FOURS HEAD SLUG-FEST

The Tideway did its best to produce some particularly foul conditions for the fours head on Saturday afternoon, (the sort of weather that's normally only seen at the scullers' head). In fact the water after Barnes bridge gave a lot of crews their first taste of costal rowing as it closely resembled a bad day on the North Sea.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the wind chill factor left most crews complaining about losing contact with their fingers (I must admit it felt less like sculling and more like left handed knitting wearing Ski gloves..ED), the sensation only returning around the black buoy - just in time to be lost again on the long cold row home.

The strong wind stired up a lot of unpleasant silt in more ways than one, and the slug has a few "name and shame" titbits for your enjoyment...

LEA HAVE A PEE

The Lea were (as usual) late down to the start, but even so, they still managed to provide some entertainment for the crews in the second division by stopping to "relieve" themselves just down from Chiswick bridge. Now, it's one of the accepted truths of rowing, that oarsmen WILL piss over the side of the boat - as they never listened to their mothers and therefore NEVER remember to go before they boat - but two of The Lea boys including the lovely Peter Brett showed just what a class act they are, by not simply taking a tactical leak but by standing up in the boat, in the middle of the river, to do so.

DO YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE...?

Round about Barnes Elms, a Marlow women's boat, full of GB types, was seen attempting to overtake the boat in front. The girl at Bow, who obviously has a rather high opinion of herself, was heard to demand that the offending boat move out of their way.

Having hit the bad water at this point in the race, the Marlow crew weren't coming-by quite as convincingly as they might have done, so someone in the other crew shouted back "why?"

the response....? "because we're SQUAD..."

so now you know...

NO SHAME...

The London rowing world was reeling in shock last night after, Vesta Rowing Club's Vice-Captain, Chris Harrison, openly admitted to having friends who are canoeists. As news of this horrific revelation spread, Chris was quick to put out a retraction :

"when I say friends, I mean acquaintances. hardly knew them at all really. friends of ex-friends, now you come to mention it. I was young, foolish and badly advised. I didn't inhale, though. nor swallow."

Despite his attempts to diffuse this potentially embarassing situation, the slug is afraid that the damage has already been done and Vesta members now risk being spat on at regattas...