This weekend witnessed the completion of the second official annual CBRC Tour - this time to Perranporth, Cornwall.
Following last year's fine display in Bordeaux, eight members of the Men's Squad were invited to take part in the final round of the UK Surfboat Rowing League to take place in Portreath. As guests of Perranporth Surf Life Saving Club, the squad was handsomely looked after by Pete Gaisford, his family and numerous club members.
To say there was a vertical learning curve is pushing it a little, but the wearing of rash vests and speedos left the crews in no doubt that this sport was different. When the coaches informed the crews that the best way to gain significant advantages was to drill the technical aspects, we thought we were on familiar ground. However, these aspects turned out to be the entry to the boat, the turn around the buoy, and the dismount of the bow man to run up the beach. This was going to be tougher than we thought!
The boats were fours, with oarsmen sat in a staggered formation on the "opposite" side of the boat to the rigger. Our hosts provided a "sweep" (cox to you and I), and most importantly there were no seats! A shiny bit of plastic, plus water, plus 2 x bum cheeks provided for a unique set of blisters.
Due to the unpredictability of the sea, races in the UKSRL are held over a series of heats to level it up.
Well, CBRC made a fine showing during racing on Saturday, on a flat sea (due mainly to the strong offshore breeze). In heats of 6 boats, we came home with four 3rds, a 4th and a 6th, proving that we were finding the flat conditions to our favour. More surf and things would not have been quite so straight forward!
The surf finally got up on the Sunday, and we got the chance to experience some decent conditions. To say that the bow man usually catches all the weather is nothing compared to being doused in three feet of white water as a wave breaks onto the boat! You can very quickly forget that you have got speedos wedged up your crack when you are fighting through the best that the Atlantic Ocean can offer you that day.
As for off the water... very quiet, as you would expect. We had fantastic hosts, an idyllic beach side residence, and the chance to savour Cornish Ale, Rattler Cider and the wearing of the smell of the 1980's - Brut.
The return fixture is already in the planning.
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