Henley Winter Series 2 - 4 Dec 2011
This Sunday, 4th December, saw Exe-Calibre Blades and Exe-Calibre Open take on 11 other crews in Henley-on-Thames. Last week, it was unclear whether the Blades would have a whole crew, but some last minute chasing by Ed and Lisa, meant that a happy band of 17 eager paddlers, plus Ed on helm and Emily on drum, set off second, with one crew ahead of them, and the other teams aiming to chase them down.
The Blades quickly passed Thames Raging and with a fantastic effort and lots of commitment, managed to hold off all the other crews and get over the line before anyone else – a great achievement, with the final surge of adrenalin coming up to the finishing line, leaving a few of the crew quite tearful with pride but holding off those crews chomping at their heels! Added to this their improved time of 36 mins 51 secs, was a great achievement, especially when no other crew went faster than last time, and several went considerably slower. A fabulous result and testament to the huge improvements that the Blades are making all the time. This all bodes very well for their assault on the Standard League next race season!! Also a good indicator for another improved time in the next race in January 2012. Just think what the Blades could do if they fielded a full crew!
The Open crew were challenged by Lisa to smash the 31 minute barrier and were only thwarted by the slightly worse weather conditions than last time, crews who refused to pull aside and forced the boat to go wide and a near-miss with a Paddle Steamer!! Their tremendous effort resulted in a time which was nearly identical to last time, while both the Rafters and the 1000 crew went 30 seconds slower. That 31 minutes goal is still there for us to go for next time! Again, a minute ahead of the next club crew and a second Henley gold medal – well worth the pain and effort! The sweetness of the decisive victory over the 1000 crew, was added to the realisation that we, as a genuine club crew, were only 30 seconds behind a composite Rafters crew, which was put together from top quality GB paddlers (and aided by the magic of Gandalf!). An absolutely stunning performance and one that has precipitated a great deal of respect from clubs and paddlers in the UK. Bring on the next race....
Well done to our helms, Rachel and Ed, our drummers, Emily and Hayley, and all our paddlers. Be proud, you are members of the best Dragon Boat Club in the UK!!