Scullers Head Race Report
Added 30/11/2009 by Martin Downey
 - Martin "Crusher" Downey
The annual Vesta Scullers Head went ahead as planned on the 28th November on the Tideway despite the weather threatening to have it called off due to high winds.
City of Bristol was there and the seven boats provided a decent sized flotilla. The scullers from Bristol were Crush, Graham Davidson, Jane Hall, Emma Mitchell, Hazel Fullman, David Cussans and Nadia Balhi (flown in specially from Hamburg for the event). Also finished in that order.
 - Hazel
Three of the seven scullers went to the Thames and had a training session on the Thursday before to study course, work out the flows and get the general 'feel' for the place, all having different agendas.
 - Jane
Nadia & Emma had a bad start as they had to borrow boats as theirs were damaged on the journey up in the trailer. We're very grateful to the clubs that generously offered us some boats to race in at the very last minute (Imperial College BC, Thames RC, and whichever club Emma borrowed her 1x from). And also thanks to Charley Breen for going round the clubs on the embankment looking for boats for Emma and Nadia, and generally helping us all with boating.
 - Graham
The row up to the start was blustery especially between Hammersmith and the west end of Chiswick eyot with a number of sculls overturning, although none from the hardy Bristolians. With Scullers Head you get to the turning point all in order and turn into the stream and go. There was a cross/tail wind to just beyond Barnes, cross winds to Hammersmith and then a bit of a head wind to Putney.
The results were:
Crush & Dave finished 12th & 23rd respectively out of 26 in VetC category
Graham 6th out of 13 in Vet F
Emma & Nadia 5th & 8th out of 14 in WIM2 lwt
Jane & Hazel 9th & 10th out of 21 in WIM3
Luckily Hazel & myself were not drug tested for caffeine.
 - Emma
We boated from Vesta where the food afterwards is the best and the sofas the comfiest out of all the boathouses at Putney. The wooden lockers in the changing rooms also give that homely lived in feeling. A pint of Guiness later and who really & honestly wants to go back to wet, windy & cold Bristol? (Which it was). Next time I think I will see if I could get one of Vesta's sofas for the night and return Sunday or even Monday.
Crusher
 - Nadia
 - Dave
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