CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

I hope that everyone has enjoyed the fantastic summer we have just had, and now with September upon us and with it cooler temperatures, we can start to look forward to the new rowing year ahead.

With that in mind, much has been happening at the Club this last month and I trust all will have read the announcement regarding the new coaching structure and performance management group, both of which are in the process of being set up. As reported, this will involve the addition of a third salaried coach and will represent a significant investment by the Club.

These changes, once in place, will be of great benefit to both our Club Rowers and Elite Squads, enabling London Rowing Club to continue moving forwards and to remain competitive with our nearest rivals.

On the water, the Battle Paddles have been in full swing throughout August and I am pleased that these very popular evenings continue to be well attended. It is great that both Club and Squad athletes have the chance to race with and against each other in such an informal and enjoyable format.

Then, at the end of the month, fourteen scullers took on the Doug Melvin Challenge, racing from the Bandstand to the LRC flagpole. It was a fine morning and conditions for the scullers were ideal. I am always very pleased to be at the Club for this event. Well done to all who took part and my congratulations go to the two winners.

Lastly, members will be sad to learn of the death of our wonderful and much loved member Anne Lury who will be missed by everyone who knew her. Anne was greatly admired and will be remembered as an inspiration for her courage and determination as she dealt with her condition over some considerable time. The Club extends its sincere condolences to Anne’s family, and in her memory the LRC flag was flown at half-mast. Please read Eddie Markes’s moving tribute to Anne in his article below.

Simon Melvin
Chairman, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

My report this month starts, as Matt's did last year, with the Thursday evening ‘Fight Nights’, which once again ran throughout August. These evenings continue to be a fantastic opportunity for members from across the Club to come together, race alongside and against people from different squads and groups, and enjoy some competitive rowing during the summer months. They are a great example of the Club at its best and of the sense of community we want to continue fostering.

A big thank you goes to Jennifer Arthur and Basil Amin for once again coordinating the evenings, as well as to all the other volunteers who gave up their time to help organise crews, equipment and racing and ensure the evenings could run successfully.

Over the summer, we have also been working on changes to the Club’s coaching set-up ahead of the new season. The changes are intended to strengthen the support available to rowers and coaches and create greater alignment across the different parts of the Club. Importantly, the objective is to elevate the standard of rowing across LRC as a whole, in keeping with the Club’s wider aims, while ensuring that members at different stages of their rowing have the opportunity to develop and achieve their ambitions. I am looking forward to seeing the new structure take shape as we move into the season.

August also saw the fifth annual Doug Melvin race take place in what were perhaps the best conditions we have enjoyed since the event began.

Congratulations go to Arun Jackson and Devin Ward, this year’s winners. Arun continues to extend his success in the single as he builds towards racing at the Silver Skiff in Turin later this autumn. The event would not be possible without those who give up their time to make it happen, so particular thanks go to all the volunteers and timekeepers who helped keep racing running smoothly throughout the day.

The Squad will officially return to training on 13th September. While there has been a break from the usual rowing programme, there has certainly not been a break from training, with members taking part in numerous activities over the summer including cycling, running and football. I am looking forward to seeing everyone back on the water and to what promises to be another exciting season for the Squad. Ed Thomas continues as Men’s Captain and is joined this season by Claudia Galbraith as Women’s Captain and Rory Copus as Coxes’ Captain. I wish all three the very best for the year ahead and look forward to working with them and the coaching team over the coming season.

Looking ahead, September brings a busy racing calendar for LRC. We have numerous entries heading to Lake Bled for the World Rowing Masters Regatta from 9th–13th September, followed by Scullers Head on 19th September. Later in the month, both a Men’s and Women’s eight will travel to Amsterdam for the Amstelbeker on 26th September, with both crews looking to retain their respective titles. Good luck to everyone representing the Club, and I look forward to seeing the results over the course of the month.
• World Rowing Masters Regatta (Lake Bled) – 09/09 to 13/09

• Scullers Head – 19/09

• Amstelbeker (Amsterdam) – 26/09

Edoardo Marshall
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

12 September: Great River Race
19 September: Vesta Scullers Head
26 September: Wallingford Long Distance Sculls
4 October: Pairs Head
10 October: Reading Small Boats Head
11 October: Thames Barrier annual test closure
17 October: Weybridge Silver Sculls
18 October: Maidenhead Small Boats Head
25 October: Upper Thames Autumn Head
31 October: Henley Sculls
7 November: Kingston Small Boats Head
7-8 November: GB Senior and U23 Trials
7-8 November: GB Para-rowing Trials
8 November: Docklands Small Boats Head
14 November: Teddington Head
21 November: Fours Head
22 November: Veterans Fours Head
29 November: Wallingford Fours and Eights Head
5-6 December: BR Indoor Championships
19 December: Remenham Challenge

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

MEN’S MASTERS REPORT

The Club wants to say a huge thanks to Jason Bowyer for his leadership, tenacity and vision over the past number of years leading our Men’s Masters’ group.

It has been a pleasure seeing the group go from barely being able to get a crew on the water to now fielding many crews at national and international competitions.

Jason has decided to step down from this role but will continue to play an active part at the Club.

We have seen a huge uptake in success for LRC during these years, and look forward to what comes next with the new coaching and management structure.

We are hugely grateful to Jason for his commitment and drive.

YOUNG IRREGULARS REPORT

Some of the Young Irregulars are putting the finishing touches to their preparations ahead of the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Slovenia, with Heather, Camille, Uli and Rachel heading to the spectacular Lake Bled next week for some exciting racing.

