Junior Sculling Head at Dorney Lake on Friday accredited themselves well in their debuts at this level. Results are up on The Scullery site.
With Tracey Westbey going on maternity leave, racing secretary duties are passing to Gill Shaw with immediate effect.
Gill can be emailed at: entries [at] weybridgerowing.org.uk
Sad news : Ted Goree, recipient of the Spreadbury Cup back in 1957, passed away last Sunday (7th). His funeral will be at Weybridge Cemetery at 10am on Thursday 18th March, followed by drinks at the Old Crown. Further details are available from Greg Jones, if you need them.
Greg Jones reminds us that the next quarterly 200 Club draw is this Sunday 7th March from 12noon. Wine and nibbles are on offer as usual.
A make-over of the bar area is underway with 'new' furniture, courtesy of club secretary Rachel Kornberg and 200 Club's chairman Greg Jones.
Walton Small Boats Head has been re-scheduled for Saturday 10th April.
Unsurprisingly, Burway Head last Saturday (27th) was cancelled due to the strong stream.
An event with a better degree of certainty is the Junior Sculling Head to be held at Dorney Lake on Friday 12th March. We plan to have 2 boats taking part - a J17 quad and WJ14 coxed quad. Competition will be tough since this national event is an off-shoot from the Schools Head which is now for sweep rowing only. Good luck, folks.
The Hyne Cup ran on Sunday in good conditions with a moderate stream. Results are now available.
Wins for the Vet G 4- and women's Vet D 8+ (with Walbrook) at Molesey Veterans Head. And the Vet C- was the fastest four of the day.
Contractors for the EA will be working on the partially collapsed towpath bank between the Anglers pub and Thames Valley Skiff Club for about 5 weeks, commencing 22nd February. It is jolly nice of them to let us know in advance so please beware of their barges moored up along that stretch, both by day and night.
The committee have decided that kit bags should not be 'parked' in the club room or bar, please. We have changing rooms for this purpose, and now there's some new racking on the balcony if this suits you better. This will surely give us more space, plus a more pleasant ambience for our guests.
The new roof on the eights bay is structurally complete and boats can be returned to their usual racks.
The general email address for the Club is now: info @ weybridgerowing.org.uk
Most enquiries from outside will be initially handled by the Secretary, with other people helping where appropriate.
Confirmation just received that this year's Hyne Cup will be on the morning of Sunday 21st February, hosted by Weybridge.
It will be followed by a raffle of unwanted Christmas presents, with proceeds shared between the Club, the Sam Beare hospice in Weybridge and Different Strokes, a small charity connected to Richard Harris.
Sunday 7th February, being the first Sunday of the month, Greg will be hosting another "Sunday Social for Seniors". This means the bar will be open from 12noon with free snacks. Come and socialise - senior/veteran oarspersons, recreational rowers, parents and friends (over 18!) are all welcome.
The next beginners' course is scheduled to run on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons for 5 weeks commencing mid-April with Caroline Turnbull as lead tutor.
Red boards became yellow on Monday 1st but there is still a respectable flow and swirly water exists below the weirs, islands and bridges.
Due to the continuing high river flows, Weybridge Winter Head has been cancelled. Entry cheques will be destroyed. Thank you to all those who entered or were volunteering to officiate : we hope you find something else to do on Saturday.
The rowing.org.uk domain is being discontinued shortly. We shall be moving to www.weybridgerowing.org.uk from the end of January.
Until then, both will work in parallel. Please update any links or favourites you may have.
Likewise, Weyfarers are moving to www.weyfarers.org.uk
The clubhouse floor was re-laid and sealed this week, with the work kindly coordinated by Greg Jones and funded by the 200 Club.
The ergos are back in the clubroom. Please avoid bringing abrasive, wet or dirty outdoor shoes into the clubroom whilst the sealant cures. Thanks in advance for members' co-operation.
During the tidy-up in preparation for the new floor, a pile of kit was gathered up. If you have lost a t-shirt, sweat-top or a wet-top, please search for it in the collection on the table in the clubroom. Unclaimed kit will be disposed of on Sunday 24th January.
Thanks to some of the Weyfarers who have cleared and salted the landing stage and steps. Although the river level has gone down, the Club board remains yellow in view of the cold conditions and likelihood of snow at the weekend.
The new Club Constitution, as agreed at the AGM, is now published here
On Christmas morning, we had 4 Weybridge/Weyfarers mixed coxed quads afloat for the traditional outing.
Although we look out for the red & yellow EA river state boards, it is the Club's policy to make its own assessment of the prevailing conditions when deciding which board to display at the clubhouse. We also have an extra state known as 'red/yellow' which is used when conditions are manageable by experienced crews in big boats. The full meanings are explained on the risk assessment guidelines. The coloured 'flags' above show the state of both as the time of the last update.
The results of the recent well-attended 200 Club draw are now on-line. The upcoming 2010 draw dates are now shown on the 200 Club page.
If you aren't a member yet, you can download a form here , membership is £3 per month and proceeds go towards improving Club facilities. The latest project is the re-surfacing of the worn clubroom floor, by kind arrangement of Greg Jones.
Walton Small Boats Head has been cancelled due to strong stream conditions.
Details of the Weybridge Winter Head (23rd January) are now available. Entries should be submitted on OARA / OE by 16th January. All Club members are needed to help on the day, even if you are competing - a list of jobs will appear on the notice board at the weekend so please sign up.
Burway Small Boats Head will not run on Saturday 5th December due to the strong stream.
The AGM last night approved the new Constitution, subject to minor amendments which will be published here in due course. Guy Ingram continues as Treasurer, Rachel Kornberg as Secretary (with Tom Meade standing in until she has recovered from her injuries) and a new committe - details will appear on the Contacts page at the weekend.
Anther win for Ali Jackson and Steve Heywood, this time IM1 2x at Kingston Small Boats Head.
Some 76 people enjoyed the Dinner Dance at the Hilton on Saturday (14th). We had an excellent dinner as usual, short speeches, and a successful raffle. Highlight of the evening was Greg bopping to the Rolling Stones! The Spreadbury Cup was awarded to Tracey Westbey in recognition of her years of administering regatta entries and boat bookings. The Junior Prize went to promising newcomers Ant Meyer and Ben Jeffries.
The stream is significantly stronger than it has been for many months. No yellow boards yet, but please take care to keep well clear of the weirs, moorings, piles and bridges on our reach.
The Proback chiropractor session originally organised by Rachel and postponed from 11th November has now been re-arranged for Wednesday 2nd December from 6.30pm.
The Fours Head was called off about an hour before the scheduled start due to the strong wind creating rough conditions at Hammersmith.
In contrast the Veteran Fours Head on Sunday ran in benign conditions. The Vet B 4- were overtaken by the overall winners; and the W.Vet D 4x (composite with Tideway Scullers) came a decent 3rd from 6 in their event.
The Annual General Meeting will be held at the Clubhouse on Thursday 26th November at 8.30 p.m. All members are invited to attend - an email has gone out, but because Rachel is still in hospital we are less organised than usual so apologies if some members do not receive it. Here is the Agenda, and a proposed new Constitution for discussion at the meeting.
Advance warning of the upcoming closure of Seven Hills Road between Weybridge and A3 is in the local press this week.
A reminder that the Annual Dinner & Dance is this Saturday 14th November at the Cobham Hilton. 7.00 for 7.45pm.
The AGM for Walton & Weybridge Regatta is to be held in our clubroom on Wednesday 25th November starting at 8.15pm. All volunteers, sponsors, patrons and interested persons are most welcome to attend.
We had a wide range of juniors racing at Henley Sculls. No wins but several creditable 2nd and 3rd places.
No wins at Teddington Small Boats Head where Jude Bowen kindly substituted for Rachel Kornberg who is recovering well from her injuries.
Membership lapsed on 1st November for anyone who has not paid (or made arrangements to pay) their 2009/10 subscription. Under the club's rule #8 anyone wishing to apply now should submit an application form and add a £10 joining fee to their subs.
On Hallowe'en, club secretary Rachel Kornberg and her husband Andrew were involved in a serious car accident in Hampshire. She was badly hurt and is in the high-dependency unit of Southampton General with a range of injuries including a broken arm, broken ribs and crushed internals. We offer her our best wishes for a full recovery which will obviously take some time. The committee meet this week and contingency plans for covering her role will be decided soon.
There is a slightly unusual but entirely genuine request on the noticeboard.
Birdman Photography have not updated their main page, but we've found all of their Silver Sculls photos are here.
Full results for Saturday's Weybridge Silver Sculls are now available. 4 wins for home crews : Steve Heywood (Vet-Novice 1x), Alison Jackson (W.IM1 1x and also fastest woman overall), Clive Curd & Gareth Duffill (Vet-Novice 2x), and Liz Flavell & Rachel Kornberg (W.Vet D/E 2x). Well done all.
Thank you to all those who helped out with running the Silver Sculls. Your efforts are much appreciated.
Pairs' Head results are now confirmed : Ali & Steve will be attending the prize-giving next week. Overall, they were 4th quickest from 26 mixed doubles, beaten only by GB-squad people. That's pretty impressive and it goes to show what can be achieved by doing lots of "race it all the way" training in single sculls up and down our reach.
We're pleased to hear that Birdman Photography will again be snapping competitors at Silver Sculls on Saturday. Remember to say "cheese" in the vicinity of the bottom Cut bridge !
Congratulations to James Coxhead, who has won the Runnymede Youth Council Commitment to Sports Award. The Council were impressed by James's long and successful association with Weybridge Rowing Club, his contribution to coaching the younger juniors, and charity "marathon" in April, where he and Callum Russell sculled to Teddington and back to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
The starting order for Saturday's Weybridge Silver Sculls is now available.
We had 4 doubles racing at the Pairs' Head between Chiswick and Hammersmith. Provisional results show Steve Heywood & Ali Jackson as the fastest mixed IM2 crew; Liz Flavell & Rachel Kornberg were pipped by 4secs on handicap in Vet D/E/F/H; and there were solid middle-of-the-pack results for Kirk Langley & Ruth Pollard in mixed Vet B/C and for Al Holgate & Ellie Wells in W.IM3. Well done all.
We welcome Katy Knowles as a new Henley Stewards' Charitable Trust Coach. Formerly from Dame Alice Harpur School in Bedford, Katy and is studying for a postgraduate degree in Sports Coaching at Loughborough University. She will be helping to run the Tuesday evening sessions for juniors and will also be around on alternate Sundays.
As a partial replacement for Heathside circuits, there will be 'ergo circuits' at the club on Wednesdays from 1800 onwards, with a second group at 1900 subject to demand.
From now until 13th November, the EA are chopping trees on the towpath between Weybridge Ladies and D'Oyly Carte Island. The towpath is subject to closures but we understand these times will be mostly on weekdays during daylight hours. Access for Silver Sculls is not affected.
The club committee has decided not to offer circuit training sessions at Heathside for the time being. Kirk will be looking at other options and venues depending on members' opinions offered to him, so feel free to do so.
Better late than never... the results of September's 200 Club draw are now on-line. Membership currently stands at 120, so there is room for more friends and supporters to join. The application form is available here.
The Environment Agency have published their plans for flood alleviation our area. There is a pretty good summary on the New Civil Engineer site. Note that the proposals include widening of Desborough Cut by nearly 4 metres. If the scheme gets the green light, it's likely to be 10 years before we see the benefit.
The Quiz Night was a huge success, with over 80 members attending, including 28 juniors. The event raised £1,822, which is surely a record for any social event. Many thanks to Jenny and Roy Miller and their team of helpers, also to all the local businesses who donated the fantastic raffle prizes.
Here are details of the Annual Dinner & Dance on Saturday 14th November at the Hilton, Cobham, and an Order Form for tickets. You can also pre-order wine for your dinner at discount prices, using this form. We need raffle prizes, so if you can donate something, or better still get local businesses to donate goods or vouchers, please let Lynda know.
Some very belated news that we missed earlier : the Waitrose green token scheme in February contributed £240 to the club. Thank you all who helped achieve this.
It has been almost 5 years since our friends at Walton Rowing Club obtained planning permission to rebuild their boathouse. So before that permission lapses, they intend to get underway with demolition of the existing building in the next few weeks. No doubt we shall watch the progress each time we row past.
Normal facilities will, however, be available for Silver Sculls on 24th October.
