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Rutherford - next year, indoors if wet
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By Neil Lewis
Rutherford Head - Large boats head
Newburn on Tyne, 1 December 2001.
Course: 5000m from Scotswood to Newburn
Conditions: Don't ask, just read.
When the coach tells you his-cox box was floating, and others in the crew, surely exaggerating, tell you the waves were three feet high, then you simply wish you'd been there. I mean, to see one's chums in such genuine discomfort would have been a joy to behold.
Last year this event, the Rutherford Head at Newburn, was simply a race. Last Saturday, cold and wind made it a true waterborne endurance test. So bad were the conditions, that in the First Division, which contained Hexham's Senior 3 coxed four entry, two crews sank, and our boys did too, nearly. Damn. Only nearly. The foot wells filled with water as blades chopped the tops off waves and directed flying moisture into the boat. Making matters worse, once at a certain level, this sloshed up and down the craft each time a stroke was pulled - can't you just imagine the gasps in unison as a wave of iced water flushed over our guys 'seating arrangements' shall we say? It just gets better the more you think of it.
'Whiplash Willy' Christer's neck had recovered for this race and thankfully survived it, wet, but unscathed. His erstwhile partner Brown, walked away from it unbalanced, preferring sculling with two blades rather than rowing with one. Aitkenhead, according to cox, Bob Manning, almost fell out of the boat laughing as a wave swept in and clobbered said Manning amidships. And through it all, jovial Jaconelli, old 'sole mio' at bow, somehow stayed dry and sunnily smiled through it all, as is his way. Like thoroughbreds, these guys, except Aitkenhead, refrained from training of any sort in the week running up to this trial. What? Commitment? Sorry. That should have read: "What commitment. Scared to risk a strain." At the end, beside the boathouse steps, none of them had the strength to even attempt to get a strain. They couldn't even lift the boat off the river. The water samples they'd collected had almost doubled its weight.
For the record and Mr Brown, the race was won in 18 minutes 36 seconds by the Durham University A crew. Our boys were 17th in 21.46, as ever beating our small club rivals Berwick into 25th place (23.15). Ominously the published results show 4 crews as 'DNF'.
Hexham's only truly committed crew who train twice weakly, sorry, spelling this time, twice weekly, Bob's Ladies 4, turned up, brought their usual grace to proceedings, but returned home disappointed as the conditions for the Second Division when they were to race, were considered too dangerous, and it was cancelled. They shall return, doubly determined and without peer.
Previously published by Hexham Courant
01 Dec 2001
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