Christine and Nick have been travelling around Britain and The Netherlands, meeting up with a R.R.C member and rowing with other clubs.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Anne Carter who is attending Oxford University for a second year. Anne kept up her rowing last year being part of her University College Boat Club. Unfortunately, Anne doesn’t think that she will have the time to commit to rowing this time around.
Although we only had a short time in Oxford, Anne showed us around many colleges and was able to take us to places no tourist gets to see. We were so pleased to meet up with Anne and enjoyed our time with her.
While staying in London we were able to row with Twickenham Rowing Club. Twickenham Rowing Club is situated on Eel Pie Island on The Thames. Eel Pie Island has quite a long history especially more recently in the 1960’s and 70’s. Twickenham Rowing Club built their first clubhouse on the island in 1861. Access to the island is only by footbridge. We received a very friendly welcome from our other crew members and were informed that everyone wears gumboots until in the boat. We were able to borrow from an array of fashionable colored gumboots. Trying to balance a boat while taking off gumboots and stashing them was not done as elegantly as those who have had plenty of practice.
We had a great row up to Teddington locks before turning around a heading down stream to Richmond Bridge. We stopped every now and then to look at the sights along the river. Our crew members, John and Dennis, were perfect hosts and we thank them very much.
We went to Amsterdam to stay with our son and while there we rowed with the K.A.R. & Z.V. “De Hoop”. Their membership is about 900 and their boatshed was rather amazing with so many boats of all descriptions including boats with collapsible rigging for navigating through skinny arches.
Nick went out in a quad and headed inland rowing past many boathouses and buildings before coming to a pinnacle signaling the end of the city continuing through fields and past windmills. Christine joined her crew to row a skiff which was placed on a trolley and wheeled down to the water, one advantage of living in a country that is dead flat. Rowing down river to the canals of Amsterdam fitting though tiny bridge arches, passing theatres and museums and feeling like you are in a peapod when next to those massive barges on the river.
After our row we joined everyone for freshly made cappuccinos, etc. in the clubhouse and heard how on Hitler’s orders all boathouses in Amsterdam were demolished because of their strategic positions along the river and many other stories including their international rowing in Europe, USA and recently in Queensland.
Great times. Great people.