Another entry for the diary - Walton and Weybridge Regatta is going to be early next year to avoid clashing with half-term : Saturday 22nd May is the proposed date.
From Monday (28th), the Amateur Rowing Association assumes the new name British Rowing.
A date for your diaries: the Annual Dinner & Dance will be held on Saturday 14th November at the Hilton, Cobham. Details to follow, but it will be a great night out as usual so make sure you book your place!
The Holmes family are holding an Art Show this Saturday (26th) at the Club and on the Island. All members invited - if you are a budding artist bring some of your work along to display or just come and browse; some work will be for sale. Food is planned, the bar will be open & there is rumour that some of our ex GB internationals will be in attendance.
We had 2 ladies' crews at the gruelling 50km Boston Marathon last weekend (20th Sept). Marion and Gemma romped home winning the W Nov 2x convincingly, and Rachel and Liz rowed for the W VetD 2x course record and took a stonking 53 mins off the existing time. The weather was great but the last 15km of river was swamped in thick weeds which made it feel as though they were rowing through treacle! Full results are now now on-line.
A rather belated report from the World Masters Championships in Vienna with 7 of our vets competing in a huge, 4-day event rumoured to have more Olympic medal winners than the Olympics. Liz and Rachel were 3rd in the WVD 2x, battling appalling conditions. Kirk fought a good fight in the VD 1x in the same dire weather and came an honourable 4th, and was also 5th in the VC 1x. Anne and Ruth & Al and Ellie rowed valiantly in the WVC 2x and WVA 2x respectively.
A contingent of Weybridge and Weyfarers people toured the Lake District in the ARA Tour during from 4-6th September. Conditions were a tad wet & windy but the circumnavigations of Coniston Water and Windermere were duly completed and a good time was had by all.
The juniors put in some impressive performances at Cambridge Regatta on Sunday. We had no less than 8 finalists, but sadly only one winner, Alex Keenes in J16 1x. Full report on the WRCJnr site.
Details of this year's Weybridge Silver Sculls are now online. Remember, YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU! We cannot run this prestigious event without the help of all our members, so make sure you keep Saturday 24th October free and volunteer for a job. Even if you are racing, you can still help for part of the day. Juniors, please ask your parents to lend a hand as well.
James Coxhead & Tom Oades won J18 2x at Gloucester Veterans & Juniors Regatta on 29th August.
News from the summer general meeting :
- Kirk Langley was elected captain from 1st September. Some people may not know Kirk who has only been around for a couple of years doing a mixture of sculling and coaching for the senior & veteran women. Before that, he rowed in Germany and on the tideway for Barclays Bank and Mortlake. No doubt there will be fresh ideas forthcoming and we trust everyone will give their enthusiastic support to the new captain.
- outgoing captain Caroline Turnbull was given a vote of thanks and round of applause for her 3 years in the hot seat.
- subscriptions from 1st October were agreed as : £252 for seniors; £168 for juniors/students ; £30 for coxing & associates. Sculling boat rack fees remain unchanged at £120 inside & £60 outside. Members joining after October will have their first year's subs pro-rated to the month they arrived. Existing members failing to renew by 1st November will be deemed to have lapsed and will need to re-join with a £10 joining fee.
Here is an interesting innovation from ConceptII : the "Ski Erg". Take a peek at the pictures and video linked to that page and look for the common features migrated from the rowing ergometer.
As mentioned in the August newsletter, there are plans afoot to tidy-up the blade storage. Please can all members with private blades residing in the boathouse ensure they are clearly marked with your name otherwise they are liable to become available for anyone to use.
The racking alongside the men's changing room is life-expired and is now due to be replaced imminently. The 4 boats stored here will be temporarily moved whilst the work is in progress, so please be patient with your rack-building team.
Wednesday 10am sessions continue with the Weyfarers team and Christy Job (ARA professional coach). Although this session is popular amongst 'desparate housewives', all are welcome.
A reminder that the Summer General Meeting is this Thursday 27th August at 8.30pm. The agenda is to a) elect a captain and b) agree the subscriptions for 2009/10. The election nomination form and details of the subs proposal are posted up in the clubhouse.
Recently the recommended capsize drill changed to the 'straddle and paddle' method for getting you and your up-turned boat to the shore. The first known case of someone using this new advice and writing about it has appeared on the internet. Please read Jake Firth's story. We should add that Jake is a big strong chap with a lot of sculling experience; he participated in one of our Allan Whitwell sculling courses back in 2005. Jake came unstuck on a ferry's wash but, in our environment, that could equally be a swan or a cruiser.
Anyone thinking of using a motor launch without first attaching the kill-cord to themselves would be advised to watch this scary video clip.
On a similar safety vein, please be reminded that coxes must always wear a life-jacket or buoyancy aid when going afloat. It may be optional in other parts of the world, but it is mandatory at clubs abiding by the ARA's "Rowsafe" code.
At the hotly-contested Peterborough Summer Regatta, Ellie & Al came a creditable 4th from 12 in W.IM3 doubles.
You may have noticed the addition of some companies' logos towards the top of this page.
- Weybridge & Walton Physiotherapy are based in Church Street, Weybridge. They have contributed towards the new fleece tops that many members are now wearing.
- Atos are a consultancy company. They have provided funding for coaching and equipment. This was arranged by our secretary, Rachel Kornberg.
- Rowperfect are the UK suppliers of Dreher oars, Magik oarlocks, Coxmate amplifiers well as their Rowperfect rowing machines. They are providing items for the September quiz night raffle. This was arranged by committee member Jenny Miller.
We are most grateful for kind support from these companies and we hope members will return the compliment. Please mention the club when making contact.
Congratulations to Judith Packer for passing the FISA umpire exams, which allows her to officiate at FISA events world-wide, including - potentially - the World Championships and Olympic Games. More details on the ARA site (ignore the random photo - that's not Judith!)
We have two pieces of coverage in the August Rowing & Regatta magazine : on the opening page, there is an item about the ARA Tour being master-minded by Mr & Mrs Turnbull; on pages 24-25 you can find a picture and quote from Lynette Skelton following her recent win at Henley Vets.
Plus there's a review of Rock-the-Boat's new kit bag in appropriate light & dark blue. Remember that Rock-the-Boat operate a free delivery service to our clubhouse (just ask Di by phone or email for this option).
It's looking like we will be well represented at the 2009 World Master Regatta in Vienna from 3-6 September. More news to follow when the draw is published.
Alex Tarrant - elder brother of U23 oarsman Mat - has been chosen to compete at the European University Rowing Championships to be held at Kruszwica in central Poland from 2nd-5th September. We wish him well.
Local news: Walton RC has a new captain! After 11 years at the helm, Nick de Cata is succeeded by Neil West.
We had some excellent racing over the weekend, with 3 good wins at Staines Regatta on Saturday, plus several others junior crews who came close. And at Burway Vets & Juniors Regatta on Sunday, we had 4 more wins. Well done to all crews and coaches. The list of winning crews has been updated.
More sad news - Gerald Twaite, who has died at the age of 77 on 23rd July, was one of the small and distinguished band of Honorary Life Members of Weybridge Rowing Club. He was also a past winner of the Spreadbury Cup. Gerald was born and brought up in Weybridge and joined the rowing club as a boy, following in the footsteps of his father, Arthur, who rowed for the Club before the War. Gerald was in the Weybridge four that raced at Henley in the Wyfold Cup in 1958. He later turned to coaching where he achieved some success. He was Secretary of the Club in the early 1960s.
Gerald’s work caused him to move away from Weybridge, first to Portsmouth where he tried his hand at coastal rowing, and later Worcestershire where he coached at Stratford-upon-Avon. Gerald enjoyed attending the Spreadbury Cup Dinners, where he could meet people he rowed with years ago. Together with his wife, Pip, and his brother Alan, also a former Weybridge rower, he visited the Club one day last year as they explored the area where they had all lived previously.
He is survived by Pip and by his daughter Alison and son Nick. His funeral was held in Stourbridge on 13th August.
Mat Tarrant, former Weybridge junior, is now in the GB Under-23 team. Last week he competed in the coxless four at Racice in the Czech republic. His crew came 3rd in their heat and then won their repechage to reach Saturday's semi-final. Unfortunately they did not reach the 'A' final and eventually came 5th in the 'B' final. Also of interest has been the extreme weather in Racice - see this article and pictures.
A couple of weeks ago, Ellie and Al made a successful debut in coastal racing by being half of the winning women's four at Southsea regatta.
The President's Reception on Sunday was a great success, with about 40 Club members and visitors being entertained by the Jazz band and Leif's jokes. Guests of honour were the Deputy Mayor Councillor Barry Cheyne, and Councillor Jan Fuller, Chairman of Elmbridge Sports Council. Councillor Cheyne named the two "yellow peril" coaching launches "Chris" and "Jack" in recognition of the sterling efforts of Chris Jones and Jack Percival not only in coaching our juniors but also in obtaining a grant from the Surrey CC Youth Opportunities Fund to enable us to buy the launches. Photos taken by David Niven-Reed are on our photo gallery page.
Sad news - Staines BC stalwart Ted Dyos passed away peacefully at St. Peter's Hospital on Saturday evening after a short illness. Ted was a member of SBC for over 50 years and was made an honorary member of the club a few years ago in recognition of his service. He was a very successful cox before moving into coaching and boys coached by Ted won countless regattas and heads over the years. Indeed, many of SBC's seniors started their rowing careers being coached as boys by Ted. Ted was a much-loved and respected member of SBC who showed great dedication and commitment to the club over many years. He will be very much missed. Further info re. funeral arrangements etc will be posted on the SBC website.
Success at Molesey Junior Regatta! Tom Oades won J16 1x in blustery conditions. Tom in a composite with Will Davies of Guildford RC reached the final of J16 2x, and Ant Meyer and Ben Jeffries reached the final of J15 2x. Tom would like to dedicate his win to Ted Dyos of Staines BC, who taught him and his brother Rob to scull.
We are running a junior (ages 12 - 17) 'taster' course at the Club on 30/31st July and still have a few spaces. Details and an application form can be found here.
Our seniors acquired some large pots at Bedford on Sunday - Ellie and Al won W IM3 2x and Jon Harman won Novice 1x, which is pretty impressive for someone who learned to row last year and has only been sculling for a few months.
Lynette cruised to a W G1x win yesterday at Henley Vets against a lady from Cambridge BC, US. Liz and Rachel found the going tough in W Vet D 2x and their Molesey composite W Vet D 4x, going out in the semi-finals of both events to the eventual winners.
The Daily Telegraph chose to seek the opinion of a well-known chap from Weybridge in their article on the hot weather dress code at Henley.
News just in from Henley Royal Regatta - former Weybridge junior Mat Tarrant WINS the Prince Albert Cup. His crew, Oxford Brookes University, beat Yale University of the USA, EASILY in a time of 7 mins 38 secs.
Tom Meade and his team “Three Whingeing Poms and One Sexy Sheila” are taking part in Trailwalker 2009, which involves a 100km walk/run across the South Downs on 18th July, to raise money for a great cause - Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Donations can be made on their Justgiving website… http://original.justgiving.com/whingeingpomssexysheila. Information on the event can be found at…http://oxfam.org.uk/trailwalker
We had a win at Egham Regatta! Tom Oades and Will Bolding both made it to the final of J16 single sculls and Tom came out on top.
Almost 100 people enjoyed the Pre Henley Party on Saturday. Thanks to Lynda Bolding and her team for their hard work before, during and after the event..
Ellie & Al got through their opening heat against Molesey in Senior doubles at Henley Womens' but went out in the quarter-final against Tyne. A grand effort. There are some pictures here courtesy of Ali Jackson.
Results from Marlow Regatta are now online. No news yet from Thames Valley Park Regatta.
A contingent of Weyfarers are touring from Dorney to Putney next weekend (27/28th).
At Reading Amateur Regatta, Ellie Wells & Al Holgate had a good race against the Army in women's intermediate1 doubles, losing by 1½ lengths in the end. Ali Jackson made a decent debut in women's elite single sculls, coming in just 2 lengths behind the winner in the final. We can't recall the last Weybridge person to contest elite single sculls at a regatta, but it must be a very long time ago.
