Rowing on the River Thames

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The River Thames is one of the main rowing areas in England, with activity taking place on the Tideway and on the 45 separate lock reaches on the non tidal section. The river hosts two major rowing events The Boat Race and Henley Royal Regatta, and a large number of other regattas and long distance events take place on the river. Dorney Lake near Eton was opened specifically as a rowing lake besides the Thames and has become the venue for a few events that formerly took place on the river. Other lakes adjacent to the Thames are the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake and Royal Docks. Rowing, or sculling, includes skiffing, dinghy racing and cutter racing in which the boats are also propelled by blades.

Contents

[edit] Regattas

Rowing Regattas generally take place during the summer months and usually consist of short side-by-side sprint events, with heats and finals.

Event Special Month Area or Lock Reach Approx Start Point Direction Distance
Barnes and Mortlake Regatta June Tideway 1000M
Borne at Chiswick Bridge May Tideway 1000M
Burway Junior Regatta Junior July Chertsey Lock Down 600M
Chertsey Regatta Skiffing July Shepperton Lock Dumsey Meadow Down 500M
Chiswick Regatta April Tideway 1000M
Egham Regatta June Bell Weir Lock Bell Weir Up 650M
Hammersmith Regatta April Tideway 1400M
Hampton Court and Dittons Regatta Skiffing July Teddington Lock River Mole Down 650M
Henley Royal Regatta July Hambleden Lock Temple Island Up 2112M
Henley Town and Visitors Regatta July Hambleden Lock Temple Island Up 1000M
Henley Veterans Regatta Veterans July Hambleden Lock Temple Island Up 1000M
Henley Women's Regatta Ladies June Hambleden Lock Up 1500M
Kingston Regatta July Teddington Lock Raven's Ait Down 1000M
Maidenhead Regatta August Bray Lock M'dnhead Rly Br Up 500M
Maidenhead Junior Regatta Junior May Bray Lock M'dnhead Rly Br Up 500M
Marlow Regatta June Dorney Lake Still 2000M
Marlow Spring Regatta May Down 950
Marlow Town Regatta June Marlow Lock Down 900
Metropolitan Regatta June Dorney Lake Still 2000M
Molesey Regatta July Molesey Lock Platts Eyot Down 850M
Molesey Junior Regatta Junior July Molesey Lock Platts Eyot Down 500M
Oxford City Royal Regatta August Iffley Lock Down 1000M
Oxford City Sprint Regatta August Iffley Lock Down 500M
Putney Town Regatta May Tideway 1200M
Reading Amateur Regatta June Sonning Lock Down 1500M
Reading Town Regatta June Sonning Lock Up 800M
Richmond Regatta June Tideway Down 1250M
Skiff Championships Regatta Skiffing August Hambleden Lock Henley on Thames Down 750M
Sonning Regatta General May Sonning Lock
Staines Regatta July Penton Hook Lock Down 500M
Sunbury Amateur Regatta General August Molesey Lock Sunbury Court Island Up 650M
Thames Ditton Regatta May Teddington Lock River Mole Up 1050M
Thames Valley Park Regatta June Sonning Lock Up 500M
Twickenham Regatta May Tideway 1250M
Wallingford Regatta May Dorney Lake Still 1500M
Walton Regatta June Sunbury Lock Walton Bridge Down 1000M
Walton Reach Regatta Skiffing August Sunbury Lock Walton on Thames Down 600M
Wargrave and Shiplake Regatta General August Marsh Lock Shiplake Railway Bridge Down 400M
Weybridge Ladies Regatta Ladies June Sunbury Lock Up 900M
Wraysbury and Old Windsor Regatta Skiffing July Bell Weir Lock Hythe End Down 500M

"General" refers to a mix of skiffing, cutters, dinghies and other rowed craft.

[edit] Head of River and Long Distance Events

Rowing Head of the River and Long Distance events generally take place in the winter months and are usually processional races with competitors being set off at time intervals and judged on the basis of comparative timing or by bumping (catching up the boat in front). Many of the long distance events on the Tideway are raced over The Championship Course and apart from the Boat Race and Wingfield Sculls may begin from Mortlake or Putney depending on river conditions.

Event Special Month Area or Lock Reach Approx Start Point Direction Distance
Abingdon Head April Culham Lock Up 2000M
Burway Head February Chertsey Lock M3 Bridge Up 3000M
Burway Small Boats Head December Chertsey Lock M3 Bridge Up 3000M
Eights Week O.U. May Iffley Lock Up
Greenwich Head February Tideway
Hammersmith Head March Tideway
Hammersmith Women's Head Ladies Tideway
Hampton Fours and Eights Head Junior January Molesey Lock Down 3000M
Head of the River Fours November Tideway Champs Course Either 6800M
Head of the River Race March Tideway Champs Course Either 6800M
Henley Fours and Eights Head February Hambleden Lock Up 3000M
Henley Junior Head Junior February Hambleden Lock Up 3000M
Henley Sculls Head November Hambleden Lock Up 3000M
Isis Sculls September Iffley Lock Up 1800M
Kingston Head March Teddington Lock River Mole Down 6000M
Kingston Small Boats Head November Teddington Lock Down 5000M
Marlow LD Sculls November Up 2400/4800M
Molesey Veteran Head Veteran February Molesey Lock Down 3000M
Oxford City Bumping Races April Iffley Lock
Pangbourne Junior Sculls Junior November Whitchurch Lock Child Beale Park Down 3000M
Pairs Head of River October Tideway Champs C. Either 6800M
Schools' Head of the River Race Junior March Tideway Champs C. Either 6800M
Teddington Sculls February Teddington Lock River Mole Down 6000M
Thames Valley Trial Head January
Torpids O. U. March Iffley Lock Up
Tideway Scullers Head April Tideway
Tiffin Small Boats Head October Teddington Lock Down 5300M
Upper Thames Small Boats Head October Hambleden Lock Up 3500M
Vesta International Veterans Eights Head Veteran March Tideway Champs C. Either 6800M
Vesta Scullers Head of River Race November Tideway Champs C Either 6800M
Veteran Fours Head Veteran November Tideway Champs C. Either 6800M
Wallingford LD Sculls October Cleeve Lock Up 4000M
Walton Small Boats Head December Sunbury Lock Down 3000M
Weybridge Silver Sculls October Sunbury Lock Up 3300M
Weybridge Veteran and Junior Head Veteran March Sunbury Lock Up 3000M
Wingfield Sculls October Tideway Putney Up 6800M
Women's Head Ladies March Tideway Champs C. Either 6500M

[edit] Other Events

[edit] Clubs

Rowing on the river is generally organised through clubs, which include the following.

[edit] Major Clubs

[edit] Universities

  • Reading University Boat Club

[edit] Schools

[edit] Poetry of Rowing

Jolly boating weather,
And a hay harvest breeze,
Blade on the feather,
Shade off the trees,
Swing swing together,
With your bodies between your knees,
Swing swing together,
With your bodies between your knees.

The Eton Boating Song may be too sophisticated for the average riverside heckler, and an oarsman or oarswoman is more likely to be treated to a rendition of the nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is like a dream.

[edit] References

  • British Rowing Almanack (2006)

[edit] External links