Fun time messing about on the river

Thanks to my late father’s influence I joined the Cub Scouts aged eight and went all the way through the movement until I was 20. While I remember enjoying my time there, I never appreciated then just how much grounding that would give me for opportunities and challenges later in life.

My old scout group, 1st Cuddington (Warspite), are Sea Scouts, so we also had a big slant towards rowing, sailing, canoeing and general nautical skills. This week I got together with a few old scout mates and friends to dust off some of those old skills and start to practise for an event we have collectively entered for September.

Rowing is a bit like riding a bike, in so far as you never forget how to do it, but being someone who walks and runs for exercise, my hands struggled a bit with an hour’s row along the Thames in a type of boat known as a

Cornish gig.

A few blisters on sore hands was a later reminder of the practice session but one we all thoroughly enjoyed. Sometimes we all forget that the simple things in life are so enjoyable – the sound of the oars in the water and banter among the crew as we rowed past Hampton Court Palace saw the time just slip by.

There should be a crew of eight including the coxswain but for this first bash there were just five of us. Although we were short-handed it was a good practice in a boat new to us all, giving us the opportunity to understand the enormity of the challenge we are taking on in September – but more about that another time.

I hope that you too get involved or encourage others to learn life skills whenever the opportunity arises as you never know where that may lead.

The sound of oars in the water and the banter made the time fly

OARSOME Rowing on the Thames