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Around Kingswear
Messing about in Boats.......
Kingswear Rowing Club has a great reputation, not just for rowing but for lots of jollies, eccentric events, not to mention eating and drinking in strange places. It also has epic adventures and here is a report from Graham Sowerby telling us all about one really big one... Back in 2014 the idea was dreamed up by Graham Sowerby to organise a rowing challenge for a team of 5 rowers to row from Lechlade to Hampton Court down the River Thames in a Seine boat, a fixed seat rowing boat for 4 rowers and a cox, rowing a total of 120 miles through 41 locks over 7 days and rowing with the flow. The sun shone all week and the team from Kingswear Rowing Club completed the challenge in style during April 2015.
So, last year, Graham came up with another challenge for a team of 6 rowers rowing from Stourport on Severn to Tewkesbury down the river Severn, then from Tewkesbury to Stratford upon Avon along the river Avon; a total of 74 miles through 23 locks over 6 days. However, this time most of this challenge would be against the flow!
Back in May this year the team set off from Stourport Marina through Worcester to Upton on severn a total of 21.5 miles for their first night’s rest. The support boat for the trip was Oonah, a 17ft river launch helmed by Graham who, with his crew at the time, Anita Howard, assisted a 40ft narrow boat which had fuel pump problems and was stuck on a tree in a potentially dangerous position
mid- river. Graham and Anita took the narrow boat in tow with Oonah and successfully delivered it safely some 3 miles back up river to the nearest lock. The following day the team rowed from Upton to Forthampton near Tewkesbury - a day of heavy rain but thankfully just 8 miles. Unfortunately the weather made it seem a lot further with questions asked such as, “Whose bright idea was this?” However that night the team enjoyed a well earned meal and a pool tournament at the Lower Lode Inn with both boats moored on the pub pontoon. Then the following day they rowed back through the Lower Lode Lock and onto the river Avon through the Avon lock onto Pershore and the Angel Inn which also had moorings alongside the pub. 15.6 miles of rowing that day against a very challenging river flow. That was certainly the hardest day’s rowing challenge faced but, thankfully, they enjoyed a glorious day’s weather and some wonderful sights along the river e.g. families of swans, geese, ducks and moorhens plus the sighting of two kingfishers. However, that was a day of more than one challenge. For all of the locks encountered on the Thames and the Severn and so far along the Avon lock keys were not needed. They were now informed that a lock key was essential! There were two lock keys back in Kingswear - not much use when they were halfway up the Avon. Not exactly “Up the creek without a paddle”... more up the river without a key.
By Mike Trevorrow
Steve Ainsworth stepped forward with a hammer and by slowly cranking the sluices open the journey up river continued. The third challenge of the day was to buy a lock key. success but £5 poorer.
From Pershore the team rowed up to evesham, through 4 locks, for a night at the Northwick Hotel. Then from Evesham to the Frog at Bidford on Avon for dinner then a night at the Salford Hall Hotel. The final day was a row of 9 miles up to and through Stratford upon Avon, where once again Oonah came to the rescue of a rowing boat which had lost its oars! So what next? Perhaps the Caledonian Canal, the Scilly Isles, the river Helford and Carrick Roads... who knows perhaps even the Morbihan in southern Brittany. Kingswear Rowing Club is an extremely friendly club that welcomes all ages from juniors to
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