Getting ready for summer

Yesterday Bill, Dan and I rowed from Ely to Cambridge in glorious spring sunshine. Here's hoping that it will be boating weather from now until autumn.

I'll write more about this trip in a later post.

Provisional starting order for Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup

Subject to amendment by the race officials, here is the starting order for the Carrow Cup 2013.

Start
Time	Number	Name	Club	Boat type
11:30:00	136	Raineach	Norfolk Skiff Club	Norwegian faering
4 mins.
11:34:00	137	Leigh Ho	Lower Thames Rowing Club	Hanningfield Skiff
1 min.
11:35:00	138	Widgeon	Norfolk Skiff Club	Double Skiff
1 min.
11:36:00	139	Hoi Larntan	Coastal Rowing Assoc. Blakeney	St Ayles Skiff
11:36:20	140	Spirit of Dunkirk	Lower Thames Rowing Club	Hanningfield Gig
11:36:40	141	Bembridge	Langstone Cutters Rowing Club	Solent Galley
11:37:00	142	Renown	Lower Thames Rowing Club	Hanniningfield Skiff
11:37:20	143	Cherub	Norfolk Skiff Club	Thames double skiff
11:37:40	145	Proud Mary	Lower Thames Rowing Club	Hanningfield Gig
11:38:00	146	Dauntless	Lower Thames Rowing Club
1 min.
11:39:00	147	Sallyport	Langstone Cutters Rowing Club	Solent Galley
11:39:20	148	Sowenna	Norfolk Gigs	Cornish Pilot Gig
11:39:40	149	Phantom	Norfolk Gigs	Cornish Pilot Gig
11:40:00	150	Yole	Norwich Rowing Club	Yole (outrigged)

Wivenhoe enters Carrow Cup

Wivenhoe Gig Club has entered Audacity, their Harker's Yard 4 oared gig for the Carrow Cup. I hope they have better luck than last year, when a failure of their tow vehicle prevented them attending the event.
As far as I am aware this is the only Harker's Yard gig in the race and entries close in less than 24 hours.
I am expecting 15 traditional boats to muster at Pull's Ferry, Norwich for the Bi-centenary Carrow Cup. It will make a great spectacle, best viewed from Riverside Road.

A Harker's Yard gig, but not Audacity

Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup

One day to go for the final entries to the Carrow Cup 2013.
Latest entry is Jumping Jenny, at 14 feet the smallest boat in the race. Jumping Jenny will get a 4 minute head start on the next to start and a full 11 minutes more than the fastest boats to complete the course.

Jumping Jenny, rowed by Frances Warns and sporting blades painted in Norfolk Skiff Club colours.

Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup latest.

It's that time of the year again, fog, cold, Christmas shopping and, here in Norwich, the Carrow Cup. Now this is a special year, because in 1813 two four oared boats raced from Carrow to Whitlingham and back for a silver cup. I don't know what happened to the first Carrow Cup, but the replacement was produced in 1823 and it is this fine trophy, which will be competed for on the river Wensum  over the same course on Saturday 14th December.

In 2010 Norwich Rowing Club, which organises the event, extended the invitation to "traditional" boats and three assorted fixed seat rowing boats joined in with the fine quads, fours and doubles. In subsequent years traditional entries have increased and to celebrate the involvement of these boats and to support activity on the river within the city of Norwich, The Norwich Society and Wensum Riverside Partnership have donated another trophy, the Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup, for the fastest traditional boat to complete the course on handicap.

Entries close on Saturday 7th December, but there have already been entries from Lower Thames Rowing Club, Coastal Rowing Association of Blakeney, Langstone Cutters Rowing Club, Norfolk Skiff Club and two Norfolk based pilot gigs.

The best place to view the boats will be at Riverside Road, Norwich. 

This is the provisional starting order.

Club	Boat name
NSC	Raineach
LTRC	Leigh Ho
NSC	Widgeon
CRAB	Hoi Larntan
LTRC	Spirit of Dunkirk
LCRC	Bembridge
LTRC	Renown
NSC	Cherub
LTRC	Proud Mary
LTRC	Dauntless
LCRC	Sallyport
NGC	Sowenna
NGC	Phantom

Summer Picnic at Barton Broad

Old and new: Cherub and Hoi Larntan

On what became the hottest day of the year to date, with the temperature well over 30 degrees C, 9 members met at Cox's Boat Yard, Barton Turf to renew their acquaintance with one of our favourite places on the Norfolk Broads.

  

Andy has control

Ian brought Hoi Larntan, the St Ayles Skiff, which had been built by Blakeney Coastal Rowing Association during last winter and had just competed in the Skiffie World Championships at Ullapool. Philip brought his recently completed and elegant Annapolis Wherry, Adrian and Lynne brought Cherub and Andy and Katy arrived complete with coracle. Sarah, Peter, Robin and James (who had only come to watch but was Shanghaied) completed the crew for Hoi Larntan.

Ever inquisitive, our first destination was Wood End Staithe on the east side of the broad. Narrow shallow and barely room to turn, it's not surprisingly rarely frequented.

Dodging a few motor cruisers the flotilla rowed a short way down the Ant to Irstead, turning near the public mooring, giving us the opportunity to inspect some of the riverside properties, all of which appeared to be named "No Mooring".

Hoi Larntan emerges from Wood End Staithe

NSC is for all recreational rowers

Gaye's Staithe at the south west of the broad was our picnic destination, with some welcome shade beneath the trees and a free supply of cherries.

Andy persuaded a few brave souls to try the coracle. Paddling is an art soon mastered; not so getting in and out of the vessel.

Protected from the freshening wind and shaded from the fierce sun the three boats explored Limekiln Dyke, turning at the head of navigation in Neatishead.

Back on open water we were exposed to the full force of the wind, but once into the broad we had a following wind. Cherub set full sail in the form of Sarah's lacy parasol.

Passing the Norfolk Punt Club raft, moored in the centre of the broad, we were invited to land for tea. The difficulty making a landing in the strong wind was amply rewarded with most welcome cups of tea and a chance to meet some old friends, who were supervising the club's cadet training week.

Back at Cox's Yard, the three boats were soon back on their trailers. Everyone agreed that it had been a most successful event and the club gained a new member, James.

Some memories of Venice