Wednesday 11 December 2013

Provisional starting order for Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup

Subject to amendment by the race officials, here is the starting order for the Carrow Cup 2013.

Start
Time Number Name Club Boat type
11:30:00 136 Raineach Norfolk Skiff Club Norwegian faering
4 mins.
11:34:00 137 Leigh Ho Lower Thames Rowing Club Hanningfield Skiff
1 min.
11:35:00 138 Widgeon Norfolk Skiff Club Double Skiff
1 min.
11:36:00 139 Hoi Larntan Coastal Rowing Assoc. Blakeney St Ayles Skiff
11:36:20 140 Spirit of Dunkirk Lower Thames Rowing Club Hanningfield Gig
11:36:40 141 Bembridge Langstone Cutters Rowing Club Solent Galley
11:37:00 142 Renown Lower Thames Rowing Club Hanniningfield Skiff
11:37:20 143 Cherub Norfolk Skiff Club Thames double skiff
11:37:40 145 Proud Mary Lower Thames Rowing Club Hanningfield Gig
11:38:00 146 Dauntless Lower Thames Rowing Club
1 min.
11:39:00 147 Sallyport Langstone Cutters Rowing Club Solent Galley
11:39:20 148 Sowenna Norfolk Gigs Cornish Pilot Gig
11:39:40 149 Phantom Norfolk Gigs Cornish Pilot Gig
11:40:00 150 Yole Norwich Rowing Club Yole (outrigged)





Friday 6 December 2013

Wivenhoe enters Carrow Cup

Wivenhoe Gig Club has entered Audacity, their Harker's Yard 4 oared gig for the Carrow Cup. I hope they have better luck than last year, when a failure of their tow vehicle prevented them attending the event.
As far as I am aware this is the only Harker's Yard gig in the race and entries close in less than 24 hours.
I am expecting 15 traditional boats to muster at Pull's Ferry, Norwich for the Bi-centenary Carrow Cup. It will make a great spectacle, best viewed from Riverside Road.
A Harker's Yard gig, but not Audacity

Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup

One day to go for the final entries to the Carrow Cup 2013.
Latest entry is Jumping Jenny, at 14 feet the smallest boat in the race. Jumping Jenny will get a 4 minute head start on the next to start and a full 11 minutes more than the fastest boats to complete the course.

Jumping Jenny, rowed by Frances Warns and sporting blades painted in Norfolk Skiff Club colours.

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup latest.


It's that time of the year again, fog, cold, Christmas shopping and, here in Norwich, the Carrow Cup. Now this is a special year, because in 1813 two four oared boats raced from Carrow to Whitlingham and back for a silver cup. I don't know what happened to the first Carrow Cup, but the replacement was produced in 1823 and it is this fine trophy, which will be competed for on the river Wensum  over the same course on Saturday 14th December.

In 2010 Norwich Rowing Club, which organises the event, extended the invitation to "traditional" boats and three assorted fixed seat rowing boats joined in with the fine quads, fours and doubles. In subsequent years traditional entries have increased and to celebrate the involvement of these boats and to support activity on the river within the city of Norwich, The Norwich Society and Wensum Riverside Partnership have donated another trophy, the Bi-Centenary Carrow Cup, for the fastest traditional boat to complete the course on handicap.

Entries close on Saturday 7th December, but there have already been entries from Lower Thames Rowing Club, Coastal Rowing Association of Blakeney, Langstone Cutters Rowing Club, Norfolk Skiff Club and two Norfolk based pilot gigs.

The best place to view the boats will be at Riverside Road, Norwich. 

This is the provisional starting order.

Club Boat name
NSC Raineach
LTRC Leigh Ho
NSC Widgeon
CRAB Hoi Larntan
LTRC Spirit of Dunkirk
LCRC Bembridge
LTRC Renown
NSC Cherub
LTRC Proud Mary
LTRC Dauntless
LCRC Sallyport
NGC Sowenna
NGC Phantom

Friday 2 August 2013

Summer Picnic at Barton Broad

Old and new: Cherub and Hoi Larntan
On what became the hottest day of the year to date, with the temperature well over 30 degrees C, 9 members met at Cox's Boat Yard, Barton Turf to renew their acquaintance with one of our favourite places on the Norfolk Broads.

  
Andy has control
Ian brought Hoi Larntan, the St Ayles Skiff, which had been built by Blakeney Coastal Rowing Association during last winter and had just competed in the Skiffie World Championships at Ullapool. Philip brought his recently completed and elegant Annapolis Wherry, Adrian and Lynne brought Cherub and Andy and Katy arrived complete with coracle. Sarah, Peter, Robin and James (who had only come to watch but was Shanghaied) completed the crew for Hoi Larntan.

Ever inquisitive, our first destination was Wood End Staithe on the east side of the broad. Narrow shallow and barely room to turn, it's not surprisingly rarely frequented.

Dodging a few motor cruisers the flotilla rowed a short way down the Ant to Irstead, turning near the public mooring, giving us the opportunity to inspect some of the riverside properties, all of which appeared to be named "No Mooring".

Hoi Larntan emerges from Wood End Staithe

NSC is for all recreational rowers
Gaye's Staithe at the south west of the broad was our picnic destination, with some welcome shade beneath the trees and a free supply of cherries.

Andy persuaded a few brave souls to try the coracle. Paddling is an art soon mastered; not so getting in and out of the vessel.

Protected from the freshening wind and shaded from the fierce sun the three boats explored Limekiln Dyke, turning at the head of navigation in Neatishead.

Back on open water we were exposed to the full force of the wind, but once into the broad we had a following wind. Cherub set full sail in the form of Sarah's lacy parasol.

Passing the Norfolk Punt Club raft, moored in the centre of the broad, we were invited to land for tea. The difficulty making a landing in the strong wind was amply rewarded with most welcome cups of tea and a chance to meet some old friends, who were supervising the club's cadet training week.

Back at Cox's Yard, the three boats were soon back on their trailers. Everyone agreed that it had been a most successful event and the club gained a new member, James.