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Kingston Head 2008
8th March 2008
360 years ago Charles 1st was still on the throne. As it happens that is the same number of years separating our Vet F eight and the Tiffin School J15 eight starting immediately ahead at Kingston Head last weekend.
Unlike Charles who soon lost his head, our crew rowed a measured piece and, having sorted out the start chaos we experienced at Molesey, found ourselves catching the school boys on Thames Ditton bend. This was unfortunate as their wayward course obliged us to go around the outside, adding more metres to what we already considered far too long a race! By the start of the Marina wall we were clear and back on stream but in a void all the way to the finish. A series of focused pushes kept us in the groove and at the end it was considered by all to have been a good paddle. Had we been able to persuade Spike not to wind down at the first sign of the word “Finish” (which was just a sign indicating which side of the island the finish was on!) we would have gone a bit quicker still!
We have set ourselves a target of competing with the “gold standard” crew – Tideway Scullers – and after Molesey Vets Head were at 95% of their speed. New blades and a few training outings later and we find ourselves at 99% of their speed and certainly well on target for a serious tilt at some of the more salubrious Vet F events this season.
With the extended injury recovery time for Bob Hurles we have had to drag Brian Dorling out of sweep oar retirement - even made him renew his ARA racing licence, poor thing. By some strange trick of fate we are able to boat exactly the same crew for our next event – The Vesta Veterans Head on Sunday 16th March at 10:30am, from Chiswick to Putney.
Crew : John Sewell (bow); David Wyatt; Brian Dorling; Dennis Kenny; Rob
Bailey; Peter Morley; Keith Baldwin; Spike (stroke); Paul Davis (cox).
Paul Davis
