So the stress and strain of Christ Church is now more than a week behind us, and the time has come to start looking forwards and preparing our crews for the challenge posed by bumps racing. One thing has always given our boat-club an enormous advantage, and that is the wonderful stretch of the Thames which passes the Radley boat-house. This serene stretch allows uninterrupted rowing for up to 4 kilometres, with very few other crews there to worry about. Coaching at Radley is also much easier; rather than straining ones ear from the boat to some distant voice on the bank, one can enjoy side by side advice from the Launch.

However, one obviously necessary piece of equipment is a working launch, and with the aged Gilly becoming bad-tempered and unreliable in old age we were missing out on vital training sessions. Luckily the days of turning up to Radley only to watch our Coach angrily tugging on a pull-chord (to no avail!) are over, and College has very kindly granted us the money for a sparkling new launch. Not only does this mean that rowing at Radley can resume next term, but as the new Launch is of such high quality the training should be far more productive than before.

Many thanks to the committee members who helped with the proposal, to David who did a sterling job of arranging the build once the proposal was granted and to College for supporting us with this vital piece of equipment. We’ll make sure to bring all of you success in Torpids and beyond.

Men’s Captain