Written by Sarah Davies
I joined the club last year and not long after this I went to the compound to lift boats onto the trailers for the GRR. I remember thinking “that sounds amazing, I’d love to do that” and here I am having done it.
It was great to get to know everyone in the crew, some of them I’d never met or rowed with before. Thought I would enter the social crew, so I could experience the event with less pressure than racing in it. Prepping the boats on Thursday in Bristol and arriving on Friday afternoon in London to launch was very exciting and the “vibe” at Ham was so friendly and positive.
Amazingly I slept well and felt raring to go on the Saturday Morning. The advice to ” be prepared to get muddy” wasnt an exaggeration. Couldn’t believe how quickly the tide came in. It was then time for a last wee and to get into the boats. It was thrilling to be in amongst all the other boats and crews. Lisa, our Cox did a fantastic job of keeping us in a holding pattern and the whole crew kept each other jolly. A building called Convoys Wharf became our “spiritual home” as every time we looked up during the wait, we were there.
It was then time to start. The water was a bit choppy but we had been warned about this and we dug in. It was amazing to row under the iconic Tower bridge and see other landmarks, like the tower and the MI5 building. A friend of mine had positioned herself on the Millenium bridge and my hubby was on the Spectator boat, it was such a boost to see them and hear thier shouts of encouragement. All the Spectators were so encouraging. We fueled ourselves with jelly babies and Welsh cakes, the Welsh cakes having been donated by one of the Welsh crews.
Top left image below courtesy of Ben Fitzpatrick from Port Authority London.
The tide had turned when we were still 3 or 4 miles out, and that made the last bit tough, but again the crew buoyed each other up and we gave ourselves the challenge of fending off Buccaneer another gig, which we did to the last.
At the end it was so lovely to see members of our other crews waiting to help us out of the water, as we were all a bit broken. There was Prosecco to celebrate, probably not the best rehydration solution.
Normal kidney function resumed after a couple of pints of lime and soda. It was a great excuse for a carby burger and chips afterward.
Sunday boat cleaning was an opportunity to swap war stories and compare war wounds.
On reflection a very tough challenge but an amazing event to be part of because of the spectacle of it but also the team spirit. A big Thank you to everyone that made it happen. Would I do it again? Ask me next year 😅
Charlotte’s drawings
Charlotte Murray took the opportunity of being periodically in the pilot seat to create these fantastic sketches which perfectly capture the atmosphere of the day!
