There may be a number of you who do not know George. Until a few years ago I only ever saw him quietly getting on with paddling. He was very serious about his paddling, also running and cycling. Then he started to show an aptitude for rowing as well. This brought him to the attention of the Club’s Captain at the time, your current VP Alex Paterson. George had an eagerness to see the different sporting disciplines interacting more, as did Alex.
Eighteen months ago, when Alex was looking for someone to take on the Captain’s role, George was the obvious choice. The Grand Aquatic Extravaganza may not have fully been George’s idea, but he was the driving force behind what turned out to be a great day for the Club. His attention to detail resulted in us having approx. 100 people competing safely and enjoyably during the day.
While he was doing this he was also quietly planning & training for a “wee adventure” of his own to mark the Club’s 150th Anniversary. He had heard tales told by Robert Todd & Colin Campbell of non-stop trips round Bute and decided he was “having some of that”.
At 6am on Monday morning this week, after all his hard work of Saturday, he set off from the Club beach. He headed past Al Black’s lighthouse at Cloch, turned South West to Toward, then north up to Kames, back down the West side of Bute, across and round the South of Wee Cumbrae before heading back to the Club. A group of members went out in kayaks and a small fishing boat to meet him about Lunderston Bay. He arrived back at the Beach 100km and 14 hrs 55 mins after leaving. He finished the trip by rolling his kayak before getting out.
Some of his stats are below:
Distance: 100.438 km
Total time: 14:55:51 hrs
Moving Time: 14:02:14 hrs
Avg Pace: 4:28 min/500m
Avg Moving Pace : 4:12 min/500m
Best Pace : 2:14 min/500m
Strokes: 47,720
Calories: 5,376
It is either a sign of the madness that befalls members periodically, or the sign of a truly devoted member prepared to go the extra 100km to mark a historic event such as the Club’s 150th Anniversary. Either way it is a remarkable feat and he is to be commended for undertaking it.
Remember that tomorrow is the Club’s 150th Birthday and there is a party in the clubhouse from 7pm to mark this. The VP will be saying a few words at 7:30pm ahead of a photo collage prepared by Hugh Kerr and a short talk on the history of the Club by Tom Mackay. There is also a cake to be cut and eaten, washed down with as much beer as you can drink.
Adam Graham
Hon. Sec.