Our veteran women had a fantastic day at the National Veteran Championships at Nottingham, with gold medals for Liz and Rachel in W VetD 2x and W VetD IM3 2x, and a silver medal in the Vet E coxed four with Lynette and former member Jude Bowen (now rowing at Molesey). They gave Lynette a gold medal in Vet G 1x too, even though her opposition scratched! Here are some photos
Courtesy of Ali Jackson, here is a nice collection of pictures of our crews at Walton & Weybridge Regatta.
Here is a SAFETY NOTICE to crews and coaches : we understand there have been several unsavoury incidents along the towpath between Cowey Sale and Elmbridge Leisure Centre. If you're along that stretch, particularly in the afternoons and evenings, please try to keep moving and avoid stopping close to the bank. If you witness any yobbish behaviour, do call the police who are aware of the recent problems.
A quieter day at Weybridge Ladies Regatta on Sunday. The Captain's crew (women's vet E quad) showed they still have what it takes to win medals!
Lots of Weybridge people were in action, both on and off the water, at Walton & Weybridge Regatta on Saturday. We had several finalists, but sadly no winners. Many thanks to all those who helped, especially Sheila, Lynda and the catering team, Carl who laid (and unlaid) the course, regatta secretary Ashley, and many others who helped to keep the regatta running smoothly and the punters happy.
News from the National Schools Regatta - three Weybridge members, James Capel, James Piercy and Liam Maloney, rowing in the St George's College J16 eight, won a GOLD medal. Cat Bawtree and Kat Tviet (also rowing for St George's) won Bronze in WJ16 4x, and former member Jack Shepherd, now rowing for Molesey, won gold in J18 4+.
The Pre Henley Party will be on Saturday 20th June (note change of date). Lynda Bolding promises that this will be a spectacular event, with a change of format from previous years. The advert is now on-line.
Belated congratulations to former club president John Turnbull who turned 60 recently.
Former Weybridge people Chris Adamson and Ester Klaeijsen got married in Hersham on 23rd May. Best Man was Dave Grayston and one of the bell-ringers was John Burnett. We counted 4 other former Weybridge captains at the reception.
Next Saturday 23rd May we have small boats racing at Twickenham Regatta.
We have just one person braving the wind and waves at Thames Ditton Regatta on Saturday 16th May: Jon Harman is contesting novice single sculls.
On Sunday 17th May, we have coxed quads and doubles taking part in Maidenhead Junior Regatta. This is an invitation-only regatta for only about 10 clubs and schools.
Some multi-lane racing early in the season: Liz and Rachel continued their exploration of the distant outposts of British Rowing with a visit to the Welsh Championships at Cardiff, where they overcame strong competition and atrocious conditions to win Womens Vet 2x. And Jon Harman braved the waves at the Royal Albert Dock, coming a close second in Novice 1x at Poplar Regatta.
The Club was represented at Oatlands Village Fayre, where we ran an ergo competition and encouraged the citizens of Weybridge to come and have a go at rowing. Many thanks to Clive, Anne, Caroline J, Ashley, the Turnbulls and everyone else who helped.
Tom Oades attended the Spelthorne Borough Council Youth Awards on 9th May where he was awarded a certificate in recognition of his outstanding achievement in sport - in particular rowing (at Staines & Weybridge) and cricket. Tom's certificate was presented by paralympic gold medalist Danny Crates, who won his gold medal in Athens in 2004 in the athletics 800m T46 (arm Amputee) category. In Beijing in 2008 Danny was the flag bearer for the GB paralymic team at the opening ceremony but injury prevented him defending his title. When Danny spoke to Tom he said: "all athletes will tell you that their sport is the toughest - but in secret they admit that rowing is the hardest".
Lots of regatta action over the Bank Holiday weekend, and 3 wins to report:
- Evesham Pip Bolding and Ellie Price won Women's Novice 2x on Saturday, Matt Beagley and Will Bolding won Men's Novice 2x on Sunday. There's a picture of them with their pots on our Photo Gallery page. Several other crews reached the finals of their events.
- Marlow Spring Liz Flavell and Rachel Kornberg won Women's Veteran 2x.
If anyone has any recent pictures they would like to see on our website, please email them to Caroline.
The first regatta of the season was at Lea on 26th April. Jon Harman made his debut in novice singles and did very well by winning 2 heats and only succumbing in the final.
Our Clubmark accreditation is due for renewal. Rachel and Caroline are working with our local ARA Coaching and Development Officer, Sarah Birch, to ensure that we continue to provide good care and coaching for our junior members. See our new Clubmark page for details.
Tom Oades has been shortlisted for a Spelthorne Youth Award in the Sports Category in recognition of his achievements in Rowing & Cricket as well as representing his school in these sports plus Football, Rugby and Swimming. The award ceremony is on 9th May, and we wish Tom luck.
Now that the regatta season is upon us, and we have more people rowing generally, we are reinstating the Boat Booking system. Tracey has kindly agreed to administer it again, and will be sending out an email to all crew co-ordinators next week.
Bravo to Callum Russell and James Coxhead, who completed a "marathon" in a double scull last Saturday (18th April) to raise money for Guide Dogs for the blind. There's an article on the ARA Website and you can make donations via Callum's Just Giving page.
Thanks are due to everyone who helped with the recent Allan Whitwell sculling course. By all accounts it was a huge success.
We have 15 beginners on our Wednesday evening course, from 7pm. We would still welcome more volunteer coaches and helpers. If you have, or would like to gain, some coaching experience, please speak to Caroline.
The ARA have published the 2009 British Rowing Almanack. Copies are available from Rock-the-Boat at a discount from the cover price and can be delivered by hand to the clubhouse. Contact Di by email or phone to place your order.
You may have noticed the Weybridge & Walton Physiotherapy logo at the top of this page. This is result of a sponsorship deal recently finalised by club secretary Rachel Kornberg.
Part of the deal is that members requiring treatment get preferential rates; and we receive an extra donation for any referrals we provide. So please make sure you clearly mention the Club in these cases.
Together with help from Rock-the-Boat, excellent value dark blue fleeces have been produced to mark the occasion. Please see Clive Capel for details.
We have been informed that, following complaints from the residents about vehicles obstructing the roadway, the landowner of Whittet's Ait is intending to enforce the parking restrictions on the island and any vehicle parked outside the official parking bays will be towed away. You have been warned!
The Vesta Veterans' Head was held in excellent, sunny conditions on Sunday from Mortlake to Putney. The women's Vet B crews came a superb 2nd from 9 in their event; the men's Vet C crew surprised themselves with 13th from 29; and the Walbrook/Weybridge composite came 4th from 4 in Wvet D, ahead of many younger crews sufficient to have been 3rd in WvetC if they had entered that event.
Our crew at the Women's Head came a handy 52nd out of 291 finishers, and 10th from 59 in Senior 3. This is a very solid result and notable a dogged & determined come-back. Weybridge got 'sandwiched' into a clash of blades with Vesta that knocked Gemma at bow off her seat, losing her sunglasses overboard. With customary composure, Weybridge let Vesta go ahead and then hunted them down into the headwind after Hammersmith, raising the rate to 37 and drawing alongside them at Putney. Full results here.
The mains water pipe supplying the hose-reel is fixed so there are no excuses for boats being put away unwashed.
The Women's Vet D Weybridge/Walbrook composite won at Molesey Veterans' Head last Sunday. The Men's Vet C 4- and Vet C 8 (almost all of whom are novices) also performed well.
Thanks are due to Nick Coxhead for fixing the broken underground pipe next to the path by the men's changing room. The clubhouse water is back on again.
The Events Calendar has been updated. Please email the captain if you are planning to attend any regattas which are not listed, and we'll add them.
The Hyne Cup race ran for eights on Sunday 8th February. Walton retained the Hyne Cup itself and the results are on the Walton RC site.
We had an excellent turnout for the Charity Auction, and raised over £400 towards the cost of sending sports equipment to the "Edusport" project in Zambia. There are some prizes left over, so we may organise another similar event in the future.
38 people enjoyed the Burns Night Supper on Saturday. The proceedings were enlivened by David Holmes's bagpipe playing and Marion Pidgeon's spirited address to the Haggis, though we think perhaps too much whisky was drunk before the singing of Auld Lang Syne. Here are some photos of the evening, courtesy of Ali Jackson. A big thank you to all who helped to prepare, serve and clear up after the event, especially Anne Musgrave who peeled and mashed 10 kg of potatoes and did most of the washing up.
Thanks are due to Derek Holmes for the donation of new soft furniture for the bar.
We have 9 junior boats racing at Dorney Lake on Sunday for the Thames Valley Time Trial over 1900 metres.
This year's Hyne Cup is scheduled for Sunday 8th February at 11am, hosted by Walton RC.
We hear that Mat Tarrant (and his Dad) had a great time in Australia and Mat has added to his medal collection with golds in the eight and coxless four events and silver in the coxless pair. Congratulations Mat!
Results of the Weybridge Winter Head are now online. The sun shone and a good time was had by all. We had three wins, notably Alison Jackson and Steve Heywood in Open S3 2x (beating all the men's crews!), Will Bolding and Tom Oades in J18 2x, Pip Bolding and Ali Miller in WNov2x, plus good performances from all our other crews. A big thank you to our army of helpers who made the day run smoothly, and to Lynda Bolding and her catering team who provided us with delicious home made soup and cakes. Photographs are available from Birdman Photography
Matt Tarrant is representing GB in the Australian Youth Olympics this weekend. Matt is one of 20 British rowers competing in Sydney, which should be excellent preparation for the real thing in 2012!
A very Happy New Year to all our members. Two forthcoming events:
All members are reminded that the parking spaces on Whittet's Ait are for drop-off and pick-up only.
And no-one should park on the access road or verges : Latchmere may reluctantly re-introduce clamping on anyone doing so. It would also be helpful if we could all help to keep this area looking nice, given that it is such an improvement on what was there before.
Here are some last-minute tips for those who haven't raced before:
- check your heel-restraints and bow-ball are in good condition (as you would for every outing).
- load your riggers, seats and boat and make sure all are secured on the trailer.
- take a map from the clubhouse if you are not sure where the regatta site is. Or go with someone who does know the way.
- note the time of your first race and aim to be at the regatta 1.5 hours beforehand.
- bring a minimum of your ARA card, spanners and water bottle.
There is a relatively new free-to-advertise used boat mart on the web, courtesy of boat supplier/repairer Rand Racing based in Henley. Their list currently contains a good selection of sculling boats.
2008
Walton Small Boats Head was held in incessant rain. Crews, coaches and officials braved the cold conditions and the results are now available after chief time-keeper Mike Hendry was hit by a taxi outside the Anglers pub whilst setting-up his morning team. We had one win for Liz & Rachel in WVetC doubles, plus some 2nd and 3rd places and unfortunately some people raced in events without opposition.
Our new President, Leif Mills, has enjoyed a colourful and varied career which he tends to keep 'under his hat'. For members who are interested, Leif was once General Secretary of the Banking, Insurance and Finance Union, president of the TUC, chairman of Covent Garden Market, he has written books about explorers and once stood for parliament. So there you go.
The Environment Agency have recently produced a useful web page giving up to date details on river conditions.
Results for Hampton Small Boats Head are now available from David Biddulph (note the results are spread over 11 sub-pages). Alas no wins but some solid performances at this high-quality event for juniors.
Burway Small Boats Head was held in cold, grey and later damp conditions which wasn't particularly pleasant for the crews, coaches and supporters. There were 3 wins for the women's squad.
The big trailer has been tidied-up with several new fittings, such as a better jockey wheel. Accumulated debris inside it has been removed. Please keep it clean.
There was an excellent turn-out for the AGM. Leif Mills was confirmed at the new President of the club. The first meeting of the new committee is next Tuesday 2nd December at 8.30pm, but we currently have vacancies for the roles of Social Secretary and Safety Advisor.
Lately, lots of people have been putting in a great deal of effort on the ergs, so for the benefit of those who are relatively new to the sport, here's a guide to Concept II ergometers . The model 'A' from the early '80s had a simple bicycle 'computer' which measured your flywheel speed in miles-per-hour. In short pieces, it was relatively common to reach 50 or even 60mph !
The dinner dance was a success with over 110 members, friends and guests attending. The Spreadbury Cup for 2008 went to Nick Coxhead; the Junior Award went jointly to Callum Russell and Pip Bolding.
Ellie & Al ventured to Gloucester to try out their new 6km Long Distance Head on the Sharpness Canal. They won WS4 doubles by a whole minute. Well done.
