Author: Simone

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Regatta Training

Training takes place every evening this week from 6.30 to 8.45 at the BoatClub. Please turn up in plenty of time for your session to get the maximum time on the water!

Click here to go to the E-allocator to see timings for training sessions.

Click here to see river conditions

  • If you can cox or Session Manage (or both), please email Geoff by return at gcarnold@tiscali.co.uk or give him a call on either 01189-844139 (H) or 0782 787 1714 (Mob)
  • If you are unsure or want to know more about what’s involved, give Geoff a call.
Posted on

Regatta Call for Volunteers

Dear Club Member,

As you are all aware, the Club will be hosting the annual Goring & Streatley Regatta which will take place on Saturday 21st July.

Building on the success of the recent Goring & Streatley Jubilee Pageant, the Regatta will add considerable momentum to our drive to raise our profile in the community, to generate funds and to secure a permanent home for the Club.  Under the leadership of Ros Crowder, a core group of volunteers has ensured that all the necessary planning is in place and within a week or so of opening for entries, more than 40 of the 50 crew places had already been taken.

The real challenge – mobilising as many members as possible to volunteer a few hours to help out – now begins!  Rest assured that there is a guaranteed job for everyone and even if you have not done so previously, please get involved.  It is always great fun and you will be supported all the way.

We are calling for volunteers in 2 main areas:

  1. Regatta Training
  2. A range of other key tasks before, during and after the Regatta.

 

1. Regatta Training

This years training sessions are being organised by Geoff Arnold who has asked me to pass on the following appeal:

The Challenge:

  • As in prior years, each crew entered will receive 4 progressive training sessions spread over a four week period starting on Monday 18th June
  • Training sessions will run Monday to Friday (6:30 pm to 8:45 pm) and Saturday mornings (10:00 am to 12:15 pm)
  • We can expect to have to have up to 4 restricted fours on the water for each training session and each boat will need to complete 3 outings of 45 minutes per crew!
  • This adds up to a staggering: 12 individual outings per training session, 72 outings per week or 288 outings over the 4 weeks of training!

What we need:

  • Session Managers for a total of 32 sessions
  • Coxes to steer the Regatta Crews through their preparation

Ideally we need

  • A core group of 6 experienced Session Managers (you know who you are) who can commit to cover one session per week.
  • Any member who has already coxed, has recently attended an initiation to coxing or is keen to give it a go, to sign up for one or more evenings per week.

Support

For anyone interested in developing their skills as a cox, this is the ideal opportunity to learn without the pressure of coxing fellow members and in what should be fine conditions.

 

Even if you’ve never coxed before or are worried about the commands etc., we will be there to help and encourage.  Remember that for all of us, this is about acquiring new skills, meeting lots of new people and above all, having fun!  Geoff will be on hand to provide a briefing for Coxes and Session Managers new to regatta training on both Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th June at 11:00 am and should also be on site for most training sessions.

Next Steps

  • If you are able to Cox or Session Manage (or both), please email Geoff by return at gcarnold@tiscali.co.uk or give him a call on either 01189-844139 (H) or 0782 787 1714 (Mob)
  • If you are unsure or want to know more about what’s involved, give Geoff a call

All volunteers will receive:

  • Log-on details and a password to the e-allocator application (the key to our resource planning)
  • A free copy of the GGBC Coxing Handbook (in glorious colour)
  • Guidance Notes for Coxes and a laminated checklist for use on training days
  • Guidance Notes for Session Managers and a tailored checklist for running regatta training sessions

 

2.  Pre – Regatta Tasks and Regatta Day

In addition to Regatta Training, we will also need an army of volunteers to help in a variety of ways in the days immediately before, during and after the Regatta. Volunteers for these tasks are being co-ordinated by Stewart Cowen and include:

  • Distributing leaflets and posters at local events, in the workplace and local businesses
  • Setting up the Regatta site itself
  • Transporting boats and other equipment from Whitchurch to the site
  • Signage and various displays
  • Manning “race control” on the day
  • Coxing crews on the day
  • Marshalling crews and cars
  • Manning the bar
  • Admin and Finance support to the Treasurer

If you are able to help in any way please contact Stuart Cowen at stuartcowen@ntlworld.com. who holds the definitive list of all vacancies!  No previous experience is required and all offers of help will be much appreciated regardless of whether it’s a couple of hours or a whole day.

