Ruder-Gesellschaft Benrath
| Cygnet Rowing Club |
| Illustrated History |
The German Connection
Ruder-Gesellschaft Benrath
In 1965, three Club members, Messrs Arnold-Gilliat, Burden and McVeigh went to watch the European Rowing Championships in Duisberg, West Germany. While there, they contacted the German Rowing Association for the name of a suitable club where they might try their hands on the Rhine. In response, they were given an introduction to Rudergesellschaft Benrath, where they were warmly received by Fred Blasberg, Ferdi Picker and Dietmar Hohn. From this rather impromptu beginning, close links have evolved between Cygnet and Benrath.
R G Benrath subsequently became the first German crew to compete in the Head of the River Race since the Second World War, in 1970, starting a veritable flood of overseas entries. Similarly, Cygnet marked its first overseas entry in 1980 by competing in the Dusseldorf Marathon, rowed over a course of 43 kilometres on the Rhine. In a less serious vein, Cygnet members have made rowing tours of the Mosel and Benrath tours of the Thames.
Socially, Cygnet has visited Benrath at Carnival time and on the occasion of Benrath's 75th Anniversary in 1983, when the original Anglo-German trios were able to relive old times. A reminder of the relationship between the two clubs is the ship's bell that hangs in the bar at the Boathouse. This bell, presented by Benrath in 1981, is ceremoniously rung by anyone wishing to buy drinks for all those present in the bar (nay, hearing distance).