Many Weybridge folk were working behind-the-scenes at the Fours' Head: Richard & Judith Packer were umpiring, Mick Howe was time-keeping, Anne Musgrave was in charge of safety and Paul Wielgut was marshalling in a launch. Quite a turn-out.
We have 3 crews taking part in Sunday's Veterans' Fours Head from Mortlake to Putney, starting at 12 noon.
Some news we missed earlier : at the British Indoor Rowing Championships held in Birmingham at the end of October, Callum Russell came 2nd in the junior adaptive event; and Jack Shepherd came 7th in J18 lightweight. Well done both.
We had a win for Tom Oades & Seb Kirk in J18 doubles at Teddington Small Boats Head. By all accounts, the conditions were pretty awful with a stiff head wind blowing along the Kingston reach.
The Silver Sculls volunteers' party is being postponed due to many people not being able to make next Sunday 2nd November. Sorry to those folks who now have a free Sunday early afternoon. We will choose a new date early in 2009.
The fire escape door at the clubhouse has been replaced. Members are advised to familiarise themselves with its locking arrangement so that it can be used in an emergency. Thank you to Greg Jones for arranging the installation. He assures us that a cat-flap is included for the benefit of Topnut.
Anne Musgrave has been appointed as vice-captain for 2008/09. Please support her in this varied and challenging role.
We had a great day of racing at this year's Weybridge Silver Sculls. The results are now up, although some of the formatting needs tidying. We had wins for Alison Jackson (WS2 sculls), Gemma Smith (WNov sculls), Ellie Wells & Alison Holgate (WS4 doubles) and Liz Flavell & Rachel Kornberg (WVet doubles). Congratulations to them and thank you to all those people who put in an enormous amount of time and effort to make the day a success.
Photos are now available at Birdman Photography.
We are re-launching the weekend mid-morning catering under the Breakfast Club brand. This is open to all. We're also looking for volunteers to show us their culinary skills so please be invited to help fill the 'vacant' dates. We hope all crews will train hard and enjoy the cuisine on offer.
We have a terrific entry for the 53rd Weybridge Silver Sculls on Saturday : 498 boats are entered, including 23 from the home club. All of the information is now up on the Silver Sculls main page - including starting order, instructions, maps, safety plans and officials' rota. Please take a look. Led by event chairman Paul Wielgut and his lieutenants, we rely on the volunteer help of well over 50 people to help us keep Silver Sculls recognised as one of the best-organised events of its kind : thank you all.
At long last, we have new carpeting in the bar. Thanks are due to bar manager John Turnbull for procuring and delivering the material and club chairman Carl Boon for laying it. Please help us to keep it tidy and use the vacuum cleaner if necessary.
We are now looking at suitable flooring options for the main clubroom, so if anyone has any suggestions or relevant experience, please let us know.
We had 3 crews competing at the Pairs' Head from Mortlake to Hammersmith. Ellie & Al came 5th from 22 in WS4 doubles; James & Jack were 16th from 24 in J18 doubles; and Liz & Rachel finished 3rd from 8 in WVeteranC doubles. Well done to all involved.
Circuit training is on Wednesday evenings at Heathside School. Sessions from 7.00 to 8.30pm, with an hour of traditional circuits followed by half an hour of core stability and flexibility training. £4 for seniors, £2 for juniors/students. All are welcome, including family and friends. Bob King is our leader for the next 3 weeks.
Last Sunday's 200 Club draw was very well-attended. The results are now on-line.
The new cooking range in the clubhouse kitchen is now connected, cleaned and it in service. Thank you to Greg Jones and the 200 Club for providing this excellent piece of kit. Please look after it.
Have you collected your sponsorship money yet? Check here and see how we're doing. Please remember if you are a tax payer we can reclaim tax if you complete a Gift Aid form. Thank you all.
Sad news - David Parry, former Captain of Walton RC, President of Walton and Weybridge Regatta, and Chairman of the Rowing Foundation, died last Sunday after suffering from cancer since June. He was one of the outstanding figures in rowing in our area. A memorial service will be held on a date to be arranged.
Last Saturday was "Excellent Equipment day" when we checked over many boats and blades and tidied the boathouse. Thanks to those who helped. Please keep up the standards throughout the year.
Matt Beagley is competing in the Great North Run and aiming to raise funds for Cancer Research, so please sponsor him - sponsorship form on the noticeboard in the clubhouse.
The Sponsored Row was an outstanding success - after a misty start we had brilliant sunshine and everyone enjoyed the row, with not too many blisters reported. While we were enjoying ourselves on the river, a number of people worked very hard on the bank to make it happen, so a big Thank You to Tim Owens and Clive Capel who towed the trailer, John Turnbull, Nick Coxhead, Andrew Fisher, Graham Cocks and Jonathan Beagley who operated locks and provided safety cover, Jill Cocks, Jenny and Roy Miller who organised the fantastic picnic at Dorney. Please collect your sponsorship money and give it to Caroline, along with the names and addresses of sponsors who are tax payers so we can reclaim tax on their donations.
Congratulations to James Coxhead and Jack Shepherd who won J18 doubles at the Boston Marathon on Sunday in a time of 4 hours 13 minutes and 8 seconds - very impressive when you consider that at 50 km it's almost as long as the Sponsored Row.
The Sponsored Row is definitely ON for this Saturday, 27th September. River conditions are back to normal and we are expecting a glorious sunny day! There are still a few places in all the boats (men's and women's eights and junior octuple) so if you have not yet volunteered, please contact Nick, Richard or Caroline. We will be loading the trailer on Thursday evening from 5.30 onwards so if you are rowing come and do your bit or you may find you don't have a boat! If you can't row on the day, please make a donation -
The Annual Dinner will be on Friday 7th November (note change of date) at the Hilton Hotel, Cobham. Price held at £35 for adults, £30 for juniors.
Don't forget that it's the Sponsored Row this Sunday (14th). The weather forecast is not too bad, so we are optimistic that river conditions will improve by then. We will be loading the trailer on Saturday late morning. We leave Weybridge at 6 a.m. on Sunday, arriving at Henley RC at 7 a.m. There will be 4 rest stops along the route, including a picnic lunch at Dorney Lake, and we expect to arrive back at Weybridge at about 6 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided. We have spare places in the men's and women's eights, so if you haven't volunteered yet, it's not too late! And if you're not rowing, then please sponsor those who are.
We had several crews in the finals at Cambridge Regatta, but unfortunately only Alex Keenes and Elliott Tarrant were able to finish the job (and win!) before a huge thunderstorm caused the regatta to be abandoned. However, we know that the others would have won if they had had the chance!
We had 5 wins at Lea Autumn Regatta.
The Special General Meeting last Wednesday, Caroline was re-elected as Captain for 2008/09.
Subs for next year are £252 for seniors; £160 for juniors; £30 for coxing & associates (to include coaches); £40 for summer membership (July & August). Anyone renewing in full before 1st October can do so at the 2007/08 rates..
We had a win for the J15 boys quad at Gloucester Regatta.
The incident report for the accident at Sunbury weir on 11th July has now been received. It reveals that the non-member involved is age 20 and not a junior as previously thought; he is also described as an "accomplished oarsman". Our apologies for the the mis-information, but it goes to show why it is important to file incident reports quickly and accurately.
Ashley, our Water Safety Advisor, has published revised rules for boating in non-ideal conditions. Please see the main club notice-board, where there is also a committee statement describing the Club's actions in response to the accident.
There will be a sponsored row on Sunday 14th September to raise money for new equipment. On the shopping list - a new men's eight and 2 more doubles for the women and juniors. We will be rowing from Henley to Weybridge, starting early in the morning and stopping at various places for refreshments and crew changes. EVERYONE should take part - the plan is to have a men's eight, a women's eight and a junior octuple - so start rounding up your sponsors (forms will be available at the clubhouse).
Thank you to all those who helped with the the President's Sherry Party. We named the two "new" boats, the Stampfli single "Run A'Wey" and the Janousek double "Our Wey". Guests of Honour were ARA Chairman Di Ellis, the Deputy Mayor of Elmbridge, and representatives of the River Thames Society and the Rowing Foundation, who have awarded us grants to buy these two boats.
Two wins at Burway Regatta - the Womens Vet C 4x (yes, they've got younger since Molesey, with Liz replacing Lynette!) and James Coxhead in J16 1x.
We had a great day at Staines Regatta, with many of our crews reaching the finals of their events and three wins - Elliot Tarrant in J13 singles, Tom Oades in S4 doubles with his brother Rob who rows for Staines, and Matt Beagley and Pip Bolding in S4 mixed doubles.
Congratulations to Mat Tarrant, whose coxed four won the Silver Medal at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria.
Three cheers for Jack Shepherd and James Coxhead, who won the Bronze Medal in J16 2x at the National Championships
A win for the Women's Vet D quad at Molesey Regatta on Saturday.
SAFETY WARNING!! Last Friday two senior members plus a non-member in a Trimmy coxed double narrowly avoided a fatal accident when they attempted to turn too close to Sunbury weir in a strong stream. They were forced to abandon ship and cling on to the ropes across the weir, while the boat was swept though the weir. Had they stayed in the boat they would almost certainly have drowned. Fortunately they were rescued by other river users and the boat was recovered with minimal damage. ALL MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE - you must turn well above Sunbury weir, preferably upstream of the moored barges, or else continue down past the weir and turn in the lock cut. In strong stream conditions, you should turn by the Leisure Centre and stay upstream of the weir.
It seems that the EA are using the Shepperton 'B' weir from this week onwards, after 2 years of maintenance. This should mean more flow passing the club and therefore easier crossing of the main weir stream.
At Kingston Borough Regatta, Elliot Tarrant won J13 1x. There were good performances from the other juniors too. Liz and Rachel represented the Club at Henley Veterans Regatta in Vet C 2x, but met the eventual winners in the first round.
The sun came out in time for Saturday's Post Henley Ball, which about 80 people attended. Many thanks to Sheila and her team for another great effort.
77 people enjoyed the Post Henley Ball. Many thanks to the organisers and everyone else who helped out.
James Coxhead and Jack Shepherd took part in the qualifiers at Nottingham for the Franco-British J16 match, but were not successful. A good experience, nevertheless.
Here are some mid-season committee changes to announce: Guy Ingram is the new treasurer; Jude Bowen is no longer a vice-captain.
Although he is probably too modest to mention it, James Coxhead has won a sportsperson-of-the-year award at Jubliee High School in Addlestone, even though rowing is not a recognised school sport there.
We had a winning WJ14 quad at Egham Regatta on Sunday. Last week Elliot Tarrant won J13 sculls at Thames Valley Park Regatta. Both achievements have been added to the season's list of wins. The boys J13 quad came very close to winning at Egham and will be one to watch at their next regatta.
At Henley Women's Regatta our women's senior 8 gave Cambridge University a tough race. Cambridge, despite comprising half of the women's boat race crew, could not get clear water until the last few strokes; the final verdict of 1-and-a-quarter lengths was clearly closer than their crew and supporters expected. Well done to coach Steve and the crew for 'flying the Weybridge flag' with such passion and commitment.
The summer 200 Club draw was held on Sunday. Results are now on-line.
Congratulations to Liz and Rachel, who picked up two more pots at Marlow Town Regatta on Saturday and finally lost their novice status!
At Reading Regatta, our WS2 eight lost to City of Oxford by 1 length; and our WS2 quad made the final, losing to ULWBC.
And at Nottingham's National Veterans Regatta, our Vet C four came 6th and Mick Howe came 3rd in VetC-Sen3 single sculls.
We had a busy day at the club to make up for missing the regatta. Many thanks to the juniors who painted the outside walls and tidied the boathouse, Tim and Nick who mended the roof, and Sheila who organised the BBQ.
Unfortunately Walton & Weybridge Regatta has been cancelled due to the strong stream and anticipated red boards at the weekend. There is a lot of water coming from further up the Thames Valley. Thank you to all of the volunteers who were ready to help - you can now stand down from regatta duties on Saturday.
Following the recent heavy rain, Sunday's Weybridge Ladies' Regatta. was cancelled. Initial suggestions of a move to this Sunday have come to nought.
At the Metropolitan Regatta at Dorney Lake, Ali Jackson came 3rd in her heat and 5th in a close-fought repechage. Al & Ellie were 4th in their heat and 4th in their even tighter repechage. On Sunday, they combined into a quad with Emily and came a very decent 4th in a straight final of 7 crews, only 3secs behind 2nd place. Here is a picture of trainee umpire Matthew Pinsent checking Ali's boat.