With best regards,

Hugh

 

Posted on

Goring River Pageant

The Goring Gap Boat Club is helping to organise the River Pageant in the Goring Gap, part of the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.  It will be  held on the river below the tw villages, with over 35 boats parading past at 11:30 am. The parade will be led by a wonderful recreation of a royal barge – but our octupule and eight will be following close behind.
Our preparations are well advanced – and we hope to help contribute to the wonderful atmosphere of the Jubilee weekend.
Please contact Boat Club members John Wills, Neil Derbyshire or Ian Smith for further details, or if you would like to help out or take part.
See link below:
Posted on

April update

Dear Club Member

I am pleased to update you as follows on Club matters.

Temporary Site

By now many of you will have rowed from our temporary facilities at Hardwick. The key remaining item to complete is the pontoon, and the Committee has decided that we should build our own rather than commission one from a third party. The cost difference is significant – £1500 rather than five or six times this amount – and we should end up with something similar to what we regularly use at the Regatta.

The Committee would welcome your feedback and opinion on this and any other aspect of the new site. As I have indicated previously, we have tried to find a balance between providing adequate facilities and conserving funds for our permanent home. We cannot undo what has been done, but if members feel we could and should improve the current site in any way, the Committee would be pleased to consider your suggestions.

 

Permanent Site

The focus of the Committee will now turn to finding a permanent home for the Club. A key step towards this is the establishment of a Permanent Site Sub-Committee of five or six individuals who will drive forward the securing and development of a suitable site. We feel that this Sub-Committee should be made up from the Club as a whole, not just members of the main Committee. In particular, we would like to harness any experience or expertise amongst us that will be relevant to building a new boathouse. This would include planning, building design, surveying, construction, and finance.

If you possess relevant skills, or simply want to play a leading role in the process of developing our new home, please do consider volunteering to join the Sub-Committee and contact me by return.

 

Rowing

Club Sessions are run every Thursday at 6pm and Sunday at 10am. In addition, we will be rowing at 9am on the following Saturdays – the 5th and 19th of May and the 2nd June (subsequent Saturdays leading up to the Regatta will be dedicated to training crews) . Further to my previous request, I have had two volunteers to be trained as Session Managers. My thanks to them – we rely on such volunteers to operate at all as a Club. If there is anyone else willing to step forward, please do not hesitate to contact me by return.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SUNDAY APRIL 29th THE ROAD WILL BE CLOSED TO TRAFFIC JUST NORTH OF WHITCHURCH BRIDGE. THOSE OF YOU TRAVELLING FROM SOUTH OF THE RIVER WILL NEED TO USE AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE.

 

Jubilee Pageant

Many of you are keen to take part in this event, and we will be rowing a ladies octuple, a mixed eight, and a single scull up to Goring for the Pageant.

If you available on the morning of June 4th, but not currently taking part, perhaps you would consider helping out as a Marshall. This will involve supervising those watching from the river bank and assisting the boats if necessary. Please let me know if you can help.

 

Regatta

Planning for the Regatta is well underway. Entries for crews will open at the beginning of May, so why not gather some friends or fellow members and take part?

Training for crews will start in mid-June. Based on personal experience, I know that assisting in these sessions is great fun and a fantastic way to improve your coxing skills. We will need as many of you as possible to get involved, either co-ordinating the crews as they arrive or encouraging them from the cox’s seat. If anyone would like to train up as a cox, or polish off their coxing skills, in advance of Regatta crew training, please let me know and we will arrange some relevant training sessions.

 

Leukaemia Research Charity event

Many thanks to the Geoff, Alastair, Heather and Peter for rowing a quad up to Goring for use by the charity crew – and to Dorothy for very kindly collecting them and driving them back to the boathouse. The organisers were very appreciative of our support, and I understand that their event went smoothly.

Membership renewal

By now you will all have received your invitation to renew your membership. I hope that you will choose to do so. Please take a minute to complete and return the form to Sue over the next few days. Alternatively, if you wish to save yourself a stamp, Sue will be at the Club Sessions on 29th April and 13th May and would be happy to collect your renewal in person.

With best regards

Hugh