Category: Fleet

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Time to think about the Winter Sculling season…..

Whilst many will be thinking its the end of the rowing season, of turning towards the lighted inn, their evening rest and sleep to meet.  Other hardy souls at RRC will be following the row that goes on and on, pursuing it with eager oars where many boats and paddlers will meet.  (Apologies to JRR Tolkein.)

Yes it’s nearly time for the Winter Sculling 2019 series.  If you are not familiar with how it works, check out the website for race details, times  (Saturday mornings through June, July and August), distances, rules and locations .

If you might be interested and need some inspiration, speak to Charlotte North-Coombes who won the Ramsbottom Trophy last year or Aline Dejaegher who was fastest female around the island in a tub last year.

RRC has a limited number of sculls available for members to use in the Winter Sculling Series including three Regulation (tub) sculls. It is possible to share fleet across events and the organisers will stagger entries where participants indicate they are sharing a boat with another rower entered.
Please advise the Captain via email ([email protected]) before 20 May if you are considering entering the Winter Sculling series so that fleet can be allocated or where necessary sourced from other clubs or schools.  For example anyone wishing to use the Tiger Shark for Winter Sculling will be sharing the boat with the Captain.
Those members with their own boats should also advise the Captain if they are entering the series as we may be required to provide a trailer to away events if we have a high number of participants from RRC.
The Winter Sculling season also needs help from volunteers to act as marshalls and help out. So if you don’t feel like rowing every week, how about volunteering one week. Check out the details here:

Thanks
Barry Campbell

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Club races and our latest boat naming

Club Races
Fast and furious – with lots of splash – is how four eights competed in Sunday’s Club Races.  Around 20% of the competitors were in their first club races and it was great to see our DS members joining in and experiencing some racing.  After the heats, crews competed in an A Final and B Final.
The winning team of the A Final was Andrew Yuile, John Carey. Alan Randall, Leigh Sullivan, Kim Begelhole, Cristian Udovicich, Imogen Aitken and Kate Riley, coxed by Stef Dudczig.
Our selectors of crews did a pretty good job, but then tried to outfox us with the use of French on the starter’s line! Derek managed to video the finals so if you want to see your form check out the Facebook posts.
BBQ
It was great to see lots of our current Learn to Row group enjoying the BBQ and deck with the rest of the club.  It won’t be too long before they’re rowing in the next Club Races!
The Development Squad under the leadership of Sarah Hardy organized a fabulous BBQ.  And Sarah even co-opted Matt (hubby) and Bridgette (daughter) to help out on the BBQ while we were all racing.  Thanks to the salad providers… Pavel, Alysia, Emma & Matt, Amy and Sarah Hardy.  Sarah even provided homemade vege/vegan burgers – yummy!  The DS (including Oliver & Mikey G) also did a great job setting up the tables and cleaning up afterwards and photographing the day.
Bar server thanks go to Ally, Kathy, Dennis, Gypsy, John C, Amy and Kim B.  And thanks to Gypsy for coordinating the bar.
Boat Naming
We were pleased to name the latest acquisition to our fleet – a secondhand midweight single. (It’s a Wintech 2016 Club Trainer 75-85kg ACW honeycomb kevlar/fiberglass – for those interested in the technical details).

The committee has discussed over the past year the possibility of acknowledging and honoring the traditional owners of land on which our boathouse stands and the waterways on which we row.
What better way than naming a boat which is regularly in view of our members and other river users as well as to visitors to Melbourne.
The Boonwurrung elders have given us permission to use the word “Gurrong” – which means canoe in Boonwurrung language – on this, our newest fleet acquisition.
Kathy Macrow

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College rowers around the club and on the water in April

Training for the University of Melbourne intercollegiate regatta has commenced culminating with the regatta day on the May 4th.
It’s worth noting that whilst some crews are ex-school rowers with plenty of experience many have never rowed before and will be getting a crash course in sweep rowing before competing in that first regatta in less than a month.
This year RRC has leased 2 of our 8’s out to the college crews (the Shouten Family and the Jennifer Campbell). The crews are expected to be training regularly on weekday mornings and occasionally over the weekend or other times. However the 8’s will be available to us as part of our regular training sessions in the evenings (Tuesday and Thursday) and on Sunday morning.
With RRC and MLC leasing fleet to the intercollegiate rowing this year there will be a number of new faces around the club over the next month. That’s a lot of potential new members so make them feel welcome.
They have been reminded to use the log book but please check the boats are all on the racks before you lock the RRC shed up.
More information on the intercollegiate various sports including rowing can be found here:
http://www.sport.unimelb.edu.au/CollegeSport

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Upcoming racking work in the boat shed

With the ongoing expansion and improvements to our fleet it is also time for us to update the racking in the boat shed so we are able to accommodate more boats as we continue our growth. The Committee has approved the re-racking of the rear of the RRC shed (the area between the Captains workbench and the 8 racks). So we are able to double rack unrigged boats doubling the capacity of this space.
The works will be taking place during the day time from Monday 21 January for a week. Please be aware people will be working in the shed over this time so access may be a little bit more difficult and please obey any safety signs or instructions.
In order to do this we will be relocating a number of boats to the RRC trailer over this time. We understand this may make it harder to access the fleet for a small amount of time, but the longer term benefits are significant. If you use a boat during this time, please ensure it is returned to where it came from and it is tied down if it is on the trailer.
We need some assistance to relocate boats for the work to happen. Please come along on Saturday 19 January, 9.30am to help out. Many hands make light work!!!