Since the uptake of sculling and the popularity of small boats, we haven't had so many regatta wins in Eights recently. In fact, this picture from Twickenham is the first we've received in five years.
At Twickenham Regatta on Sunday, the women's senior 2 eight showed class in both their races, winning the final by 1.5 lengths over Upper Thames. Liz & Rachel had 4 races in close succession for their novice double, including a re-rowed final after being washed-down by Twickenham. Dan Fisher & Tom Oades also made the final in men's novice doubles.
One of our juniors, Danny Garrett, is going to do a parachute jump in aid of "Help for Heroes" which is the charity raising money for Headley Court where injured members of the armed forces are treated. He's doing it over the half-term. We have a special relationship with Headley Court, since member Margaret Fleming is a senior nurse there and has brought some of their patients along to the club to try rowing for rehabilitation. So please sponsor Danny - you can donate via the Just Giving website
The replacement of Walton Bridge staggers on : apparently, the colour has been chosen in this BBC article.
We had one veteran four racing at Thames Ditton Regatta on Saturday; and 8 junior boats raced at Maidenhead Junior Regatta on Sunday.
Vice-captain Richard Harris took part in the Stroke Association's 33-mile Thames Bridge Bike Ride on Sunday 11th May. Richard suffered a stroke 7 years ago and at that time it was difficult to contemplate him taking on this kind of challenge. Please sponsor him - if you haven't already - via the form on the club notice-board.
The women's senior 3 eight won their heat at Wallingford Regatta and came a creditable 4th in the final.
After lots of close racing over two full days, we came away with 5 wins at the Evesham Regatta weekend. A great start to the regatta season.
The next adult beginners' rowing course - run by our sister club Weyfarers - will be on Monday and Wednesday evenings, starting on 2nd June. The course structure and price will be exactly as for the April course. Unfortunately, due to technical problems, we are unable to update the Weyfarers website, but if you would like to do the course please download an application form and send it to us by post, along with a deposit of £25.
All those who are nervous of the dark will be please to know that a contractor has installed new lights along the path. We asked for the posts to be positioned away from the path edge to allow extra clearance for us carrying boats to/from the trailer. Thanks are due to Nick, Jon and the juniors who kindly tested the route with a coxed four in the rain. The club is making a donation to the Whittet's Ait Residents Association for the provision of the lights.
The first 3 wins of the season came at the very first regatta, Lea Spring Regatta last Sunday. Oli Tomalin's novice sculls win was unfortunately not qualifying because one of the other entrants failed to show in the other semi-final.
The latest Allan Whitwell Sculling Course ran successfully. Thank you all those who helped out, or who loaned equipment to the guests.
Would anyone be interested in acquiring a house by the river? This may well include the cottages at Shepperton and Sunbury locks.
Pip Bolding and her Dad are doing the Playtex Moon Walk to help raise money for Breast Cancer on Saturday 17th May. She has done two half moons which is 13.5 miles and is now doing the full 26 miles. They start at midnight and are hoping to do the walk in 7 hours. If anyone would like to sponsor Pip for this worthy cause they can see her in the club house or go to www.justgiving.com/pipbolding
We had a record turnout of over 40 people for the Spreadbury Dinner on 12th April, which included several former Presidents, Captains and current Committee members. Here's a photo of the event, courtesy of John Shore. Credit is due to Greg Jones for his first-class organisation of the event.
Sad news has reached us - Elsie Stagg, former Captain and President of Weybridge Ladies Amateur Rowing Club, has passed away. The funeral will take place at Randalls Park Crematorium on Wednesday 9th April at 12.30.
Mountain bike for sale - see our noticeboard page
Thanks to Cath Allaway and Richard Harris who have volunteered to help with coaching, we can accommodate four extra people on theWeyfarers Adult Beginners course starting on Wednesday 2nd April., so round up your friends! Parents of juniors are particularly welcome
Results from the recent 200 Club draw are now on-line.
The Veterans' Eights Head was called off 45 minutes before the start time due to rough water in the middle of the course.
First win for the juniors this year - our girls junior quad at Kingston Head. Plus a creditable 4th place for the boys J16 quad.
All members are reminded that the parking spaces on Whittet's Ait are for drop-off and pick-up only. And no-one should park on the access road or verges; please help us to keep on good terms with our neighbours.
Cath Allaway is back from Antigua after her trans-Atlantic row completed in 73 days and 5 hours. If you wish to contribute to her charity collection, you can do so via her Just-giving page.
The wine-tasting evening planned for 15th March has been postponed to a later date, preferably one that doesn't co-incide with any rugby or precede any head races.
A quite stunning result from our crew at the Women's Eights Head : 21st overall from 236 finishers and just 1 second behind Molesey BC who were the fastest senior 2 club boat. Congratulations to coach Steve Heywood and his squad for coming up with our best WEHORR result since 1994.
Please note that the next UKCC coaching course will be based at the club from 20th February. The course is organised by Caroline who says that Bob King will be covering for her at the Wednesday circuits sessions. Bob likes to see people sweating at circuits - so be warned !
Well done to Tom Meade for completing the 54 mile Thames Meander run in 11 hours and 57 minutes. He says apart from some bruised & blistered feet, he is in reasonable shape considering the ordeal.
There was a win for the Vet C four at Burway Head on Saturday. The J15 and WJ15 quads both came 2nd by a single second.
The 200 Club draw dates for 2008 are now decided and listed on the 200 Club page.
Former vice-captain Cath Allaway and her rowing partner Margaret Bowling from Barnes Bridge Ladies arrived in Antigua on 13th February. See their blog for their insight on this remarkable achievement. We expect there will be some kind of home-coming party at the clubhouse next month.
The river continues to drop slowly and is now below the bottom step although the Shepperton weir stream remains somewhat challenging.
The President, Captain and several committee members represented the Club at Molesey Veterans Head on Sunday. The Women's VetC eight clocked up the Club's first win of 2008, with the VetC coxless four missing out on a pennant by less than 2 seconds.
At Dorney Lake, we had 9 junior boats racing in the Thames Valley Trial Head. They achieved some useful 2nd places. Full results are available here.
Here is an appreciation of Pat O'Connor, club captain in the 1960s, whose funeral was held on 8th January.
Happy New Year to all members and supporters. This website began in 1998 and has tracked the club's news & activities continuously over the past 10 years. However, we know that some people do like a good newsletter which has been somewhat neglected lately. So Greg plans to put one together during January, so if you have any news, gossip or pictures please send them to ggregoryjones [at] hotmail.com
It will be emailed to those whose addresses we know, and printed and sent to everyone else.
2007
Despite the rain, we boated a mixed VIII and a double on Christmas morning, before we returned to a warm dry clubhouse for the free hot rum punch. The Bermuda Black Rum for the punch was kindly donated by former member Michael Swain, who is now President of the Bermuda Rowing Association.
31 people attended the Christmas dinner. A big thank you to Jude Bowen and Derek Holmes whose culinary expertise ensured all enjoyed the meal, and to the juniors who served it with charm and efficiency.
Only a few of our hardy senior women braved the freezing conditions at Dorney Lake to compete at Walton Small Boats Head on Saturday. Ellie Wells and Alison Holgate were rewarded with a win in WS4 doubles - their first in Weybridge RC colours.
Congratulations to Claire and Carl Boon whose daughter Erin arrived at 1.30a.m. on 11th December, weighing 7 lbs exactly. Erin has already visited the clubhouse.
Walton Small Boats will take place this Saturday at Dorney Lake, since the river is still red boarded. The division times have changed - check the website for details.
The next Allan Whitwell Sculling Course is scheduled for the weekend of 26/27th April. Our members have first call on places, so get your names registered before we open it to the wider world.
Burway Small Boats Head. has been called off due to the state of the river. Next event is Walton Small Boats Head .
The events committee have published details for Weybridge Winter Head on Saturday 19th January. This event is open to seniors, veterans and juniors and gives people a chance to race in eights, fours and doubles a fortnight after the festive period. It replaces the 'Vets Head' which we have run for the past 15 years but always seemed to coincide with Mother's day.
Alison Jackson came an impressive third in WS2 in the Scullers' Head on December 1st, and was the 21st quickest woman overall.
The results of Hampton Head are now published.
Thursday's Annual General Meeting unanimously re-elected Derek Holmes as President, Tom Meade as Secretary, Ashley Tilling as Safety Advisor and Tim Owens as Facilities Manager. Paul Wielgut and Carl Boon continue as Committee Members. We have a new Treasurer, Sarah Young, and Clive Capel joins the Committee. There are two vacancies, notably for Social Secretary, since Sheila has decided to stand down. Any members who are interested in serving on the Committee should speak to Tom or Caroline.
A Silver Medal for Peter Morley in the Indoor Rowing Championships (heavyweight 60-64 category) at Birmingham on 18th November. Peter missed out on the gold medal by less than half a second. And a gold medal for Callum Russell in the Junior Adaptive category.
131 members and friends had a ball at the Annual Dinner & Dance on Saturday (17th), at the Hilton Hotel, Cobham. This year's Spreadbury Cup winner was Steve Heywood, in recognition of his years of coaching our successful women's squad. Jack Shepherd won the junior prize, which is awarded to the junior who has shown the most commitment and improvement over the year. Congratulations to Sheila and her team for arranging a first-class evening, and thank-you to all the kind people who contributed the 36 raffle prizes.
We had an array of 2nd places at Henley Sculls on Saturday. The results are here.
A win for Jack Shepherd and James Coxhead in J16 2x at Teddington Small Boats Head Two of our junior girls doubles missed wins by the narrowest of margins.
The Club has joined the new Whittet's Ait Neighbourhood Watch scheme. We shall be reporting any problems encountered, including anything suspicious, to the scheme co-ordinator whose details will be posted in the clubhouse.
We now have results from the Veteran Fours' Head plus photos.
At the Fours' Head our Women's Senior 2 quad came a respectable 15th from 39 in their event. Photos are now available.
The lists of Past Winners have been updated in the history section of the Silver Sculls pages. Incredibly, Emily becomes the first Weybridge person to be added to these lists since 1971.
The results of the Weybridge Silver Sculls are now on-line. Last year's winner, Hugh Mackworth-Praed, retains the title, in a time of 14:29 with strong stream conditions. Fastest woman was our own Emily Kean in 17:03. Overall Weybridge won 9 events. Our thanks to the many officials and helpers who made the day an outstanding success.
Clive Capel reports that the latest order from Powerhouse has been fulfilled, so please collect your goods if you ordered kit recently.
T-shirts and hoodies from Rock-the-Boat should be with us very shortly. Clive also has Weybridge caps in stock at £12. Thanks are due to Clive for his efforts in keeping the squads looking presentable... it has been noticed and complimented upon at 'away' regattas !
Our 3 boats at the Pairs Head all did very well. Alison & Emily came 2nd in WS2 doubles; Peter & Jude came 2nd on handicap in mixed veteran doubles; and Tracey & Linda came 11th in WS4 doubles.
A reminder that subscriptions for 2007/08 were due on 1st October. Well done to all those many people who provided cheques and standing order forms promptly.
There was a win for Mick Howe in Vet C sculls at Maidstone Sculling Head .
The 2007/08 membership application form and the 2006 FISA Rigging Survey (conducted by Sarah Merryman, who rowed for Weybridge in the 1990s) have both been added to the reference documents page.
Rock the Boat are kindly providing emergency 'get-you-home' kit packs for people who fall in. The packs will be available for borrowing from the changing rooms. Please wash and return within 7 days.
Di at Rock the Boat advises that they have a new website. Clive has samples of new items of kit, including caps, polo shirts and fleeces, so have a look at smarten up for winter!
Four more wins at Cambridge Autumn Regatta, bringing the regatta season to a successful conclusion.
The juniors have really put the "Wow" into Weybridge this weekend, with no less than 12 wins at Lea Regatta. Well done everyone!
Well done also to John Turnbull, who has passed his Bronze coaching award.
Members and parents are reminded of a club byelaw that says parking on Whittet's Ait is only for drop-off and pick-up only. In addition, please do not drive near the residents' gates nor obstruct their access. This request comes from the residents' association who have noticed this year's increase in club activities.
