The end of the regatta season has reached us yet again, marked as usual by the GBR weekend.
In most unusually sunny and wind free conditions the docks looked almost rowable this year - although the size of the buoys were a topic of hot debate - they were more man size that buoy size - with the outcome of a lot of coxless (end even some coxed) events being determined by who didn't hit one of the course markers.
The most important races of the day was the inaugural CBRC corporate rowing event where local companies were pitted against each other. The winning crew of the day went to Rach, and the Edward Drummond crew. Which saw Rach pocket the winnings from pot! The wooden spoon race was grudge match between the ParsonsBrinkhoff crews. I think that all involved enjoyed the day, and there were certainly many mumblings about joining up for real!
Other races of note was the S2 8+ with the CBRC crew showing the CBRC 'elvis' crew that age, experience and cycling training is not enough!
All the other results are on the CBRC site.....
All the other results are on the CBRC site.....
19 comments:
And don't forget the hospitalisation of one unfortunate sculler due to the size of the buoys, which landed him with suspected broken ribs when the coxless boat ran into one of them.
'straight course'
Don't make me laugh
It is straight - if you don't follow the bank!
It may be stright at 8am in the moring but not once one or two ferries have gone down and moved the buoys!
Wouldn't have made any difference to me anyway, can't steer a bendy course, can't steer a straight course!
The best way to get down the course is to bounce down off the buoys - worked a treat for me one year. Don't go too quickly, or you could end up on the way to the BRI like the guy from Ariel. For anyone who's interested, he "just" badly bruised his ribs and only spent a couple of hours in A&E before being allowed home.
These are the same size buoys that Brizzol have to cope with all the time, no problem for us!
The size of the buoys would not be an issue if you didn't crash into them, but a trip to A&E proves that they are dangerous if you do knock into them at full speed.
Unfortunatly they were too close together, even as a steerer with may years of experience it was very tricky to steer down the course.
I hope Bristol have appologised to the poor chap who had to go to hospital, and imporove safty features for next year.
Good to see City of Bristol regard the corporate 8's to be more important than ARA rowing. Maybe next year the focus could be on having a decent regatta, and run the corporate event on another day instead. It might annoy the people who paid good money to row in a unsafe regatta less.
Are you offering to assist with the organisation?
"Good to see City of Bristol regard the corporate 8's to be more important than ARA rowing."
- On what evidence do you base that accusation, exactly?
I seem to remember far more races were ARA events, than corporate or did you not find this to be the case?
The buoys were not too close together!
The Albano system at many multi-lane courses has buoys at not more than 12.5m apart and can be as close as 5m in some cases.
In my opinion there were probably too few, causing steerers to wander.
Corporate and 'fun' events will become a much more regular feature of many small regattas if they are not more heavily patronised by 'ARA' rowers in 'ARA' events. Those that don't go this way will disappear, or go to Dorney.
Corporate or not, it's still getting new blood into the sport. What better way to show 'em what it's all about????
As far as I know, no REAL rowers were denied events in order to run the corporate regatta. That both fitted on the same day is testimony to a lack of interest from proper rowers.
Gav - comment about the corporate 8's comes straight from the article. I am just quoting from this site!
Gurt Lush does not represent the official views of CBRC, it's intention is purely light hearted 'banter' written by individuals of the club.
The fact that the corporate rowing was noted as 'important' was purely down to the fact that the coxes had a 'pot of cash' to race for (which I also believe was donated to a charity), and this blog was following on from the previous blogs regarding the corporate row.
Getting people involved from outside the rowing circle is something to be encouraged - how else are we going to keep growing the sport from the old boys network that it has evolved from!
My bad - I didn't spot that in the article. However the implication by Gurt wasn't as you state it.
All those involved in any way with the corporate rowing now how intense the run up was, hence important...
*leaves*
Two questions:
Isn't it customary to actually look down the course before you start to verify that you are aligned and the course is straight?
Is the Albano system the one that uses white buoys that are sensitive to sunlight?
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