At RWSABC, The Esplanade, Greenock (see website Location tab for directions)

Deadline for Registration Sat 26th May 2012

Our 2012 Regatta details TBA

Accomodation and Camping

There is a tab on our website that will give information on local B&B’s and hotels. We have a garden at the clubhouse for the hardy camping types, first come first served. There are also some club members who have offered camping space in thier gardens within a few minutes of the clubhouse. Would appreciate as much notice as possible to establish how many gardens we will need.

Food

There will be a food stall during the day with tea, coffee, sandwiches, hot dogs & baking.

For anyone staying over there will be access to as many takeaway menus as you can shake a stick at.

We also have a fully licensed bar that will be open for most of the day and into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Boats, Cars & Trailers

There may be Diamond Jubilee events in Greenock on the same weekend as our regatta so please leave plenty of time to get through the traffic from Glasgow to Greenock. There is plenty of free parking near the club and on the Esplanade. Boats can be offloaded at the club then the trailers parked on the adjoining grass verge.

Racing

Course for the Skiffs will be approx 1/2 mile along Esplanade and back. 1 mile in total. Mass starts

We will be offering at least the following catagories:

St. Ayles Skiffs – Open Ladies, Men & Mixed

St. Ayles Skiffs – 40+ Ladies, Men & Mixed

St. Ayles Skiffs – Veteran (50+) Ladies, Men & Mixed

Pairs – Open Ladies & Men – These are Royal West boats that will be availabe for use on the day.

Spectators will be able to watch the racing from the clubouse balcony, Esplanade and beach.

Safety –A description of the course and a separate safety notice will be issued to all coxswains before the race day and a safety brief will take place at the start of the day. All teams should note that they will be required to comply with SCRA rules.

Rowers should note that the main channel in the Clyde run across the course and that the area will be busy with both commercial and pleasure craft. Coxwains should bear this in mind during races.

The Prizegiving will take place approx 30mins after the last race.

Race Fees

TBC

Registration forms

Clubs : All club entries to be registered before the midnight on Saturday 26th May 2012,. Easiest way is by email to rowing@rwsabc.com We will need to know a contact name, tel. no & email address for club Captain (or appropriate member), events being entered and an identifying name for each crew.

Rowers: On receipt of entries we will email out a form to be completed for each crew, to be handed to Regatta Secretary, along with fees, at registration on the day.

Map of the course – Will attempt to get a map posted on the website shortly but will also include it with the registration form following entries being received.

Start time We plan to start the racing at about 10:30 on the Saturday, there will be a coxes briefing at 10:00

Saturday night

There will be a Disco in the clubhouse from about 7:30pm until 12:30pm. All are invited, a small contribution towards the cost of the DJ would be appreciated and will be collected during the evening.

Sunday

As it is an extended bank Holiday weekend in celebration of The Queens Diamond Jubilee we plan to hold a Pagaent along the Esplanade. All visiting clubs are welcome to join us with thier St. Ayles Skiffs and using our other fixed seat boats. We will then BBQ back at the Club and have some fun events on the water involving the Skiffs and all of the other boats in the Royal West fleet.

We have also arranged a live music event in the Clubhouse on the Sunday night. It is a best descibed by the organiser George as follows;

“For people wanting to perform please contact me by email or by phone, evening 01475 888604. I’m looking for entertainers: singers, musicians, comedians, jugglers, dog acts etc. Format: 20-40 minutes by each act. We will round off the evening with an old fashioned sing along with song sheets provided.”

The event will be on Ergometers.

The ACRA will be providing travel via ferry to Belfast and accommodation while you are there.

Anyone interested should contact Elaine Nelson via elainenelson01@hotmail.com to confirm your interest. Please also copy in myself at secretary@rwsabc.com.

Adam Graham

We might also get the boards out for the kids to use at the beach..

We’ll also get the barbecue sparked up (I’ve been banned from this task after a very poor effort the last time) so bring some food and cook your own.

