June Newsletter 2006
The Captain Reports A quick word on Spring Sculling Camp which took place the weekend before Easter. A huge (record?) turnout over the weekend of approximately 35 scullers of varying skill levels enjoyed some marvellous weather, helpful coaching, top-notch catering and a quiet beer or two. Events followed the usual format with a safety briefing on Saturday morning followed by beginners' coaching whilst the more experienced went for outings. We counted about five swimmers over the weekend with the final coaching tally being Cox (two swimmers), Pickford (two swimmers plus one stuck in the reeds), French (one swimmer), and Collier (nil swimmers). Not a record, but definitely the right side of the average. Our former captain was particularly disappointed with his score as last time he managed that many swimmers on his own - strange too that they were almost all pretty girls. Saturday night saw high-ranking statistician Wyatt donning his chefs hat before preparing burgers and sausages for the great (drunken) unwashed. Before retiring (retreating) to bed we spotted John Smiths, Pedigree, Stella, Tequila, Port, Wine, Sherry and Absinthe. It wasn't pretty.
A big thanks to everyone for all their efforts in making it another successful weekend at the bungalow. In particular Stuart for his first solo run at organising the whole event and Rhiannon was quite literally chained to the kitchen the whole weekend where she, and her band of gallant helpers, rustled up some smashing grub with only one saucepan and a slotted spoon between them. A dedicated band of hardcore scullers stayed on for the rest of the week braving increasing wet and windy conditions in attempt to master the black art that is going quickly in a single. Despite all the practice I still got thrashed a few weeks later at Borne. Hey-ho.
The Season so far - After a long hard winter's training and a respectable finish in the Head of the River his there was barely time to squeeze in the Sculling Camp and Easter before the regatta season was upon us, starting with Hammersmith Amateur on the 23rd April! It was a bit too soon really and the squad had no success at Hammersmith except for the ever reliable Neil Jackson who picked-up a cheeky Vet DE win as part of a Cygnet/AK composite. Results have improved since then with Cygnet crews picking-up pots (three of them qualifying) at three of the four regattas following Hammersmith, only missing out at Putney Town where two crews made their respective finals but failed to take the silverware. Result of the season so far was the qualifying Novice win at Twickenham and more on that epic is recounted by the stroke-man and Vice Captain Stu "pot" Gibbons else were in this newsletter. Wins to date are listed at the end of this newsletter. Neil Pickford
Wins to Date Hammersmith – Saturday 22nd April – Vet D/E 2x N Jackson (bow); M Condon (AKRC). Chiswick - Saturday 29th April S Gibbons(bow); B Thomas; C Dunhill; E Wingrove (BBLRC) Borne - Saturday 6th May S2 2- N Wyatt (bow), N Pickford - qualifying. Twickenham - Saturday 20th May – S2 2 N Wyatt (bow); N Pickford – qualifying Novice 4+ B Thomas (bow); N Bates; M Byrne; S Gibbons; E Wingrove (BBLR Cox) – qualifying.
Henley Friday 30 June at ‘Old Blades’ - Once again both Clubs are invited to the garden of Peter and Pat Sly for the annual riverside picnic. This year members will have the option of bringing their own lunch or joining in with a number of club members in a co-ordinated picnic. The latter will be on the same lines as organised last year when we had our friends from Benrath over, although not as extensive. Peter and Pat will be able to make a gazebo available for this. Please let Marjorie Israël know if you are interested in this combined effort so that she can co-ordinate contributions and figure out numbers (deputy@cygnet-rc.org.uk).Parking is limited in the’ Old Flames’ garden and restricted to those with young babies (and their parents of course), the disabled and the old (e.g. your secretary/ editor). Others are advised to use the Hill Side Car Park closely to the rear of Old Blades. Just follow the one way system.
