Bridge-Bridge

Maryborough 

T-minus

THINGS TO DO

Bond store

Train Museum over enthusiastic 

Walk at the opposite side of park where we boat. 

Main park scale model train. 

Waterfront region near the sailing club. 

FRIDAY NIGHT

Packed sports bag into the car. 

SATURDAY 

During the night remembered my blazer and put it in the kitchen. 

5:30 Alarm. Share coffee with Phoebe. Had intended to leave at 6 but this was delayed until 6:30.  Took several attempts to leave. Got onto Oxley Rd and realised I'd forgotten my coffee. U turn. Home and Phoebe said she'd run after me but I'd gotten away. Then she asked if I had my lunch. Ahh no. It was still in the fridge.  Thank you Phoebe 😊. 

Finally on the road. 

Dropped into Aspley maccas and got a sausage and egg mcmuffin.

Next stop was an hour out of Maryborough for a wee and look up and set the exact address. 

9:50 Arrived. 

Parked on the road above the rowing club. Began to collect the stuff I'd need into a woolies bag. Sun was hot.  Put on sunscreen.  Sarah and her family parked near by as did Scotty.  Mike joined as and we walked to the rowing club. 

Beastie & JT and the boat was already there. They'd made very good time. 

Unloaded and began to assemble the boat.  First squall. Abandoned ship and sought shelter in the club house. 

Completed assembling the boat.  Half listened to the briefing. 

Launching was scary. They have a new pontoon with an engineering cock-up. It's too high. Seems a common problem with pontoon builders. Idiots. Anyway the rowing people have a temporary floating extension and it's very wobbly.  Super scary.  With the help of some of the local high school kids, we managed to get the boat in the water without breaking it or us or them. 

12:00 RACE

There was apparently 4 eights but i only saw 3.

The red eight went first. We started second and the collegians went third. Sarah informed we that we were gaining on the red eight at the same time the collegians were steadily and relentlessly gaining on us.  We were rating around 30 strokes per minute and the collegians were way lower. 

 I think we, as a club,  continually rate too high. Not my call. 

On the other hand the boat felt pretty good. Timing was good and the boat sat up.  The water was very rough.  We had a good rhythm. 

The rain came down.

We approached the turn around. Went under the bridge. The rain stopped for one second. A hard strokeside turn. I was in 3 seat and bow side had to row very hard to pull it around. 

On the way back, the rain just got harder.  My woolies bag sloshed about and disgorged it's contents into my foot well. Muslie bar, tee shirt zip lock bag with phone. I was concerned the bag would not be waterproof and if the phone,  supposedly water proof, died then I'd be in trouble as I would not be able to open my car. 

We had a local in 2 seat and he called heads up.  I realised I had lost focus and snapped back putting extra into my legs.  Arms were full of pins and needles.

Not long after he called 1500.  Divide by 10 and that's 150 strokes.  As we crossed the finish line the rain abated. 

After some fiddling about we pulled into the pontoon.  More helpers helped lift the water filled hull out of the water.  Very very scary on the floating extension. One smart fellow had worked out he could stablise things by crawling under the boat to the river side. 

Hot shower. Fingers numb and lots of pins and needles.

CHARGING