BEACH TIDY: From 11am to 1pm on the 26th prior to the above activities it would be great if we could have some volunteers down to help give our beach a bit of a tidy up as our Regatta is being held the following weekend

Alex Paterson
Club captain

Visiting crews from Royal West of Scotland ABC, Queensferry CRC, St. Ayles RC, North Berwick RC, Row Porty and Dunbar CRC were welcomed to Cockenzie & Port Seton’s regatta over the weekend. Racing started at 11am on the Saturday with the annual Cockenzie v Port Seton race. This acted as a demonstration for the visiting crews as to the course. There were then 23 races in total on Saturday starting with a series of heats before the lunch break. After lunch there were the semi-finals and finals.

Some of the racing was very close, all of it was exciting for those taking part and those watching. Spectators gathered above the beach in the outer harbour could only see one of the two boats as they approached the finish line, meaning they had no idea until the last minute who was going to win.

On the Sunday Birdie Bowers made the trip over from South Queensferry to North Queensferry to welcome the newest member of the Skiff fleet onto the forth, Rowing under the Forth rail Bridge was a great experience…

Alex Paterson

We are attending the Diamond Jubilee Pagaent in London with them and they have been training at Royal West for the last couple of weekends, so have invited us to attend thier event as guests. Anyone interested should let the Hon Secretary know (either by comment on this article or email to secretary@rwsabc.com)and we will pass this on to CSRC Secretary.

Cost is £ 99 for food. You will also have to cover your own travel costs back from Portsmouth.

Offshore sailing experience not essential but anyone going should be aware this is not a pleasure trip.

If you are interested contact Richard on 02392 832055 on Monday morning.

All members and thier guests are welcome to come along and try rowing, kayaking & sailing. There will be an opportunity to try watersports available at the Club, as well as some fun races with dodgy prizes.

Same format as last weekend, plan to start at 1pm and will light the barbecue during the afternoon if you want to Cook-Your-Own.

Come along, have a chat, play on the beach or get afloat.

Adam Graham
Honorary Secretary

Friday night was the April Boat Club Session with a group of about 30 gathering in the Hall to enjoy live musical performances. The youngest performer was 13 years old, George & Mary’s granddaughter Anna. It would be impolite to disclose the age of the oldest. A good mix of members and their guests took part. Everyone is looking forward to the May Session.

Saturday mornings weather was not great but it still saw the “Saturday morning squad” launch Zebra for a trip on the river. As they returned folk were gathering for the Club Activity Day. We had about 30-40 members and guests down during the afternoon trying out rowing and canoeing. The No. 1 pair was launched and taken for a cruise, with outboard, out as far as the Whiteforeland mark. Late afternoon the barbecue was lit and groups/families Cooked-Their-Own. The gathering moved into the Clubhouse after dinner, although the kids carried on playing on the beach.

It has been suggested that an activity day like this is organised on a regular basis through the open season to encourage a more widespread use of all of the boats. There had been plans to run some races on Saturday but folk were having fun experiencing different boats that this was not pursued. Next time round maybe.

The Hall had been booked for a private function (Hen Night) on Saturday night and was decorated for the event. This function generated a very good turnover in the bar and was reportedly very well received by all those in attendance.

Sunday morning saw the arrival of 70th Greenock Scout Troop for a rowing experience session. The new Troop Leader, David Love, has been very active in getting parents involved in widening the Scout activities. Through this process a group of 12 Scouts and leaders spent the morning learning about the Club, its history and the boats. The weather had not been great when they arrived at 10:00 and by 11:30 was no better. A Pair was launched briefly but the waves were too big and any attempt to go afloat with the Scouts was abandoned. They did however learn the importance of team work in launching and recovering the pair. A number have indicated their enthusiasm for trying rowing and will be back down on Thursday night at 17:30 along with the Club’s Juniors.

Everyone who helped or participated in the activities over the weekend is thanked for their support of the Club.

Come along and support your club with an evenings of live music and singing. Traditional Pub sessions in our own hall.

Everyone gets the chanced to play a tune or sing a song. If anyone else knows the tune or song they can join in with support. Or just come and listen.

All standards of players and singers welcome. The aim is to have a good time.

Plan to start at 1pm and will light the barbecue during the afternoon if you want to Cook-Your-Own.

Come along, have a chat, play on the beach or get afloat. This should be the start of a good season at the Club.

Adam Graham
Honorary Secretary