The proposed vice-captains for 2007/08 are Jon Beagley, Richard Harris and Jude Bowen. Please support them as they help take us forward under Caroline's leadership.
Concept2 have issued a notice about metal fatigue for their model D and E ergos made in the last 12 months. The Club's equipment is not affected, but do check the serial number if you have a machine at home or know someone who does.
The ARA have issued advice concerning Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) which can be fatal if left untreated. There have been two recent cases in the Henley area which is very unusual and probably a consequence of the high river levels at the end of July.
Observant Weybridge people prompted the rescue of a small child from the fast-flowing River Wye as night fell after Saturday's racing. Despite a long day in the sun, Ross Rowing Club personnel were very quickly on-hand to assist and the boy was pulled out and attended-to by a nurse.
What's that big yellow thing in the sky? we wondered at Gloucester Regatta. Yes, summer had come at last. Some hard-fought races resulted in wins for the J16 girls and for Carl and Mick, and a touch of sunburn for Clive, who gallantly towed the trailer.
The long-suffering boat-bay doors have been attended-to. At times when the boathouse is quiet, Carl has been laying new steel track in the concrete floor. Please make sure the doors are closed if you are the last crew to put boats and blades away after an outing.
The Thames Regional Rowing Council have written to all clubs to say that all boats used on the Thames must display a unique identifier after 30th September. This is an EA requirement. We are now numbering the Weybridge and Weyfarers fleets. We have ordered sufficient vinyl labels to include private sculling boats so we all get a good price - only £3 per boat. If you would like a set of codes, please contact Carl, who can also advise on applying them. Or you can request a set with your boat rack renewal in September.
We are putting together a page on Safety Procedures and Incident Reporting. It's not finished yet, but keep an eye on it as it will be full of useful information.
The BBC Sport website includes a photo of the "Matts" pair - click on this link and go to photo 4. There's also an article on the WRC Junior website - click on the link at the top of this page. And we have just heard that they won the 'B' final, taking 7th place overall in their event, a great achievement.
Racing is underway at the Junior World Championships in Beijing. Matt Tarrant, racing in the pair with Matthew Anker from Oratory School, came 3rd in their heat on Wednesday but impressively won their repechage on Thursday to progress to the semi-final on Friday. Full results are on the FISA website. We've just heard that they came 5th in the semi-final and now go to the 'B' final on Saturday to compete for places 7 to 12.
The river is now below the bottom step but still flowing more than we'd expect at this time of year. Due to on-going maintenance on the weir upstream from the club, the main Shepperton weir stream is quite strong. If you're not confident in turbulent water, stay on the 'home straight' by the landing stage.
Full results from Sudbury Regatta are now up on their site. We had wins in S4 1x and Mixed J14 2x.
Congratulations to Matt Tarrant who has been selected for the World Junior Championships. The full team is listed on the ARA website and the event starts in Beijing on 8th August. We understand he expects to be in the coxless pair. Matt started rowing with us in 2004/5 although he has been in crews with Walton RC since the Spring. We'll report on his progress, but whatever happens, at only 17, he has another year of junior eligibility in 2008.
Those people who have been to Evesham Regatta might like to see the latest pictures from Evesham. No news yet of the state of their boathouse and equipment, but it must surely be damaged.
Molesey Regatta did not happen on Saturday and was reduced to an ergo competition on Sunday where Jack Shepherd won J15 the J14 quad won too. We cannot recall the last time a major Thames regatta was cancelled due to strong stream conditions.
At the National Championships in Nottingham, we had two J15 doubles competing. Conditions were appalling at times, and racing was suspended for 3 hours on Friday. James Coxhead & Jack Shepherd made it through their heat despite losing their lane number in a big wave, but they did not progress through the semi-final time-trial in a horrible headwind. Dan Fisher & James Amico did not have a favourable lane draw in their heat and did not progress but gained invaluable experience. Thanks to Clive Capel & Paul Shepherd for supporting the crews.
This year's FISA Tour is in the USA, starting on 21 July. Some of the Weyfarers people are participating.
The club's coaching launch is back in action. Please give it tender, loving care and record all use and problems in the log-book in the clubhouse.
Results from the Summer 200 Club draw are posted here.
Alison & Emily sent us the inside story from Women's Henley... "we had a hilarious experience! We always know that we would need a miracle - and one happened, briefly. The Leander stroke girl's bowside blade popped out of the gate about 5 strokes into our race. So we were ahead at the end of Temple Island. But then they pushed back during the second minute and beat us by 4 lengths in the end. Lenader went on to win the final of elite doubles." Great effort, chaps.
Despite at times torrential rain, we notched up a couple more wins at Thames Valley Park Regatta. It was third time luck for the novice women - Rachel, Trudie, Gemma and Marion, coxed by Kirsten. Jack and "Fred" again looked impressive winning J15 doubles.
Remember that if you've been involved in an incident where anyone was injured or equipment was damaged you must fill in an incident report. The form is now online, together with guidance information.
Two wins at Walton & Weybridge Regatta: Alex Tarrant demolished all his opponents in novice singles, whilst Jack and "Fred" continued their winning streak in J15 doubles. Also worthy of a mention are Alex Keenes and Elliot Tarrant making an impressive debut in J13 doubles. A big thank you to all the Weybridge people who made the regatta a huge success, including Ashley, Greg and JRB who did the lion's share of organising the event, Carl who transported the tents and helped lay the course, Claire who recruited the patrons then printed the programme, the parents led by Sheila who provided the fantastic catering, and everybody who helped with umpiring, timekeeping and all the other jobs, many of them behind-the-scenes.
Congratulations to Clive and Emma Curd, whose son Charlie arrived at 12.30 am on 28th May weight 9.05 lbs. Clive is a "graduate" of last year's beginners' course and a regular member of the Sunday morning recreational squad.
Three wins from three finals at Weybridge Ladies' Regatta. Well done everyone.
At Metropolitan Regatta , Alison & Emily won their heat but did not progress at the semi-final stage.
Alas no wins at Twickenham regatta although Alison & Emily did make the final of WS2 doubles. Gemma & Rachel made their debut in WNov doubles.
At Thames Ditton Regatta, we had crews racing throughout the day. The women's junior quad had the commentator's excited in winning their final by only a couple of feet. 'Fred' and Jack won the plate competition for first-round losers of J15 doubles; and Alex made the final of junior single sculls.
Further downriver at Putney Town Regatta Peter & Jude had to concede a 13 second handicap in Open Veteran E/F doubles. That does seem a little unsporting, as mentioned by the race umpire ! Not surprisingly, the gap was too great to make up over the men's crew.
Shrewsbury Regatta on the River Severn is normally a sunny, picturesque event. This year it became a bit of an ordeal as the weather deteriorated into incessant rain. Carl & Mick won 3 out of 5 races, including the final of Vet B on the Saturday.
At Wallingford Regatta, held over 1500m at Dorney Lake, Alison & Emily contested women's senior 2 doubles in which 16 crews started. They came 2nd in a tough heat to claim a place in the final, where they came an excellent 4th. That represents progress on last year and bodes well for the rest of the summer.
Congratulations to Linda & Tracey won their veteran-novice doubles event at Marlow Spring Regatta on Monday in blustery, rainy conditions. The regatta was later curtailed due to the foul weather.
A busy weekend for many of the juniors at Evesham Regatta. We had several finalists on Saturday (including a very impressive debut from Oli Tomalin in a double with Matt B) but no winners. Sunday was more successful, with wins at Vet B 2x (Carl and Mick beating their nemesis, Huntingdon, for the first time), J15 2x ("Fred" and Jack), and Mixed Novice 2x (Matt B and Kirsten with perfect timing after only 10 minutes practice). A big thank you to Clive for towing the trailer, Jonathan for keeping everyone on their toes, and Nick and Paul for making sure that the boats and blades were always in the right place at the right time. Here are some photos.
Mike Cumpper, former captain and president of the club, has kindly donated his single scull to the club. This boat is one of the very first made by Janousek back in 1981 and its first owner was a 19-year-old Steve Redgrave. It is therefore quite a big boat and has been ear-marked for the primary use of Matt Tarrant. By way of a thank-you, we have offered Mike three years of free membership.
Clive Capel represented the club at the trailer towing symposium at Marlow on Thursday. He has a lot of new information to share, and we'll try and get a summary online shortly.
We ran an informal training regatta for beginner juniors from local clubs in the Cut on Saturday.
Kirsten, Diana, Oli, Jack and 'Fred' who representing the Thames Downriver region at the Inter-regional regatta at Nottingham on Saturday came 7th in their respective events. Full details are on the JIRR website.
The new boat booking sheet is available online. With the regatta season approaching, there is bound to be pressure on boat availability, so make sure you book your boat by emailing Chris de Mauny by TUESDAY of each week. Also please let him know if you will not be using the boat you have booked.
A reminder to everyone that bicycles must not be taken into the boathouse. Our boat bays are narrow and falling bikes can do damage to boats. Bikes left overnight should be left locked-up outside, or short-term in the changing room.
James Whittingham is doing the 250 mile cycle ride from London to Paris from 26th July to the 29th for the Big Issue, which helps homeless people. He is trying to collect as much sponsorship money as he can for the event and would be grateful for support from WRC members. You can donate online here
Our men's Veteran D eight put in a strong performance at the Vesta Veterans Head on Sunday, coming 73rd overall (having started at 90). Full results here
Thank you to everyone who supported the Quiz Night on Saturday. It was very close between the six teams and in the end there were only 8 points between the winners and the wooden-spooners. Congratulations to Sheila and Claire for their organising and to Mrs Whittingham and Mrs Bramhall for their work in the kitchen, plus all those who helped with the set-up, bar duties and the tidy-up afterwards.
We had a men's veteran 'D' eight and a Walton/Weybridge women's senior 3 composite eight at Kingston Head. The results are available here.
The full calendar of club events (in Excel format) can now be downloaded from the Events page.
At the Women's Head, where 270 eights competed from Mortlake to Putney, the novice crew came 229th (6th from 17 in their event); and the Walton/Weybridge composite crew came 111th (31st from 66 in seniors 3s). Full results are here.
In last week's Schools Head, Matt Tarrant filled the 3 seat in the Walton boat that came an impressive 7th overall, with the same time as the Eton College 1st eight. Full results are here.
The National Junior Sculling Head was held at Dorney Lake last Wednesday. Four of the J16 boys, representing St George's College, came 5th from 20 in J16 quads. The following day, they contested J16 coxed fours at the Schools' Head and won their event.
The ARA are advertising for HSCT Scholarship coaches. It is anticipated that anyone taking on the Surrey post would be assigned to assist with coaching at Weybridge. The post is a 2-year contract at 20 hours per week.
We are having a Spring workday on Easter Saturday 7th April. The plan is to address some essential tasks which are listed here. Please let Tim Owens know which task you're prepared to have a go at, and he will assist with arranging the necessary materials in advance. Since the kitchen will be having a deep clean, the barbecue will make its first appearance of the season for the production of bacon butties for the volunteers.
We took the difficult decision this morning to cancel the Weybridge Veteran & Junior Head (18th March). The small number of entries, plus continued concerns about the state of the river, meant that we thought it best to pull the plug (sorry!) sooner rather than later. All entry cheques will be destroyed. We look forward to seeing everyone at Walton & Weybridge Regatta on 9th June.
The new Walton Bridge is delayed, according to this BBC article.
Despite a strong performance, our Vet D eight were unable to retain their title at Molesey Veterans' Head. And the river came up overnight, so the Hyne Cup race was cancelled.
Coxless four "100 Weys" has been despatched to a new home in a bar in Stockholm, Sweden. This boat was bought with the proceeds from the club's centenary dinner in 1980 and served us well for 25 years until it suffered an unexpected structural failure at the centre join which gave its crew an unwelcome swimming session.
Only two wooden boats now remain in the club's fleet : the eight "Take-a-Wey" (in service) and single "Theresa" (away for refurbishment).
Claire Boon has agreed to be Ashley's deputy safety adviser. Claire has been skiffing and rowing between Shepperton and Sunbury since 1992, so she knows 'our patch' well.
As rumoured since January, it's the end of boat building at Eton.
Full results of the Thames Valley Trial Head at Dorney Lake are now up. 3 wins, all of them from J16 girls. Plus a second place for the women's novice coxed four on their racing debut.
