Pushing the boat out to change lives
I love to stay fit and be outdoors, not just because it’s good for me physically. It also helps keep my head firmly together when circumstances occasionally try to derail my positive demeanour.
Normally I am a runner or hiker, however recently I have started being “unfaithful” to my feet every week (although they thank me for the rest!) and have joined a rowing crew for my next big challenge.
My son Ollie and I, along with a group of six of my old friends from my scouting days and local pub, have been putting in the hours training in a 32ft Cornish pilot gig – a six-oared rowing boat.
The hope is we’re fit enough to row in the non-stop 23 mile Great River Race along the river Thames in September.
With an average age of 50 and weight of over 15 stone, it’s going to be quite a tough race for us. But as always with me, it’s for a great cause.
The boat last week was officially renamed One in Eight because one in eight men get prostate cancer. In the case of our crew, I am sadly the one, although I would not wish prostate cancer on anybody
You may think that renaming a boat is a simple matter of painting on a new name but according to seafaring legends that would be sure to bring bad luck to the vessel and crew.
So we went through the whole traditional ceremony of calling on Poseidon and a host of other “gods” for their blessing. This involved purging the old name by throwing a bit of metal into the river with the previous name on, drinking and pouring champagne in the river around different parts of the compass and, of course, asking for good fortune moving forward.
So now, with the new name and a crew hopefully blessed along with the boat and our distinctive shirts, nothing can stop us in our quest for adventure, can it? We have a couple more months of training ahead before the big day so we may even shed a few pounds in weight while hopefully raising a few pounds for charity along the way.
Both are needed to make the best of the race for us!