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The "50 x 50" Project – End of Financial Year reminder

Don’t forget the “50 x 50” Project – in May we launched our goal to raise $2,500 by 30 June for Richmond to have the most impressive tent at a regatta next season!
Our aim was to get 50 members who have used our well-loved but aging tent to donate $50 each (remember, that is Tax deductible) as a start. This will raise us $2,500 towards a new tent, which will be more than halfway to the purchase price. If we can get to half way the Committee will order the new tent at the start of the season instead of the end.
Help the club today by donating $50 at https://asf.org.au/projects/richmond-rowing-club/new-club-tent/.
We have 17 generous donations so far – thank you all so much – so we are on our way to our goal. Remember its tax-deductible so you are welcome to donate a little more if you can. Now is the best time to make and take advance of tax-deductible donations before the end of the financial year.
Here are the full details if you need a reminder – http://3.25.77.84/2018/05/27/the-50-x-50-project/

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The "50 x 50" Project

For those of you who have competed at a regatta over the past decade, you are only too aware of the value that our well-loved tent brings us.  Whether it is the heat, or rain, the tent is one of our most valued assets.  A decade ago, it was also one of our best promotional items, with Richmond proudly displaying the best tent at any regatta we attended.  Since then, most other clubs have followed Richmond’s lead and now have more impressive tents.  And over the years, Richmond’s well-loved tent is starting to show the impact of all that love.
Richmond is a club on the go, with plans for fleet turnover and membership growth.  And we need to demonstrate this to the rest of the rowing committee by attending regattas; by wining on water, and being the most impressive off-water.  By having a tent which shows everyone at a regatta that we are a club to be reckoned with; a club not only with the resources to have the best, but also knows that looking after our members at a regatta is smart and provides us with the best opportunity to win on water.
But a tent like this isn’t cheap – and we don’t want to compromise of the awesomeness of a new tent.  The committee has agreed that next year’s funding goal will be to replace our tent, but I don’t want to wait until the end of next season before seeing a new tent.  I’m hoping that we can get a start on raising a few dollars so we can convince the club to purchase the tent sooner than later.  If we can quickly raise half the cost of a new tent, then this should be enough to warrant purchasing the tent for the start of the season, with the promise that we can raise the remaining during the rest of the year.
And how can we do this?  Given that we have had 75 different individuals represent Richmond over the past year, if they all made a small tax deductible donation to our Fleet Renewal Fund at the Australia Sports Foundation, then we will be well on our way.  The ASF is a brilliant program which allows sporting clubs like Richmond to raise money via tax deductible donations.  Richmond has been running our Fleet Renewal Appeal now for a number of years, and has been vital for the renewal of the club’s fleet in the past.
So, how about a target of 50 people donating $50 each (remember, that is Tax deductible) as a start.  This will raise us $2,500 towards a new tent, which will be more than half way.  We get half way, and then we can convince the club to order the new tent at the start of the season instead of the end.
So let’s do it!  I’m launching the “50 x 50” Project – to goal to raise $2,500 by 30 June for Richmond to have the most impressive tent at a regatta next season!  Help the club today by donating $50 at https://asf.org.au/projects/richmond-rowing-club/new-club-tent/.
Remember its tax deductible so you are welcome to donate a little more if you can!
Thank You!
Tim Evans
Head of Rowing

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Receipt of VicHealth Active Club Grant

Richmond Rowing Club was delighted to receive a VicHealth Active Club Grant to support our Tiger Social Rowing program.

The $2,890 grant has enabled the club to purchase four pairs of yellow handled sculling blades and 5 sets of boat lights.  This reduces equipment constraints allowing more rowers to be on the water during the peak Thursday night and Sunday morning crew and social rowing time slots.
The oars were “christened” by four of the twenty one participants in our first 2018 Learn to Row group on January 30.  We are delighted that a number of members from that class have already signed up to join the club.
Welcome….. we look forward to helping you to further develop your rowing skills.
Just a reminder that all club members are welcome to join the social rowing program on Thursday evenings 6.15pm or Sunday mornings 9.45am.  Please contact Head of Rowing if you want to participate and are not currently receiving the Sportsnoticeboard sign ups for Tiger Rowing.

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Our newest addition to the fleet – the Karen Doggett

It was wonderful to see so many members competing at the Melbourne Head Regatta. It was also a pleasure to spend the afternoon together as a club afterwards for a casual BBQ and drinks in wonderful weather (until the monsoon arrived!!!).

We received an urgent call to say the newest member of our fleet, a brand new men’s Sykes coxed four/quad, would be arriving that morning. There was no better time, than following the BBQ to get the club together to unveil the boat and name it through the smashing of a bottle of champagne.

As a top of the range boat which we hope will get plenty of use (and success) for the club at regatta’s, we wanted to ensure it was named after someone who has contributed so much to the club over the last few years. The Committee immediately knew who it would be appropriate to name it after – our outgoing president Karen Doggett.

Anyone who has been involved with the club ever since Karen became a member will know of her impact. Karen has been a successful rower for the club since she joined the club in 2008, with her first regatta win coming at Hamilton in a mixed eight. Since this time she has won at numerous regattas including State and National Championships, the most recent of these being in the Victoria State B grade quad in 2017. She has also been part of 2 Head of the Yarra winning crews.

In addition to this Karen has been a part of the Richmond Rowing Club Committee for the previous 6 years, initially as a general member and more recently as President of the club for 4 years until 2017. During this time Karen has shown tremendous dedication to the club, she was involved in the clubs 150th year celebrations and the club redevelopment which has left us with these magnificent facilities.
Her dedication and commitment to the role of President of the club was amazing and her legacy will continue on for many years through where the club is now and through this new boat.
We look forward to seeing this new addition to the clubs fleet at coming regatta’s, hopefully taking home some medals during the coming sprint season.

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Continued investment in our fleet announced at the AGM

Our AGM was held at the club on Saturday 29th July 2017 in our wonderful facilities. It was an opportunity for the members of the club to come together and reflect on the clubs operations over the past year. We continue to be able to present a healthy balance sheet. Thank you to all who attended and thank you to all the Committee members for their contribution through the year. The clubs healthy finances benefit greatly from our amazing venue and our ability to continue to hire the venue through the ongoing work of the Committee and Lucy as our Facilities Coordinator. As you will have seen from recent blog post about the kitchen and bar refurbishment we continue to invest in the club so we can maximise our income. We were pleased to announce at the AGM our ability to continue to invest in the renewal of the fleet as the outgoing Committee have placed an order for a brand new Sykes boat, a men’s Kevlar bow coxed quad/four.
A major part of the AGM is to elect a new Committee and Farewell any departing members from the Committee. The three Committee members who stood down will be sorely missed.
Karen Doggett, our outgoing president has been a member of the Committee for six years, four of them as president. During this time her dedication and commitment to the role and the club have been evident to all. She has also found the time for significant on water success during the time. The club is in a strong position as Karen leaves the Committee.
Dave Micallef has been the clubs Fundraising Coordinator over the past year, he has overseen a successful fundraising contribution that has allowed us to refit the gym and invest in some much needed new oars. Nick Forte steps down as ordinary member having contributed strongly to the fleet subcommittee and redesigning the gym.
The new committee for the 2017-18 season consists of:
President – Jon Roberts
Vice-President – Geraldine Goss
Secretary – Aline Dejaeger
Treasurer – Kathy Macrow
Captain of Boats – Barry Campbell
Head of Rowing – Tim Evans
Facilities Coordinator – Lucy Crunden
Fundraising Coordinator – Christine Sullivan
Two ordinary members – Yashwini Vegi, Laurent Demay
Congratulations and welcome to our newest Committee members, Christine Sullivan, Yashwini Vegi and Laurent Demay.
Following the conclusion of the AGM we celebrated the newest addition to our fleet, the Dennis Beck, our brand new women’s Kevlar bow coxed quad/four Mould 10. Dennis was on hand to swing the hammer and officially name the boat.
Thanks to everyone who then helped out with the bbq and bar afterwards.
Naming Dennis Beck

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College rowers in April and May

Training for the intercollegiate regatta recommences on Saturday 22nd of April after the Easter break culminating with the regatta day on the 6th of May.
It’s worth noting that whilst some crews are ex-school rowers with plenty of experience many have never rowed before and will be getting a crash course in sweep rowing before competing in that first regatta in two weeks.
This year RRC has leased the Schouten Family and the Jennifer Campbell out to the college crews exclusively along with the timber veneer Croker oars. These boats have now been blocked out for booking until after the 6th of May. We will also loan the Ambush on an ad-hoc basis until that crew’s boat is available at MUBC next week.

Crews leasing RRC boats are from University and Queens Colleges and MLC are leasing to Ormond and Trinity. With RRC and MLC leasing fleet to the intercollegiate rowing this year there will be between 50 and 70 odd new faces around the club when you add rowers, coxswains, coaches, reserves and friends. That’s a lot of potential new members so make them feel welcome.
The college crews predominantly train weekday mornings but I suspect they’ll be trying to get a few extra sessions in over the weekend and through to ANZAC day now the enforced Easter break is over. Those using RRC boats have been reminded to use the log book but even RRC’s experienced members forget sometimes so check the boats are all on the racks before you lock the RRC shed up.
More information on the intercollegiate various sports including rowing can be found here:
http://www.sport.unimelb.edu.au/CollegeSport
The girls from the Victorian Pathway Team eight have also been boating out of the MLC shed over the last week and will be attending Time trials over the next few days in Penrith. RRC wish them luck.
http://www.rowingvictoria.asn.au/high-pe…/JuniorPathwayTeam/
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