We have acquired 4 matching recreational/beginner single sculls from the late Pat Sherwin at Southsea. Greg Jones and John Burnett kindly collected them on our behalf. The boats do need some basic repairs and setting-up, and we plan to do this during the Spring.
We have despatched our last remaining wooden pairs/doubles to their new homes. The fashion outlet Ralph Lauren are proposing to use them in their Bicester store which opens on 18th March. The third boat in the collection is Mick Howe's old single, kindly salvaged from his garden. Thanks go to Carl & Claire for assembling the consignment and to John T for organising and making the delivery.
The Rowing Foundation have kindly granted us £2,500 towards the purchase of two 65kg Janousek doubles suitable for use by smaller juniors. The boats are in service now, but we can expect a naming ceremony when the weather is kinder. The balance of the cost is being met by the 2006 President's Appeal and a contribution from club funds.
John Whittet, the former owner of Whittet's Ait and supporter of the club since the 1950s has died. The club will be represented at his funeral today by John Burnett.
Last week, the funeral of Charlie Drake was held at St James' Church in Weybridge. Charlie used to live on Hamm Court and became a supporter of the club. The eight "The Drake" was purchased following a donation from Charlie in 1965; the bows of that once-superb boat are today hanging from the clubroom ceiling.
The clubhouse and outside boats escaped serious damage in the recent storms. However a couple of doubles did blow off their racks even though the ties were on them. The same boats narrowly avoided being crushed by a tree which came down on the landing stage. Thanks are due to Tim Owens for securing the boats and removing the tree.
The events committee have confirmed the details for the Weybridge Veterans & Juniors Head on Sunday 18th March. Plaques will be awarded to winning crews and entry fees have been reduced from last year.
We had a handy 5 wins from 7 entries at Maidstone Small Boats Head on Sunday. The River Medway was hardly flowing at all, which led to some quick times. Fortunately for us, it looks like Maidstone SBH was the only rowing race in the country which ran over the weekend. Oddly quite a few of the umpires were from our area, but there were very few Thames-based competitors.
The Hyne Cup will be on Sunday 25th February at 11am. Walton RC are the hosts this year.
All of the ergos in the clubhouse have been thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. The handfulls of fluff removed from the fan casings mean that those people who train 'scientifically' should check their preferences, since you might need to use a lower damper number to achieve the same drag factor. Thanks to Claire for giving-up her Saturday afternoon to get this job done.
Those who enjoyed Greg Jones' rum punch after the Christmas morning row should be aware that the Bermuda rum was personally delivered during last year by Michael Swain from Bermuda Rowing Club. Thanks, Michael, for your kind gift.
We are redeeming our 985 Tesco vouchers for core-stability balls and pump, a sit-up mat and a stopwatch. The order has been sent off. Thanks to everyone who helped us collect the vouchers during the autumn.
Eight Weybridge/Weyfarers people trekked around Ockham common on Boxing Day, covering 5½ miles before retiring for lunch.
We had a mixed eight and a double on the water for the traditional Christmas morning row, much to the amusement of the towpath walkers.
Clive reports that the latest orders for Powerhouse kit are now delivered and can be collected from him. Remember it is cash or cheque on collection.
The kit page has been brought up-to-date to reflect the colour brochure displayed at the clubhouse.
Almost 50 people enjoyed the delights of the Club Christmas Dinner on Saturday night. Congratulations to Sheila, Caroline and all the other volunteers for putting on such a good show.
There is a new 'for sale' item on the notice board.
Here are some key points from the AGM for those who couldn't make it... ? 3 new committee members : Tom Meade (secretary), Howard Simons (treasurer), Paul Wielgut ? rule change to make it clear that future rule changes must be advised in writing along with the meeting notice ? Caroline Turnbull and Carl Boon become honorary life members ? Alasdair Kean becomes a vice president ? Walton & Weybridge Regatta will be held on 9th June '07, but we need team leaders and volunteer workers if the is to be a success. The new regatta secretary is Ashley Tilling. ? major project for the year ahead is likely to be the upgrade of the boathouse drains and septic tank.
One fact that was skipped at the AGM was that Leif Mills is retiring as club chairman after 9 consecutive years' service. We owe Leif a vote of thanks for "keeping a firm hand on the rudder lines" as we passed some tricky obstacles along the way.
There's an assortment of pictures from the Dinner Dance on the Take-the-Pose site.
Over 130 people attended the annual dinner dance and it was an excellent way to remember the 2005/06 year and to look forward to even better achievements in the near future. The 2006 Spreadbury Cup for an outstanding contribution to club activities went to Clive Capel for his behind-the-scenes admin of the busy junior section and his inspired mentoring of junior beginners.
Here's some post-Silver Sculls trivia for those analysing the results:
- Mike Knowles fell out of his single at Shepperton weir, but got back in and raced - and won, much to his surprise.
- Claire Boon and Jack Shepherd were the only people to race twice for Weybridge.
- Fiona Parry was the 4th quickest woman of the day.
- our 5 wins gave the home team its best showing for at least 10 years.
- at least 50 volunteers gave up their time to help run the event.
- the conditions were so tough that Hugh Mackworth-Praed's winning time was the slowest since 1974 (set by Dan Topolski).
- Lewis Knollman from Walton, who won the Demerara Cup as the fastest junior sculler, was at work stacking shelves in the Weybridge branch of Waitrose until 10pm on Friday night.
- EJ Bradbury of Thames RC went for a swim mid-race and still came 2nd in J14.
- professional photographer Richard Ward was lurking on the bottom Cut bridge, and his photos are now on-line.
The 50th anniversary Silver Sculls took place yesterday in changeable weather conditions and a strong stream. Overall winner was Hugh Mackworth-Praed of Auriol Kensington RC and Master i/c rowing at Pangbourne College. There were 5 Weybridge wins: Mike Knowles in Vet F, James "Fred" Coxhead in J15 and Fiona Parry in Womens Novice singles, Alison & Emily in WS2 and Linda & Liz in W Vet Novice doubles. Many thanks to the marshals, timekeepers and other helpers who did a splendid job as usual, and to Sheila and her team for the delicious home-made soup and other goodies on sale at the Canoe Club.
Results from the Pairs' Head are now up. Alison & Emily came an excellent 2nd in WS2 doubles (and came 8th from 73 women's doubles overall). Peter & Jude also came 2nd in mixed veteran C/D/E doubles, to complete a good day on the Tideway.
Readers of Rowing & Regatta magazine will notice a proliferation of light blue and dark blue in the October edition, which is out this week. There is a spread on the Silver Sculls on pages 42/43 and an illustrated profile of the club itself on pages 30/31.
We received a friendly welcome at Maidstone Scullers Head on Sunday. The event is held on the River Medway, which is relatively narrow and bendy. Much to his surprise and amusement, Mick Howe claimed his 10th win of the year in Vet A/B/C handicap doubles, with Carl. Claire was happy to overtake three of her opposition to come home 3rd out of 6 finishers in women's novice sculls.
The 50th anniversary Silver Sculls has been given new mini-site on this server. Take a look at the newly-written brief history and list of previous winners. Additionally, a full picture article is planned for the October edition of Rowing & Regatta magazine.
We are introducing a Boat Usage Log. This is to try and establish some consistency in 'who-uses-what' as well as allowing us to determine which boats get the most usage. You will find the book next to the blade racks. Please record EVERY outing. The onus for doing this will fall upon whomever occupies the bow-seat of each crew.
Watch out for the little red arrows on the saxboards of each club boat which indicate the normal positions that boat's assigned rack. Please pay attention to exactly where you leave your boat so that you do not interfere with an adjacent boat.
2006
Five wins and some other very close verdicts at Lea Regatta on Sunday, all witnessed by Caroline who raced herself on the River Lea over 30 years ago. Unusual goings-on included vet B double opposition from Broxbourne falling in within sight of the finish (picture courtesy of Nick Coxhead) ; and later, a visit from the armed police in pursuit of local yobs who had harassed the nearby cricketers.
For the benefit of those who were at the World Championships last week, here is an article by TV presenter John Inverdale. Page down to the second part of his piece to get his opinion on the proceedings at Dorney Lake. Praise indeed !
Here's a quick summary of the Summer General Meeting:
- Caroline Turnbull was elected to be captain from today and becomes the 3rd lady captain in our 125 years. She outlined her expectations for the year under the headings of Safety, Education and Excellence. More details to follow in a newsletter bulletin to all members during September.
- 2006/7 subs are going to be £230 for seniors and £135 for juniors with a small discount for full payment by 31st October and a discount for second and subsequent family members.
The police are investigating a suspicious fire at Weybridge Sailing Club last weekend. Their Nissen hut workshop was gutted and several boats were destroyed. We must remind everyone that any obvious fire-lighting materials must be stored away from the boathouse.
Well done to Emily & Alison who won WS2 doubles at Peterborough on Saturday. In tricky windy conditions, they finished a length up on their decent opposition which included the likes of Mortlake, Tideway Scullers and Peterborough.
The Weybridge volunteers for the World Championships got together to pose for a photo on Sunday, courtesy of Greg and Judith. Hopefully picture articles will appear in the local media in the next week or two.
Thank you to everyone who supported the Rag Regatta & Visitors' Day on Sunday. Click here for a report and photos.
Here are some pictures of the ARA recreational tour.
We would like to welcome Paul Willcocks, of St George's College and Vesta RC, who will be helping with coaching our crews over the summer. His timetable will be based around the juniors' sessions, but that does not preclude seniors from joining the flotilla and enjoying the benefit.
At St Neots Regatta on Saturday, there was an afternoon storm that caused a suspension of the racing for an hour. The huge gusts of wind destroyed several tents and left the first-aiders out in the open as the temperature dropped by 10C in a just few minutes. On the river, we had a couple of finals to consider : in Vet C doubles, Carl & Eric lost to Ancholme and in Vet B doubles, a withdrawal due to injury meant that Carl & Mick had to scull-over the 1000metre course.
Greg Jones has provided a list of Weybridge people who are signed-up as volunteers at the upcoming World Rowing Championships. This is an excellent turn-out and Greg will be arranging a get-together soon.
There is summary of the juniors' exploits at Molesey Regatta on the juniors' news page.
A report of the President's Reception are now featured on the juniors' news page. And some excellent photos too.
The 5 seniors who travelled up to Bedford contested 7 races in blustery conditions. The only win in a final was Alison & Emily in WS2 doubles.
Regattas coming-up for us in July include Molesey, Molesey Juniors, Staines, Burway Vets & Juniors and St Neots. We can expect our crews to compete at all these events. Click here for links to posters, draws and results. Remember to file your entries and race fees in good time to Tracey Charge, our entries co-ordinator.
The summer general meeting/captain's election is confirmed as being on Thursday 31st August, which is the latest possible date under the club rules.
There is a shiny 'new' boat lurking in the boathouse. Second-hand Janouseks don't appear on the market very often, but Caroline has managed to acquire this coxless quad and it has been professionally refurbished by Andre Munday. We need to sort out the rigging and find some seats for it, but hopefully Caroline will be in the first crew to take "Turn A'Wey" out on the water during July.
The President is going-to-town with plans for his reception on 9th July. Apparently, there will be a launching of the newly restored coaching vessel. And everyone will have a first opportunity to get a limited-edition "Weybridge 125th Anniversary" shirt, specially designed by Rock The Boat. Here is the design in light blue which will be printed on navy short-sleeved T-shirts (either unisex or fitted) with "Weybridge" on the back. Price only £12.50. Contact Derek Holmes to reserve yours in advance.
Congratulations to Sheila, Caroline and the entire event team for putting on a first-class Pre-Henley Ball. There are too many sterling helpers to mention in one paragraph, but if you did your bit then give yourself a pat on the back. Hopefully everyone had a memorable evening. There are some pictures available, courtesy of the junior squad.
Mark Eshelby, director of Latchmere Properties who own Whittet's Ait, reports that they have put up a new sign to remind people not to park on the road. He also says that a few of the "Phase 2" (2005) apartments are still for sale. The show home at 12 Flockton House is open from Thursdays to Mondays inclusive.
Michael Swain, former Weybridge oarsman and current 200 Club member, is now residing in Bermuda. He send us pictures of their latest boat purchases. As you can see, delivery is not easy to such a remote location. We are so lucky to have boat factories on our doorstep here in the Thames valley.