Becoming a ‘Grown up’ Oarsman – the Experience of a Former Novice I guess every novice oarsman wonders as to the circumstances of his first qualifying win. Our crew most certainly did. I think I can count well over a hundred winning scenarios, both humorous and otherwise, discussed in detail over the 12 months since our first regatta experience and comprehensive defeat in the Novice 4+ event at Hammersmith in April 2005. Despite all of this discussion as we wiled away our time in the boathouse bar between training sessions last year, none of our crew would quite imagine the epic that would await us at Twickenham Regatta 2006 and the sheer determination that would ultimately be required to become the first winning Cygnet Novice 4+ in three seasons.
We already knew that this year, as relatively experienced novices seasoned by Fours and Eights Head appearances, we would be competitive to some extent. Of course, we didn’t know how competitive but after what can best be described as our ‘raw’ performances last year which included 90 degree turns at the start, getting oars caught under buoys and flying off seats mid race, we were confident that those racing blemishes had now, for the most part, been ironed out. Prior to Twickenham, our confidence seemed to have been borne out with a non-qualifying win at Chiswick Regatta. That first taste of pewter spurred us on to Borne, but unfortunately we were bought back down to earth with a thud, losing narrowly to eventual winners Canford School in our heat (I understand the collective mutterings of ‘those pesky kids’ could be heard from afar as they collected their silverware). To cap off a miserable day at Borne, I then proceeded to accidentally elbow a prominent senior member of Cygnet in the face. Hero to zero in one week – how fortunes change. Our fortunes then changed again at Putney Town, where we overcame two crews to reach the final but we were ultimately beaten by an Imperial College crew at the death. Disappointing but we were beaten by a very good crew and had beaten off other crews to face them in the first place. We sensed our time in the winner’s enclosure would come – we just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.
As you might imagine after Borne and Putney Town, frustration and regatta fatigue were starting to set in as we approached Twickenham - our fourth regatta in four weekends. Our mood was not improved by the draw which would pitch us against four crews if we were to claim our qualifying win. It seemed a mountain to climb but we were beating other crews and some of the senior Cygnets had advised (during ‘pearls of wisdom’ moments in the bar) that novice rowing was all about who could keep it together for longer so anything could happen. Awaking to dismal weather, everyone gathered at the Cygnet trailer by the 1400m course at 9am. To be honest, I would rather have been doing anything else that morning as we geared up to face Twickenham RC on their home patch in our first heat. Positioning ourselves on the stake boat, the adrenalin began pumping and we were off. The first thing I recalled as I attempted to set a stroke rate was that the more powerful pair in our four said they were most effective at a stroke rate of 30-32. So I went for that and hoped. After about 400m, our opponents appeared in my peripheral vision and spirits soared. We’ve got a comfortable rhythm here and we are pulling away I thought - lets not change a thing. We didn’t and we won by a length or so. Next up was Eastbourne College. They were young, very young so we knew they’d disappear off the start before we’d even taken a stroke. Our start was by no means slow but they still shot off nonetheless. Again the same tactic of constant rhythm was employed and we eventually rowed them down. They ran out off puff about 400m from the end and we won by a couple of lengths.
We were then pitched against Thames RC in our semi and the thought of coming against a club that make their oarsman have ergs for breakfast didn’t appeal. Unsurprisingly, the race was close with us having a half length edge for much of it – the same constant rhythm, no panic tactic employed. About half way through the race, their increasingly intense cox was screaming for a build and we expected some Thames power would bring them level. But it didn’t and with 400m to go someone in the Thames crew snapped and caught a crab. The flood of relief through our boat as their boat ground to a halt was immense and we won fairly easily in the end. Prior to the final against Kingston RC, we decamped to the local Sea Scouts Hut that was serving the usual regatta fare – tea/coffee, home-made sandwiches, tonnes of cake, bananas and chocolate orange Kit-Kats. Few of the crew were talking, we just wanted to get the race over and done with. There was a lot of aimless staring into space as others were pouring over regatta facts including the fact that the Kingston crew went 6 seconds slower than us in their semi. But in novice finals anything can happen and Kingston were much more competitive than semi final times suggested.
