Training

Hamble River Rowing have produced a very nice training video, starting off with a bravura display of terrible timing in a Bursledon gig. You have to be good to row as badly as that.
Then, about a minute and a half in, along comes the Solent galley Bembridge, rowed by a crew from Langstone Cutters with me at stroke. Fame at last!
The video was created by Philip Meakins who also sings that classic folk melody Messing about on the River.

Bembridge rows up the Hamble

Setting out from Langstone

Langstone Cutters' Solent Galley Bembridge rowed up the River Hamble from mouth to source on Saturday. Well, as far as the Horse and Jockey at Curbridge where we got somehow detained.
Actually, the river is not navigable much further than Curbridge. We were worried that Bembridge, which is 30ft long and has 10ft oars sticking out on either side, might get embarrassingly stuck and be forced to back down.

Mistress at Warsash

We put in at Warsash and were met there by the Hand family in their immaculate Bursledon Gig Mistress, complete with monogrammed carbon fibre blades and matching T shirts. They row pretty smartly too, and don't hang about.

Bembridge arrives at Bursledon (thanks to Anthony Hewett-Hicks for the pic)

At Bursledon we were joined by six other gigs of Hamble River Rowing and the fleet headed up river. The wind had died to a complete calm, the tide was high and the autumn colours were just fading into deep russets and golds. It was bliss.

The fleet at the Jolly Sailor

Coming back down, we stopped at the Jolly Sailor, home of Hamble River Rowing, before paddling back to Warsash in the gathering gloom.
The GPS tracks are here.
We got a great welcome from HRR and we will be back - and we hope HRR will be over at Langstone soon.

Crews up pressure for L2P

Out today for a row in the Solent Galley Bembridge down Emsworth channel towards East Head, with stunning displays of dunlins sweeping round in massive flocks, and seals popping their heads out of the water to say hello.
On the way back we came up with the Reivers12 crew in their Thames Waterman's cutter, who had just set a new record time for a circumnagation of Hayling Island at just over 3 hours for the 15 mile course, as part of their training for the looming London to Paris challenge.
Langstone Cutters' own Ian Mclennan was coxing, and Mike Gilbert was off to London to advise another crew, the Outloars. The LCRC crew that won the first London to Paris challenge is now, I think, advising all three entrants for the 2010 event in May.

Bembridge comes to Langstone

On Saturday evening, members of Langstone Cutters RC rowed the Solent Galley Bembridge from Portsmouth to her new home in Chichester Harbour.
The boat is part of the collection of the late Pat Sherwin, and is now on permanent loan to the Cutters from the Pat Sherwin Trust.
Bembridge was picked up at the slip in Old Portsmouth - that's her on the lower level of the trailer. Above is Doreen, which is going to another club.
The long, light and elegant boat was carried down the slipway by the crew and launched into the rather intimidating waters of Portsmouth Harbour, where warships, cross-channel ferries and speeding ribs are frequent dangers. She seemed very close to the water, and a number of slightly alarming leaks were apparent - she has been out of the water for a while. She is also a bit tippy compared with the wide Clayton skiffs we are used to.
But she rowed beautifully, moving along almost without effort, and we soon became much more confident.
We rowed upharbour passed the Spinnaker Tower, the naval dockyard, HMS Victory and Whale Island. At the entrance to Hilsea Channel, which separates Portsea Island from the mainland, the tide was only beginning to fill and we had to row lightly through the narrow, meandering channel.
The light was fading as we approached Langstone.