The squad will be competing in a quad as well as a number of doubles across different age categories:

WB 2x: Heather & Camille
WA 2x: Camille & Rachel
WD 2x: Heather & Uli
WC 2x: Uli & Rachel

Some of the squad has already had some valuable racing experience in the build-up to Slovenia, with Uli and Heather both taking part in the Doug Melvin Challenge WM1X. This was a wonderful event, made even better with a second and third place finish. Heather was delighted to take an impressive 1 minute 52 seconds off her time from last year.
As well as preparing for the racing ahead, the Young Irregulars are delighted to welcome Amy Dillon as a new member. It’s fantastic to have Amy join the Club. We look forward to seeing her get involved on the water and become part of the Young Irregulars community.

Eilidh McCormick

IRREGULARS REPORT - ANNE LURY

This last month has been punctuated by the very sad news of Anne Lury’s death on the 27th August. She died after a very long battle against cancer.

Anne joined the Club in January 2023 and quickly became a very popular member of the Irregulars. It was immediately apparent that she was fighting cancer but it was also abundantly clear that she was a real fighter and intended to live her life to the full when her treatment allowed.

She rowed with us whenever she could and particularly loved her Wednesday morning outings with the ladies.

She was also a regular attender at the gym for sessions with Hamzat and others.

Mostly, but after her two children of whom she was immensely proud, she was a great participator and supporter of LRC. She took part in the Traversée de Paris in 2023. She was a main member of the logistical team that enabled The Great London Row and did 2 years as a volunteer at The Metropolitan Regatta.

She will also be known for her daily updates and schedules of all things LRC at Henley Royal.

She was known and loved throughout LRC and much admired for her incredible bravery and positivity. We shall all miss her dearly.

Our sincere condolences and respect go to Laura and Matthew and her wider family.

Eddie Markes

BY A LENGTH AND A SWAN

Before the summer season drew to a close, George Caluian and I headed north to Peterborough Summer Regatta, with a simple plan: put the singles and double through their paces on the lake and enjoy a final weekend of racing.

Getting the double there was the first challenge. With no other club between Putney and Kingston towing a trailer that weekend, our pre-race preparation consisted of rowing the double to KRC, where we loaded it onto the trailer and set off for Peterborough.

As if rewarding our organisational genius, blue skies and sunshine followed us all the way. Peterborough turned out to be the perfect antidote to the blistering heat of London, with first class water conditions and beautiful surroundings of the River Nene, next to the lake. And then there was the free camping directly behind the club.

Have I mentioned the waterfront pub, just two minutes' walk from the lake?

It was shaping up to be a very good weekend.

Saturday: pots, pain and wildlife
The racing programme for us included singles and doubles, with the 500m sprints on Sunday.
My MasC 1x was a straight final, and the race delivered a comfortable win for London. George had to work harder, first coming through his heat placing him in a good Lane 2 in the morning final. He put together a strong race and saw off a challenge from Broxbourne.
Two pots in the bag - glass tankards, as pewter was expensive this year! Not a bad start.

Masters’ B/C doubles followed in the afternoon, where we comfortably qualified second in our heat against a solid crew from Doncaster, deliberately keeping something in reserve for the final. The last race of Saturday lined us up against the local Peterborough crew and the winner of our heat. We went off hard, setting the pace at 37 strokes per minute, charging past the Doncaster boat and settling in behind Peterborough.

For the entire race, we were about a length down, flighting, and kept pushing, slowly clawing our way back and eventually taking a canvas. The gap was closing.

Then came the warning from the bank.
"Watch out for the [indistinct]!"

A boat in our lane? Where had that come from? For a split second, we paused and looked twice before carrying on.
There was no four. There was, however, a swan. And not just any swan. A magnificent, entirely unbothered father of a family of three cygnets, who had apparently decided that the ideal moment to start crossing the lake was precisely when the racing crews were bearing down on him.
Our momentum was gone. Peterborough took the win. We finished second; losing by a length and a swan.
Still, the revenge against the double from the heat was satisfying.

Sunday brought another opportunity for George in the single, this time in a straight final of Open Band 1x pitted against Nottingham University.
George stayed at 36 spm and held his nerve to take a narrow win. It was close enough but the pot, a glass tumbler this time, was his.

The MasC 1x race was a different story. After an easy win in the heat, I came second in the final.

Then came the last two races of the weekend, MasB/C 2x sprints. Saturday's pattern seemed to repeat itself. We came second in the heat, using the race to test ourselves against the opposition, including a composite NRC boat.

In the final, we found ourselves alongside the Doncaster double from Saturday and behind the composite NRC crew that quickly established themselves at the front. We were neck and neck almost all the way down the course, refusing to give up on the slightest advantage. At the finish we missed the second place by just 0.4 seconds. No swan this time, just rowing.

And so we left Peterborough on a high: three wins from six events, plenty of solid racing and, importantly, some useful practice ahead of the Pairs Head.

Peterborough, we'll see you again, come swan or high water!

Kirill Anurov

CLUB SUPPER

The next Club supper will take place on Thursday, 17th September. All members are welcome with a guest. The bar will be open from 7pm for drinks with dinner served at 8pm.

Tickets are available at £32 on MCH. Any special dietary requirement can be emailed to events@londonrc.org.uk

Annabel Lawrence
Events Manager, London Rowing Club

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it using the following email address – safety@londonrc.org.uk

The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar