Captain's update 14th October

Morning all,
Hope you are all having a good start to the week. Lots of notices this week!

Pairs Head. Thanks to all who came down to help at the boathouse on Saturday, and those who cheered me and Jordan from the bank. We had a solid race coming third in our category of the Open Club 2-. A good first race of the year and something to build on! 

Fours head. Which leads me onto the next big race on the tideway. The Fours Head takes place on 24 November. Entries open shortly and I intent to enter two crews (a quad and a four). Please could insert your availability on FitClub this week. I will be selecting crews based on training scores and experience. I will set these crews at the weekend so that we have 5 weeks to train in them beforehand. If you want to race, it is also critical you commit to the sessions running up to it.

Training. It has been fantastic to see a full shed in our recent sessions, and there has been great commitment to match- well done. The 2k and 5k erg tests give everyone an excellent benchmark for the months ahead. One plea from me is to get signed up early where possible, and to show up ready to go on time. 

Weather. Lots of us commented this weekend that it felt like the start of winter. The temperature has dropped and it’s darker. In the depths of winter – conditions and weather won’t always play in our favour. Rest assured the Coach and Captain both keep a very good eye on the forecast – we will update you if plans change, please bear with us and if you know the weather is bad, keep a good eye out for comms about outing changes. If we end up not going on the water, you are still expected to attend a training session you are signed up for on land. Remember warm clothing and if it’s still a bit dark when we are boating, to wear high visibility clothing if possible, as well as lights on boats.

Boat maintenance. If you spot a problem with a boat please do let us know. Boats are expensive and spotting issues early can help massively. And obviously remember to clean the boats after use! 

Any questions/ comments, let me know!
Dom