News
Spring 2010
Summer Hours
The clocks have changed and daylight is lasting longer and we return to rowing at 6 o'clock in the evenings
- Tuesday, 20st of April will be the first Tuesday evening outing.
- Sunday, 25th of April will be the first Sunday evening.
- Sunday morning rowing has finished until the Autumn.
Summer 2009
Beach Party
Our Summer Party will be held on Saturday the 29th of August on Lowestoft's South Beach
Sue and Grainne are organising food, contact them to be organised.
Bring your own drinks.
Swimming, Rounders, Boules, Sandcastles, Sand in your undies - the usual beach stuff!
ARA Coaching Courses
The ARA will be running Level 2 Coaching courses in the East of England this Autumn. The courses are open to anyone over 16 who is already coaching or is interested in coaching and gaining a recognised qualification. Details of what the course covers are on the ARA Website.
There will be one taking place in Peterborough on the weekends of the 5th/6th and the 19th/20th of September and one in Cambridge on the 7th/8th, Sunday the 15th and Sunday the 22nd of November.
See the flyer or talk to Paul for more details. Grants maybe available to cover the costs.
Spring 2009
Doggett's Coat and Badge winners attend boat naming ceremony
Two winners of an historic rowing race visited Lowestoft to launch a new era at the town's rowing club.
George Saunders and Gary Anness both won the Doggett's Coat and Badge race, which is held annually on the River Thames - and is the oldest rowing race in the world.
Both George and Gary dressed in their coats on April 25 for a special ceremony at Oulton Broad to name Lowestoft Rowing Club's new recreational rowing boats.
The boats - two recreational coxed quad boats and a single sculling boat - were bought with the aid of a grant from the sport's governing body, the Amateur Rowing Association, supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Sport England.
The quads have been named Kipper and Bloater and the sculling boat Waveney Waterman.
Gary, who is a tug captain on the Thames, couldn't resist a trip on the calm waters of Oulton Broad - and took Waveney Waterman for a short outing dressed in his waterman's coat.
"The setting here at Oulton Broad is perfect and the water is fantastic for rowing," said Gary. "The sport is definitely on the up and the success of British crews at the Olympics has raised its profile. Hopefully, more people will take it up in Lowestoft. You never know, but the next Olympic rowing champions could come from this area," he added.
There is a strong link between the club, the Watermen of the Thames and the Doggett's Coat and Badge race. Two members of the club - Leonard Saunders and his sister, Kate - both competed in the race during the 1990s although did not win. Their father Len, also a club member, holds the prestigious ceremonial post of Queen's Waterman, which dates back to times when the Sovereign used a Royal Barge to travel on the Thames. And the club's fleet boasts two boats which have been used in the race.
George - who is a veteran world rowing champion - and Gary also named the club's coxed four Nicholas Everitt. The four was bought several years ago, assisted by a £1000 grant from Waveney District Council.
Club President, Geoff Stevens, said afterwards: "This was an important day in the club's history. For the first time, we have a fleet of recreational boats, which are far more stable than our racing boats. They are ideal for training beginners and for people who simply enjoy rowing but don't want to compete.
Lowestoft Rowing Club will be holding a 'Try Rowing' open day at its Oulton Broad boathouse on Sunday, 17th May between 10am and 4pm.
Boat Naming Ceremony - 11 am Saturday 25th April
On Saturday the 25th of April two former winners of the Doggett's Coat and Badge race will visit the club in their full regalia to officially name the new boats.
The Doggett's Coat and Badge race is the oldest rowing race in the world. It has been held on the Thames annually between apprentices of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen since 1715. A brief history of the Doggett's Coat & Badge race on Wikipedia.
Please come along at 11 am on Saturday the 25th of April to welcome our guests.
5-9 pm, Saturday the 11th of May.
St Mark's Church Hall.
Grainne and Sue are organising another quiz night. Food will be served.
Come along and show how brainy (or not) you are!
Postponed until the Winter.
Summer Hours
The clocks have changed and daylight is lasting longer and we return to rowing at 6 o'clock in the evenings
- Wednesday, 22st of April will be the first Wednesday evening outing.
- Sunday, 26th of April will be the first Sunday evening.
- Sunday morning rowing has finished until the Autumn.
Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championship
Deben Rowing Club will be hosting the Suffolk Indoor Rowing Championships on Saturday the
11th of April (Easter weekend) at Woodbridge Community Hall.
See the Poster, website or email
Tim Earnshaw for more details.
Ceilidh
More than 50 people enjoyed the Rowing Club's latest social event – a ceilidh, held last Saturday (January 10) at St Mark's Church Hall in Oulton Broad.Club members and their families and friends enjoyed dancing to music provided by musicians from Tutti – and, in between the dancing, a meal of lasagne followed by a huge choice of puddings.
Club captain Nigel Lyman said that the event had been a tremendous success. "Everyone had a great time – and it was good to see so many people attending the event in support of the club." "Special thanks goes to club members Grainne and Sue for the fantastic food provided on the night – and to club member Marie, who led the ceilidh band and made sure everyone danced in time."
The event, which also included a raffle, raised £200; £100 will go to club funds, with the other £100 donated to Tutti, which is an organisation of musicians aiming to promote the benefits of music to the local community
Autumn 2008
Names Needed!
We have recently acquired some new boats.
