Rowing
| ...The afterlife for good boaties is to relish the pain passing the finish line
at Henley Royal Regatta on a sunny warm summer day, comfortably leading their opponents,
while spectators picnic along the river, eating strawberries, drinking Pimms, applauding
their victory.... |
| ...The afterlife for bad boaties is to heave the boat along in an endless Bumps
race, chased by a boat no closer than a canvas length behind on a cold rainy day with
gales and a coach who can't think of anything more sensibel to call than: "Faster,
faster!".... |
Racing side by side
One of the highlights of rowing is taking
part in races, especially those which are held in regatta style format,
i.e. side by side. This gives you an adrenalin kick that can be second
to none depending on who you are racing. The Cambridge 99 Spring
Regatta was one of those races for me. Read more here.
Bumps Racing is to be in the Prime of your Life
The famous race events on the Cam are "The bumps". The rules are
simple. There are about 17 boats in each division and they all 
start at the same time spaced about 1.5 boat
length ahead from each other. The objective is then to chase the boat in front of you
until you hit it and avoid getting hit by the boat behind you. The picture to the left is
from the University May bumps in 1996. I was in Churchill college 1st VIII and we were
chasing Caius 1st VIII. After a massive sprint we missed hitting them by a foot and
although they slipped away coming out of Plough Reach I still recall this as one of the
best races I've had with that crew.
Henley Royal Regatta
The summer 1996 was the time of my life as a rower. I rowed
in Churchill College's 1st VIII that
beat Imperial College B in the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley
Royal as you can see on the left picture. The regatta that takes place every year at
Henley-on-Thames is one of the traditional English social events happening every year. Read my
personal account of the race here.
There is far more to rowing than just heaving the boat along and occasionally
getting a few good strokes in....
It's a state of mind!
The ultimate way of rowing is to scull I think. However it is slower than in an VIII.
But because there is no doubt about who is spannering in the boat you have instant
feedback about what makes the boat go faster. If it goes well and you can feel the rhythm
then it's because of you, which is a most rewarding experience. The downside is when it is
crap and there is no one else to blame. Bumps races with sculls ought to be held one day,
I think!
Go here 
for my sculling page.
Other rowing resources
start at the same time spaced about 1.5 boat
length ahead from each other. The objective is then to chase the boat in front of you
until you hit it and avoid getting hit by the boat behind you. The picture to the left is
from the University May bumps in 1996. I was in Churchill college 1st VIII and we were
chasing Caius 1st VIII. After a massive sprint we missed hitting them by a foot and
although they slipped away coming out of Plough Reach I still recall this as one of the
best races I've had with that crew. 