Creek To Creek Rowing 31km

Our rowing club has embarked on one of those fund raisers where you give money and we do something that almost kills us. I think the idea is that if we don't die we actually live a little longer and possibly do some good elsewhere.

Our club has partnered with the heart foundation.  The link seems to be that we are engaging in and promoting a healthy lifestyle.


This is a link to a page where you can donate money.
https://yourwayforheart.everydayhero.com/au/frankt

WHATS IN A NAME
The event is called the creek to creek. Last year we rowed from Oxley Creek to Breakfast Creek.  This year we rowed from the Centenary Club to our shed at West End. Not sure that I saw a creek at either end.

8:50am Picked up Jeff Clark and headed out to Centenary Rowing Club.  A few minutes later the GPS trailer with our boats arrived.

We unloaded and began to rig the boats.

Nigel (L) and Jeff (R)

Brad wondering why he was the only member of the Shadows present.










12:30 pm we pushed off.
We warmed up by rowing in sixes.  There are of course 8 rowers normally in the boat.  Often we start with either 4 or 6 rowers rowing and the remaining people just keep the boat balanced.  This lets us concentrate on timing and technique without the distraction of the boat tipping from side to side.

Our crew:
1  Mark Allan & Peter Hastie with a swap when pain or death sets in
2  Jeff Clark
3  Bart Phillips
4  Gary Chilcott
5  Nigel Stubbs.
6  Rob Pullar
7 Anthony Conias
8 Frank Thomson
Cox:John Comino
Tinnie driver = John Walker.

A big thanks to people who gave up family commitments to be in the boat.  Especially to Bart who's son ran on with the first 15 for the first time.

SUBS
We were were only 7/8 until last week.  It was concerning me.  I tried to recruit a girl I know who rows but she declined.  Two other fellows were approached and declined.  I sent a text to everyone in our club.  Brad came through with Nigel.  Nigel joined us for a introductory row on Friday before taking to the water on Saturday. 

ROW
Along the way we stopped and swapped Mark out and Peter in.
As we passed Rob's place his wife and daughter arrived in a tinnie with beer.  A very fun distraction.
We continued rowing.  The water was quite rough.  I was having trouble with my finishes.  Not coming out cleanly.  We stopped again at the Rocks at Yeronga and did another Mark - Peter swap and then again at the University Green Bridge.  By then my back side and lower back were very very sore. In agony actually. I stood up in the boat for a necessary stretch.  Note for next time - Practice sitting for hours or bring a cumfy pillow.  We got going again and continued.  Luckily another stop at the West End Ferry.   We finally arrived at home base around 3:30. The last couple of hundred meters Johnny had "Long way to the top" pumping out the speakers.  Something I really enjoyed.

A 3 hr row.  (The best crew took 2 hrs.)

 

This is just past the west end ferry terminal










Back at the shed we had a BBQ.  Incidentally the white bow protruding from the left is a boat rowed by the state high girls.  They had had rowed in the GPS girls regatta at Kawana.  Their boat lives in the same shed as we operate from.  As we were blocking the entrance our guys ended up carrying it in.