- Two coxed recreational quads
- One recreational single
We also have a racing coxed four without a name.
We need some names for these boats!
Please submit your suggestions to Paul before the 31st of December. The final selection
will be made at the Ceilidh on the 10th of January 2009.
Poster
Eastern Region Small Boats Head
Any one fancy a 4K head race over the CUBC training course on the Great Ouse at Ely. Entries invited for pairs, double and singles of any status. It's on Sunday the 2nd of November.
For more infomations see the Notice and Poster
Boat Maintenance Workshop
Would you like to have further information on how to look after your expensive boats? How to repair small
holes and bow ends? Then this is the workshop for you.
The ARA in conjunction with the ERRC will hold a workshop on
SUNDAY 9TH NOVEMBER 2008
Venue Conservatory at
PETERBOROUGH CITY ROWING CLUB
COST: £10.00 PER PERSON ATTENDING
Please pay on the day cheques should be made payable to ERRC.
The workshop will last for approximately half a day and will include a practical session showing how minor boat repairs can be carried out.
More info and contact details can be found on this leaflet.
Coach of the Year
Nominations are open for ARA Coach of the Year 2008. Check out the flyer for details.
Winter Hours
Its that time of year again. Due to the dwindling daylight club outings will switch to winter hours.
- Tuesday, 9th of September will be the last Tuesday evening outing.
- Sundaym 14th of September will be the last Sunday evening.
- Sunday morning rowing will begin from the 21st of September
Summer 2008
ARA Tour 2008 - Stourport to Gloucester
Veteran Club Members Paul Gurbutt and Geoff Stevens took part in this year's very successful tour on the River Severn. The trip was over three days leaving the boats overnight at a rowing club and returning to the comfort of a hotel in Gloucester.
The weather was perfect for rowing – no rain and not too much sun. The pictures below give you some idea of just how enjoyable recreational touring rowing can be.
This was the fifteenth tour organised by the ARA, on various rivers, and Geoff and Paul have been on most of them. Next year's tour will possibly be back on the Thames rowing from Henley to Teddington.
Olympic Rowing Events
The Olympic rowing events begin with the heats on Saturday the 9th of August and end with the
finals on Saturday the 16th (4-, 2x, 2-, 1x) and Sunday the 17th (L4-, L2x, 4x, 8+).
Most races will be on between 7 and 11 in the
morning in Britain, with the finals starting at 8.30 am. Check the BBC webpage for a full
schedule.
Cheering at the tele will make no difference, but is fun!
Recreational and Adult Learn-to-Row Award
Lowestoft Rowing Club has been awarded Recreational and Adult Learn-to-Row status by the Amateur Rowing Association. Here is a website explaining the ethos of recreational rowing with some good links and info.
Lowestoft Carnival Volunteers Wanted!
The Friends of Lowestoft Hospital Carnival Parade 2008 Organiser has asked for volunteers from the Rowing Club to serve as collectors in this year's procession.
The parade takes place on Sunday the 10th of August and starts from Kirkley Park Road at 3.00 pm and finishes on Katwijk Way at about 5.30 pm. The collectors would need to be at the start by 2.30 pm. This is neither a long walk nor a long time, is great fun and could greatly benefit those patients of Lowestoft Hospital. As well as being a very worthy activity it would also help to raise the profile of the club. More and contact info on the Carnival Website. If anyone wishes to take part then they should contact Geoff as soon as possible.
ARA Coaching Courses
The ARA will be running Level 2 Coaching courses in the East of England this Autumn. The courses are open to anyone over 16 who is already coaching or is interested in coaching and gaining a recognised qualification. Details of what the course covers are on the ARA Website.
There will be one taking place in Norwich on the weekends of the 13th/14th, the 27th/28th of September and on the 4th of October, finishing with an assessment probably on the 25th & 26th of October.
See the flyer or talk to Paul for more details. Grants maybe available to cover the costs.
Paul appointed to the Broads Authority Navigation Committee
Congratulations to Club Chairman, Paul Gurbutt, who has been appointed to the Broads Authority Navigation Committee.
It's good that there will now be a representative for rowing on this group.
Here's a link to the news article on the Broad's Authority website.
Winter 2007
Funding joy for rowers
Lowestoft Rowing Club has received a major funding boost to allow more people to enjoy the sport locally. The club, based at Oulton Broad, has just been awarded nearly £14,000 for new boats and equipment to promote recreational rowing in the Lowestoft area. The money is coming from the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA). It will be added to a contribution of more than £4000 from the club to buy two new recreational rowing boats, oars and lifejackets.
Club chairman Paul Gurbutt said: “We are delighted that our application to the ARA was successful. People know about rowing as a competitive sport, thanks to the success of athletes such as Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent. “They may not realise that the sport also caters for people who don't want to race but would rather take to the water for relaxation, fitness and fun. “Thanks to this new money, we will be able to create a new recreational rowing section within the club. “This means that we can make rowing more accessible to a greater range of people in the Lowestoft area.”
The money is coming from the ARA's Community Club Development Programme, which aims to increase participation in the sport from groups including young people. An order for the two new boats, which will be identical “quads” for four rowers, will be placed soon. The boats are far more stable than those used for racing. Already, the club is planning to use the boats in a “recreational rowing challenge” involving local clubs and pubs.
Full report in the Lowestoft Journal.