News

City of Cambridge Rowing Club is taking part in this years virtual Cambridge half marathon which starts on March 1st and ends on March 31st. Not only would we like to get back that feeling of togetherness but we would also like to raise funds for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity in Cambridge, in memory of club Vice-President Joan Berryman, whose daughter Claire is our Treasurer. Joan was a cornerstone of the club’s event catering for many years, earning her the affectionate title among the members of “Queen Butty”, in recognition of the thousands of sandwiches produced and served by her in the tea tent at the regatta over many years. More formal recognition also came in her appointment as a Vice-President. Joan’s seven-year battle against Pulmonary Fibrosis was brought to an abrupt end on 1st January by her death in Addenbrookes hospital from COVID-19, aged 87. The Hospice’s Day Therapy team had supported her during her final years, with weekly sessions at the hospice, and latterly on Zoom.

Would you like to be a part of this exciting event? Come and join our “City of Cambridge Rowing Club” team by signing up here: https://endurancecui.active.com/new/events/72896934/select-race?locale=en_gb&_p=583320306779177

If you would like to read more about the event or about Arthur Rank Hospice Charity in Cambridge, please click on the links below:

Virtual Cambridge Half marathon: https://cambridgehalfmarathon.com/virtual/

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity: https://www.arhc.org.uk

If you have any further questions, please email Susanne Valen at seniorsquadcaptain@cityrc.co.uk.

We would love to have you on the team!

Christmas came early this month for CCRC as Filippi Boats delivered 4 new boats to complete the Filippi side of our boat bay.

The new boats consist of a Women’s 8+, a heavyweight 4-, a lightweight 4+ and a lightweight 2x/-.

In a season where almost every rowing race has been cancelled, the City of Cambridge Rowing Club (CCRC) celebrated the post-lockdown period with festive fun at its annual Christmas Head on Saturday 5 December.

Race organisers at CCRC put in place a host of measures to provide more than 500 competitors in some 120 crews with a safe opportunity to don their wackiest fancy dress and race down the river in an event that has been a Christmas season highlight in the Cambridge rowing calendar for decades.

City President Tony Nelder said: “We have worked very hard during lockdown with British Rowing, the Cambridgeshire Rowing Association and other Cambridge authorities to make this much-loved part of the rowing calendar safe and fun for all the athletes from ages 13 to 75, who have been desperate to get out on the river for weeks.”

Usually very popular with town supporters stood along stretch of river in front of the boathouses, this year’s race was moved to a course just outside the centre of town that runs from Plough Reach to just before Green Dragon footbridge to discourage clusters of onlookers.

The fastest crew on the day was City of Cambridge’s own men’s eight in a time of 6 minutes 52 seconds. Cantabrigian women fielded the fastest Women’s crew in a time of 7 minutes 32 seconds. Cambridge 99’s Will Young was the fastest sculler with City of Cambridge’s Jess Halliday was the fastest women’s sculler.

Cantabrigian Rowing Club won the best fancy dress prize while a double scull from Jesus College won the best corner round Ditton Corner prize.

The club was also been fortunate to partner with Droplet one of Cambridge’s technology companies to run the race entry system as they start to launch their club management app.

Claire: “Just been told by our Bursar that one of his friends had a daughter rowing in Saturday’s race, and the friend went to watch and burst into tears when her daughter’s crew went past, at the sight of something “normal” happening amongst all the grimness of a global pandemic.”

The government has placed Cambridgeshire into Tier 2, this means that as per British Rowing guidelines we are free to open up on Thursday 3rd December. In short we will be able to:

• Open up the boathouse with Covid rules in place.
• Allow the use of crew boats subject to Covid-Secure protocols which will include bubbles (similar to where we were pre lockdown)
• Open up the gym with Covid rules in place.
• AND run competitions, including our Christmas Head (Sat 5 Dec)