After what seemed like an eternity, we rowed up to the stake boat for the last time. We attached ourselves and came forward ready for ‘Attention! Go!’ when the boy in the stake boat (who must have been no older than five years of age – a pre-requisite for the stake boat job it seems) lost his grip on our boat. I had never felt such dislike for someone so small at that particular moment as we all had to refocus and reattach to the stake boat. The starter seemed to take an eternity but finally we were off. Same racing tactic as before was applied but this time it didn’t seem to be working. Kingston were ahead by a half a length and staying ahead despite our best efforts in the early stages. We kept close to them going past the halfway point and at that stage I was thinking ‘well, we got to the final so it was a pretty good day’. The thoughts of defeat were becoming more pronounced in my mind when suddenly I just thought ‘Hang on. After Putney Town and three races here, I don’t want to go through all of this again for a novice pot’. It was as if all of us had suddenly realised that it was now or never and our cox was commanding us to ‘empty the tanks’. The race was still there for the taking and we had the power in the bows to do it. Upping the rating slightly with about 500m to go, we starting really going for it – pushing ourselves to the limit. It got to the point where the brain had detached from pain in the body and just wanted to keep going for the win. Slowly but surely and with only 50m to go, the Kingston crew appeared behind us and we knew it was ours. We crossed the line victorious in front of a finishing post awash with Cygnets screaming encouragement and, quite fittingly, the former Grandstand presenter Steve Rider (performing no work-related duties so probably there for the beer). I also imagine the victory brought a wry smile to the face of our Chairman whose much maligned namesake is now the [joint] most successful boat in the fleet this season.
Anyway, once we got back onto dry land, everything was fantastic – getting our ARA cards stamped (or hole punched), the long walk down to the winners enclosure, collecting pots, taking photos, re-visiting every stroke, being welcomed as a ‘junior’ senior and finally filling our tankards with some well earned beer. My tankard leaked. So there you have it. An account of the most recent Cygnet graduations from novice to senior status. Although the crew – Esme Wingrove (Cox), Nick Bates, Barry Thomas, Matt Byrne and myself walked away with the silver, there are several people behind the scenes who made it all possible. So step forward Mike Collier, Alan Cox, Neil Pickford, Marjorie Israel, Kathryn Pengelly and Nick Rowett – a big thank you from all of us for all your help and encouragement.
Stuart Gibbons - Cygnet Vice Captain & non-novice Captain of novices
A Son for Steve and Sarah Dargan
William was born at 2.28am on the 30th March this year weighing in at 7lb 9oz. Everyone has been doing very well particularly William who is piling on weight owing to his voracious appetite. In the above picture William was about four days old. Our congratulations go to all three. REL
Club Ties
For all occasions but particularly appropriate at the Henley Club Day on 30 June or at regattas this year. Nick Wyatt has arranged a special deal for these silk and substantially made in the club at £18 each. This is a very special price as they normally retail at £55 for individual orders. Please place your order with him by no later than the 14 June by sending a cheque payable to him at his home 15 Connaught Road, West Ealing, London, W13 0TF. REL
Important Diary Dates - 12 August, Bungalow BBQ. 28 October, Vets Lunch, Leander, Henley
The Club Historian writes of Henley Past
Just as Cygnet rowing club was about to burst on to the rowing scene at Putney in 1890, Henley Royal Regatta was reaching one of its periodic heights of popularity with the public. Victorians in all their finery flocked to this two-day riparian extravaganza by train, horse and carriage and vessels of all shapes and sizes. Indeed, today’s river traffic during regatta week looks positively modest compared with the thousands of craft that took to the water in the late 19thC and early 20thC. Photographs of that period showed pleasure boats stretched from bank to bank. As R R Bolland recalls in his book Victorians on the Thames, boat yards were not slow to capitalise on this commercial opportunity: thus, in 1888, 8,000 small craft were registered by the Thames Conservancy and 12,000 a year later.