Clare Groome reports that she completed the 5K Cancer Research "Race for Life" in Newcastle last weekend, although not in a record time - not that it matters. Thank-you to all who supported. Her sponsorship page will be open until 18th June.
The President, Derek Holmes, is holding a reception at the clubhouse on Sunday 9th July, around midday. All members and their families are welcome. Apparently the Mayor of Elmbridge has already accepted his invitation. Derek is launching an appeal to raise funds for more boats for the juniors, so bring your cheque books. If you can't afford a donation, then offer to organise a fund raising event instead.
At Weybridge Ladies' Regatta on Sunday, the sun was out again. We had 4 wins on home water: WJ15 quad (Julia, Diana, Emma D, Kirsten, TomC), WJ15 doubles (Julia, EmmaD), WNovice doubles (Linda & Liz) and Mixed Veteran doubles (Peter & Jude). For a better write-up, see the juniors' news page. Race results are now on-line too.
Sheila would like to express her enormous thanks and congratulations to everyone who helped with the regatta catering effort on Saturday. The teamwork was quite superb, from erecting the tent at 6am through to clearing-up at 8pm. Thank-you, too, for all the kind donations of food, equipment and time; these will greatly improve the financial result which will be posted in the clubhouse very shortly.
Thanks to Spike the regatta IT guru, the complete results from Saturday's Walton & Weybridge Regatta went on-line shortly after the last race. You'll see that we had 3 crews progress through to their respective finals. The new men's novice four - comprising our J16s and J18s - came within 1/2length of winning, a result that will give them great confidence. Claire Boon got tipped out of her single by a cruiser in the busy navigation lane, but clambered back in and raced her semi-final without delaying the regatta. Her event was the subject of a "stewards' inquiry" later when it was discovered that the "winning" sculler from Walton RC was not a novice and was disqualified.
At Thames Ditton Regatta on Saturday there were excellent wins for James Coxhead and James Whittingham in their respective single scull events. For full descriptions of their races and those of the other competing boats, see the juniors' news page.
170 miles away, at the Shrewsbury Regatta weekend on the picturesque River Severn, Claire Boon reached the semi-finals of women's novice sculls both days but was knocked out by the same sculler from Pengwern BC, the home club. On Sunday, Carl & Mick won vet 'B' doubles after battles with old adversaries from Huntingdon and Loughborough.
Many of the more recent recruits were off to Cranmore School swimming pool at West Horsley to undertake their capsize drill last Sunday, led by Caroline. This is a vital step in learning to row and scull. You never know when you might end-up 'in the drink' and knowing what to do in that situation is key.
There is a short report along with a nice selection of photos of Saturday night's party on the juniors' news page. Special thanks to the Whittingham family for decorating the clubroom, Theresa, Jude and Julia for all of the catering, Caroline for manning the bar and our house DJ Nick for getting everyone - including the coaches Jon and Clive - up on the dancefloor. And, of course, thanks to Sheila for masterminding the evening.
Thursday night suppers have raised £120 over the last 2 months. Well done all who have contributed to this effort through cooking and eating.
Our enterprising juniors (Jack, Chris and Tom C) have now developed their own website, with lots of information, photos and even video clips.
Rock The Boat have a stock of the brand new 2006 British Rowing Almanack, published only last week. For details of the special offer for Weybridge members, email Di or see the noticeboard in the clubhouse. Pages 157/8 of the book contain an article describing the career of Greg Jones, former president, captain & secretary of the Club, and a tongue-in-cheek description of the club kitchen.
The 10th Spreadbury dinner on 8th April was enjoyed by 40 people, mostly Spreadbury Cup winners from 1950 to 2005 plus a few of the current committee. Thanks to Greg Jones & family for organising the event.
Results from Teddington Sculls are now confirmed on their site. It shows wins for our women's J15 quad and men's vet B double. Our other crews all came well placed in their events. Full details to follow. Special credit goes to the J15 quad bowman Callum Russell who, despite his visual impairment, showed great skill in his first race on 'foreign' water. Thanks to Tim Owens for getting up early to tow the trailer and to all the other parents for their support on the towpath.
The Avid magazine article has been published following the photoshoot and interview back in January. It is available on-line.
News has reached us that Bill Stagg passed away on 28th February. Bill was a stalwart of the club in the 1970s and was Spreadbury cup winner in 1974. Bill devoted a great deal of time and energy working with the junior section at Weybridge. He and his wife Elsie were also well known at WLARC. The Club was represented at his funeral on 20th March.
On 2nd March, the Weybridge Mariners' clubhouse opposite Weybridge Ladies' was consumed by fire. This is a timely reminder that we too have a wooden building and should take extra care to minimise the risks.
Results for the Weybridge Veteran and Junior Head are now online. Two wins for our Junior squad - the Womens J15 quad stormed home a minute faster than their nearest opposition and the Mens J14 quad of James, James, James and James won by an even bigger margin despite some dodgy steering by their cox James (no I'm not making it up!) which earned them a 10 second penalty. Many thanks to all who helped on the day with umpiring, marshalling and time keeping and to the catering team for their delicious homemade soup and cakes.
The Vet D eight came 2nd out of 3 at Burway Head. By all accounts it wasn't the most pleasant of days : it was very cold with a bitter north-east wind, the crews were 20mins late starting and then got underway in pretty much any order they wished.
Following the confirmation of Avian Influenza ("bird flu") in France & Germany, it is more than likely that wild birds will bring it to the UK soon. Although the risks are small, if you come across a dead bird - maybe a swan, goose or duck - do not touch it since any infection could be passed by direct contact. We should report dead birds to DEFRA by calling 0845 933 5577. Further, it is good practice to wash your hands after going anywhere in the vicinity of where birds might have been present, such as on the landing stage.
There is a mistake in the results for Molesey Veterans Head. The Weybridge Vet D crew claimed the pennant for that event by just 0.9sec over Poplar since the Maidenhead crew were actually Vet C. However the result is insignificant compared with what follows...
Walton RC oarsman Simon Mepham collapsed and died from a suspected heart attack at the finish line of Molesey Vets Head on Saturday. He was 50. Simon competed for Weybridge RC in the mid-1980s and courtesy of Bob King we have a picture from the 1987 Head of the River* with Simon in the '6' seat. Simon's partner Sarah Birch is our coach for senior crews and to her and the rest of Simon's family and crewmates we express our sympathy at this difficult time.
*the full crew is bow-Peter Collins, 2-Adam Mills, 3-Bob King, 4-Andy Knot, 5-Alec? 6-Simon, 7-Crispin Lee, str-Peter Levy, cox-Julia?
Twenty four crews took part in the Hyne Cup in wet and windy conditions. Walton's youthful Senior 3 VIII retained the title, with the rather more mature S2 eights of Walton and Weybridge fighting a close battle for second. A strong novice four from the University of Surrey won the Allwork Cup, while the Henry Stebbing Cup for the fastest women's crew went to Weybridge (Jax, Fiona, Alison and Emily). The fastest junior crew were Tom O, Tom C, Jack and Jackson. Here are the full results . Well done to all who took part, and many thanks to those who helped on the day, especially Rosie, Marion, Veena and Anne P who warmed everyone up with hot soup afterwards.
The results from Saturday's Burway Small Boats Head are now online along with lots of pictures. Here is a summary of some very respectable performances:
Alex 6th out of 11 competitors in J18 1x
JamesC 2nd from 5 in J14 1x
Kirsten & Diana 3rd from 17 (yes - seventeen) in WJ15 2x
Alison & Emily 2nd from 4 in WS2 2x
Linda & Liz 2nd from 6 in WNov 2x.
A grand effort, especially from those juniors who had to contend with Shepperton and Chertsey locks in both directions.
So unfortunately no wins to add to the what is now the final winners list for the year.
60 people demolished the Christmas Dinner on Saturday evening. The highlight of the evening was a visit from Santa, with presents in his sack for all the juniors. Many thanks to Caroline, Sheila, Jacky and James W who did the cooking, Tom C, Tom O, Chris, Jack and Jackson who waited at tables, manned the bar (allegedly under the watchful eye of JT) and sold raffle tickets, Teri and the decorating team, and all the others who helped put it together and, most importantly, cleared up aftewards.
Photographs of the Anniversary Dinner taken by Take the Pose are now linked here, note there are 6 pages of thumbnails.
Results for the Walton Small Boats Head. are now online. Good solid performances from everyone, including JamesW & Alex who came 26th overall in their double first-time out, and Kirsten & Diana who won WJ15 2x after coming 3rd in WJ14 and WJ15 singles respectively. Geoff has clearly made a lot of progress in his single, coming 3rd in his event only 1sec behind Peter.
The prizes are presented next Sunday (11th) at 12.30pm at Walton RC. Photos taken from the bottom Cut bridge are now available.
Here is a picture received of Mr Beagley receiving the Spreadbury Cup at the Anniversary Dinner.
Club History CD Lynn Yeo is putting together a souvenir CD of the Anniversary Dinner, with historic photos spanning nearly 100 years of the Club's activity. We need additional material for the last 10 years, and some good photographs of the dinner itself. Please let Caroline or John have any suitable stuff (digital or hard copy) a.s.a.p. and we will pass it on to Lynn. Let us know too if you would be interested in buying a copy (for a modest price).
The Club rules have been updated to include the amendment to Rule 5 approved at the AGM. Prospective new members no longer need to be proposed and seconded but should simply complete a membership form and pin it to the notice board. However they should make themselves known to a member of the Committee so that their application can be considered at the next Committee meeting.
Key points from the AGM for those who couldn't make it... ? Derek Holmes elected as President ? John Turnbull becomes honorary life member ? Leif Mills becomes a vice president ? some vacancies remain on the new committee now that Judith and Caroline have stood down ? accounts show a busy but viable year has passed ? 30% of members have joined during the past year ? new insurance policy is in place ? a development sub-committee will investigate the feasibility of re-developing at our current site subject to achieving an improved lease ? Walton & Weybridge Regatta will be held on 3rd June '06, the name change reflecting the true nature of the event.
It's a non-racing week, so we've got space to mention two former Weybridge people who were in competition last weekend: Oscar Rogers came 2nd in J18 2x and 3rd in J17 1x at Pangbourne Junior Sculls and Chris Moat came 11th (time 7:08.5) in age 30-34 lightweight men's event at the British Indoor Rowing Championships at the NEC, Birmingham.
The 125th Anniversary dinner proved to be a night to remember. Generations of oarsmen & women from the 1950s to the present day came together to mark occasion at the Hilton Hotel, Cobham. Congratulations to JohnT, ably assisted by Caroline, NigelB, Derek, PeterL, Anne, Lynn and all those volunteers who comprised the event team. Also well done to the junior squad who raised over £1000 through selling raffle tickets on the night.
Guest speaker Di Ellis, chairman of the ARA presented the club with a framed certificate for display in the clubhouse. Winner of the Spreadbury Cup for 2005 is Jon Beagley for his support of junior rowing, not just his own attendance in all weathers on the towpath, but also for recruiting help from others. This is all the more remarkable because Jon has hardly ever rowed himself.
If anyone wishes to share any good photos from Saturday's dinner dance, please send them to:- facilities [at] weybridge.rowing.org.uk
The World Championships at Dorney Lake are 8 months away, hence the appearance of their banner above. The organisers are inviting juniors to sign-up for training sessions to become the start team - see the TRRC site for further details. Weybridge people will be especially welcome. Speak to Judith Packer for further information.
The results from Saturday's Burway Small Boats Head are now online along with lots of pictures. Here is a summary of some very respectable performances:
Alex 6th out of 11 competitors in J18 1x
JamesC 2nd from 5 in J14 1x
Kirsten & Diana 3rd from 17 (yes - seventeen) in WJ15 2x
Alison & Emily 2nd from 4 in WS2 2x
Linda & Liz 2nd from 6 in WNov 2x.
A grand effort, especially from those juniors who had to contend with Shepperton and Chertsey locks in both directions.
So unfortunately no wins to add to the what is now the final winners list for the year.
60 people demolished the Christmas Dinner on Saturday evening. The highlight of the evening was a visit from Santa, with presents in his sack for all the juniors. Many thanks to Caroline, Sheila, Jacky and James W who did the cooking, Tom C, Tom O, Chris, Jack and Jackson who waited at tables, manned the bar (allegedly under the watchful eye of JT) and sold raffle tickets, Teri and the decorating team, and all the others who helped put it together and, most importantly, cleared up aftewards.
