On the seas

Friday night’s rowing from Newquay Rowing Club saw the last race of the season with the rowers rowing for the mighty Silver Welly. This is always a great race with all the regular Friday night crews being jumbled up as a pure celebration of all that is good in gig rowing, friendship and sheer competitiveness. As always Aggsy Baird and Jon Midgley had generously put up prize sportswear for the winners. First up was the ladies race which saw three crews take to the water with Fly, Active and Good Intent. As is only right, as a senior coxswain, Derek Applewhite reminded all crews of the importance of a couple of clean races paying attention with the greatest respect to the gigs. So it was only equally right and proper that hypocrisy rules and as the red mist came down for Derek that he T-boned the opposing gig in an attempt to halt its progress on the eastern mark in the first race. All to no avail as Marcus Bawden in the Active held the ramming Good Intent gig at bay and took his crew of Anita Beckerleg, Jenna Paul, Kelly Broderick, Natalie Silverthorn, 3 pins Mel Flynn and Kate Poole to a stunning victory. Mel is known as “three pins” as that is how many she broke on one leg of this race!

This spirit of respect for the gigs went in to the mens race when experienced coxswains Phil Trebilcock and Wayne Row took each other out on the eastern mark allowing the Active with Keith Parker at the helm to come inside and attempt to chase down the winning Fly. Of course Phil and Wayne had differing views as to why they came together on the mark to seemingly discuss global economic issues as well as rowing tactics. The Fly with a chastened Derek on the ropes swept to a win with Stevie Webber, Danny Tucker, Ross King, Chris Glaves, Mark Barraclough and Rob Coombe in the gig. Danny Tucker has had a very good year indeed winning this race and some major cup races after last year when he went the whole season without a win in a local, cup or welly race.

Newquay will field three crews in the championships this weekend coming and then the gigs will be rested along with the rowers for a day or two. Only a day or two as the World Championships are in May so that only leaves 29 weeks and 4 days from Monday October 10^thuntil those World Championships! So as we go in to autumn, winter and spring you will still see the odd gig on the sea with crews practising or just recreational rowers having fun. The rowers have a deep sense of gratitude to all those at the club who tend on in so many different valuable ways to make Newquay Rowing Club such a fantastic place to be with the gigs and atmosphere the envy of all rowers from every other club. God bless you all! See you all in the spring for the summer of 2012.