The Athletic News of 1903 described Henley “as neither more nor less than a gigantic middle-class water picnic”. The late 19thC was the heyday of the houseboat, palatial but engineless craft that were towed up and down the river by steamboats according to the regatta timetable of the time. Bolland quotes the Lock to Lock Times as saying that it was not uncommon for as many as 85 houseboats to be moored along the Fawley reach during regatta week. By day, these houseboats were the scene of much gossip and fashionable lunches; by night, they were the scene of much revelry and musical pageantry. However, by the turn of the century, this idyllic era was already reaching a close as formal clubs and enclosures started to take root along the course: Leander was built in 1896, Phyllis Court in 1906 and the Stewards’ Enclosure was established in 1919 (membership limited to 300 versus today’s 5000).
Then, as now, there was a sense that not everybody flocked to Henley to watch the rowing! Again, Bolland quotes the correspondent of St Stephen’s Review as reporting “But the crowds do not come here to see at all. They come to be seen. It is a society show. I do not suppose it causes as great a demand on the West-end milliners as Royal Ascot, but the dresses will be pretty, I warrant me; and the faces above them prettier still.” No mention, then, of the Stewards’ Enclosure nightmare of dresses above the knee and, worse still, trouser suits! As the following rhyme from Punch suggests, some regatta goers regarded the rowing as a positive intrusion upon an otherwise tranquil scene: And they were hardly more complementary about the Regatta officials:
I like, it is true, in a basswood canoe The Umpire’s boat a nuisance we vote,
To lounge, with weed incandescent: It interrupts calm contemplation;
To paddle about, there is no doubt, Its discordant tone, and horrid steam moan,
I find it uncommonly pleasant! Is death to serene meditation!
I love the fresh air, the lunch here and there, The roar of the crowd should not be allowed;
To see pretty toilettes and faces; The gun with its fierce fulmination,
But one thing I hate – allow me to state – Abolish it, pray –‘ tis, fatal they say,
The fuss they make over the Races! To pleasant and quiet flirtation!
As this verse indicates, it was customary to start the races with a starting pistol, rather than today’s flurry of flags. When one also considers that much coaching pre-First World War was done on horseback, it is a wonder that spectators on the towpath were not trampled to death by the ensuing charge up the course in the pursuit of the competing crews. Equipment failure was not unknown. As Guy Nickalls remarked of his opponent during a heat of the Diamond Sculls in 1888: “shortly after the start, about half-way up the island, I heard a bang, and a shower of shrapnel fell about me; the balls from his bearings. I offered to start again and he paddled back to the raft and got another slide fixed”. Having survived the start and equipment failures, competitors then had to brave an unboomed course and the risk of becoming entangled with the pleasure boats! Such were the trials and tribulations of 19thC Henley. And finally , Henley Weights we have Known and Lost
Philip Beckett (13st 12lb), Malcolm Burman (14st 7lb), Noel Davison (13st 5lb), Noel Durkin (10st 4lb),
Paul Rawkins (11st 10lb), Mike Roche (12st 2lb,Nick Wylie (13st 5lb), Dave Wynne (11st 9lb),
Mick Yetman (12st 6lb) - Cygnet Thames Cup VIIIs 1977-78
Subscriptions and Donations
Are always due, please return this tear-off slip with your cheque to the Treasurer, Dr R P du Parcq, 152 Castelnau, London, SW13 9ET. Active Members -who are members of the Civil Service Sports Council - £150, others - £213. Club Friends - Suggested minimum - £20.
Name………………………………………Address…………………………………………………………..
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The Cygnet Guide to Henley Royal Regatta
History has been kind to Henley, not least because it has long been a staunch Tory constituency (represented by the flamboyant Boris Johnston) and prides itself in self-preservation. Standing on one of the most unspoiled reaches of the river, Henley has been one of the most popular and fashionable Thames-side towns since the 18th century. The Regatta was first held on this stretch in 1839 and the Stewards continue to do all they can to uphold the standards and ambience of that era (but thankfully the loos have kept up with the 21st century!). Despite the unstoppable march of multi-lane courses, Henley Royal remains the club oarsman’s Olympics.
