And the news from London goes as follows...
330 boats set put from Docklands to race the 21 miles upriver to Ham. Boats were big, small, all shapes and sizes, but all were "traditional" and powered by oars or paddles, with fixed seats. Racers had to row against a F5 wind, cope with choppy waters and two full on thunderstorms. In these testing conditions the men in Skiff John B put in a sterling performance, finishing in 2 hours, 53 minutes and 55 seconds. This was 39th overall on handicap, and 21st in the 4-oared class.
Just as impressive, the mixed crew in St Baldred were only 13 minutes behind the men, finishing 17th in the mixed class, (3 hours and 7 minutes). The sprint over the last four miles put in by the mixed crew with a chasing Dragon Boat (16 paddlers!) on one side, and a Hawaiian War Canoe (10) on the other simply had to be seen to be believed, words just aren't enough.
Don't be fooled by the fancy dress and the parties - the GRR attracts an international field of serious rowers who race hard, and these performances by North Berwick and Coigach rowers mean we can hold our heads up high in very good company.