Cygnet first rowed at Henley in 1938 under the guise of the Civil Service Rowing Association. More than three decades elapsed before the Club again appeared at the Regatta in the early 1970s. Since the 1980s Cygnet crews have competed at the Regatta in most years entering Thames Cup, Wyfolds, Silver Goblets and the Diamond Sculls. The most successful crew to date has been a coxless IV which won through to the quarter finals of Wyfolds in 1996.
Qualifying races have become increasingly necessary in recent years because so many of the events are over subscribed and take place on the previous Friday, 23rd June. Starting in the afternoon and continuing until the early evening, they are a spectacle in themselves without all the pomp and circumstance of the following week.
Racing proper begins on Wednesday 28th June and continues until Sunday 2nd July. At least half of regatta goers – the corporate hospitality set – are completely unaware that any boat races take place at all! For the more dedicated spectators, racing begins at the crack of dawn on Wednesday to Friday, usually finishing around 7pm each evening, before settling down to a more civilised hour on Saturday and Sunday (semi-finals and finals day). If you manage to endure the full five days of spectating from the bank (far more demanding than actually racing), you deserve a medal.
The Course is 2112 metres long and looks distinctly uphill if you happen to be sitting on one of the starting pontoons. The Start is often the most exciting part of the race and even the most seasoned rower can learn a lot from just watching crews warm up before the ‘off’. As soon as the umpire’s flag goes down there will be a chorus of ‘backs please’, as long-suffering coaches pedal hell for leather alongside their crews on the towpath. It helps to get to grips with ‘course speak’ early in the day: ‘Bucks’ and ‘Berks’ refers to either side of the river (few people can remember which, especially after Friday); ‘at the end of the Island’ means the first pain barrier; ‘at the Barrier’ often heralds the make or break of the race; ‘hitting the booms’ confirms the break, quite literally; and so on.
The Enclosures at Henley are legend. Stewards, Leander and Remenham are the most exclusive, open only to members and their guests. Quite a number of older Cygnets are members of Stewards and guest tickets do get shared around, particularly on Henley Friday. If you are hoping to go into Stewards, it is absolutely essential that you observe the dress code: men – jackets and ties, no jeans; women – plunging necklines are perfectly acceptable, but the Stewards insist that dresses must come below the knee and no trouser suits. There is a General Enclosure next door to Stewards, which is open to all, subject to an entry fee and a less stringent dress code. On Friday, Cygnet and Barnes Bridge will enjoy access to the most exclusive enclosure of all, when Peter and Pat Sly invite all members to their house ‘Old Blades’, at Rememham.
Drinking (and eating) are essential parts of the Henley experience. The alcoholic drinks of choice are Brakspears real ale (sadly no longer brewed locally) and Pimms, the last usually sold at extortionate prices in Stewards and elsewhere. On course, the best place to sample a pint of Brakspears, is at The Barn at Remenham, about 250 yards down from the President’s house going towards the start. Henley Town itself is not short of pubs and restaurants, although the latter do tend to get booked up at lunch times. There is also a range of less formal eating establishments dotted along the course. Further afield at Aston, about a mile distant from Old Blades, is the Flowerpot, a Victorian fishing inn much favoured by Cygnet senior hands and a good stopping place on the way home (if you’re not driving).
Getting to Henley can be half the fun. Some members of neighbouring rowing clubs have been known to row there, but not Cygnets who tend to go by road or rail (extra train services from Paddington and Waterloo). Getting home is often the greater challenge for Cygnet members, particularly if you fail to curb your alcoholic intake. Past years have found Cygnets resting in ditches, lying face down in the food tents and taking showers fully clothed. Wherever you wake up on Saturday morning, don’t say you haven’t been warned! Paul Rawkins
REL 2/6/06