Author: Adam Taylor

Fifteen year old William White, an aspiring young junior from Herne Bay Rowing Club, has been awarded a prestigious scholarship with St Edward’s School, Oxford, which will help him with both his academic and sporting aspirations. 

He will board for three years in which time he will be coached, trained on an intense regime and with a view to compete at a high level, predominantly at National Schools and Henley Royal Regatta. William starts on 1 September. 

For two months during Lockdown White was watched and evaluated via Zoom by the school’s Senior coach, Jonny Singfield and Master in Charge of Rowing, Adam Moffat whose initial thoughts of William were “powerful with reasonable technique who would be a great addition to the school and boatclub. His physiology is impressive and scores on the rowing machine are right at the top end for his age group.”

Initially pointed out to the school by Herne Bay Rowing Club member and ex international rower, Daniel Ritchie, it was clear that William was a determined and focused boy who was prepared to work hard.

Herne Bay High School, where William attended until this year, has remained extremely supportive throughout the process giving extensive references, together with words of encouragement and excitement. 

Mrs. Jackie Wilson, Head of Omega College at the local school was ”thrilled that Will has achieved this scholarship and we send him our best wishes for this next exciting chapter in his life. He will be missed by many staff and students but we look forward to following his career. 

She continued to say “William is a natural sportsman and has displayed a real love for sport through the camaraderie he injects into his many sporting experiences. He also has the drive and desire to be the best he can, no matter what the obstacles are’’.

William’s father is also the Captain of Herne Bay Rowing Club, who said a few words: “This is an extremely rare opportunity and recognition of talent in a young athlete, a break that is often missing with so many talented individuals but also a testament to our great club. Herne Bay Amateur Rowing Club is not just one of the oldest sporting clubs in the local area but also one of the most grounded and stable environments to nurture young people. It takes children in and teaches them the skill of coastal rowing but more importantly, team spirit, comradery and respect for others.”

This opportunity for William is something the club as a whole has achieved as we have given him the foundation, the pathway and the self-motivation to succeed.

William would like to thank all members of the club for their support, especially those volunteers that make rowing possible including the committee and senior members that run the club on a day to day basis. He would like to single out Keith Grove who has been a great coach and given him guidance through the past three years since he started at the club.

Herne Bay Amateur Rowing Club wishes William every inch of luck and we look forward to watching him grow into an aspiring athlete.

On Friday 31st January 2020 at 8.30pm the Annual General Meeting will be held at the
Clubhouse, Spa Esplanade, Herne Bay, Kent.

Subscriptions were due on 1st March 2019. In order to vote at the AGM any outstanding subs for the current year should be paid to the Club Treasurer forthwith.

Membership rates are: Rowing £144.00, Student Rowing £72.00 (Social Rowing membership 50% of these rates), Social membership £20.00 (or £10 if joined after 1st September), Coxswains £5.00, OAP £8.00.

Unfortunately Herne Bay Rowing Club’s regatta is cancelled tomorrow, however we will be hosting another on Saturday 20 July.

To find out more about the club please follow our Facebook page and if you’d like to cheer us on at any of our other regattas, please look at our regatta list.

Come and have a go at rowing this year at our drop-in taster session.

Sunday 17 March, 10am to 12pm If the weather is kind, you will have the chance to get out in one of our boats with experienced rowers.

– Try our 500m ergo challenge to win a prize.

– Walk around our clubhouse

– Find out about the races at regatta season

– Find out about our up and coming social events

– Bar open

Also, sign up to our 6 week LEARN 2 ROW programme, which starts Wednesday 27 March. Ten people maximum.

Please wear gym kit and shoes/socks you don’t mind getting wet plus a change of clothes and towel to dry your feet.

We accept boys and girls from the age of 13 years and upwards. You don’t have to have any experience. Please bring along friends, family, colleagues who you think would love to have a go.

For more information please email contact@hbarc.org.uk or keep up to date on our Facebook page.

Come to the club on Sunday 23 September between 10am and midday to try your hand at coastal rowing.

Weather depending, we will offer you a seat in one of our boats and get you out on the sea, but will show you the ropes beforehand on land.

Bring: Tshirt, shorts/leggings and old shoes plus a bottle of water.

The club will be training over the winter for the 2019 regatta season.

Saturday saw hundreds of rowers taking part in the 62nd South Coast Championships, this year hosted by Deal Rowing Club.

Herne Bay Amateur Rowing Club is celebrating after being awarded £10,000 of National Lottery Funding to purchase ten brand new rowing machines.

The grant, awarded through Sport England, will show that the club means to invest in the current but also new members and the community. These rowing machines will mean that people from the age of 13 upwards and of all abilities will get the best training and help with their health and wellbeing.

The Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Councillor Colin Spooner attended the club’s celebratory morning with wife and Lady Mayoress, Julie Spooner to cut the ribbon to announce the new rowing machines and even had a go one of the machines himself.

Cllr Spooner was very impressed with the enthusiasm and energy in the club and he wished the members all the success at the championships this Saturday at Deal.

Dan Ritchie, gold medallist and World Champion rower commented saying “Sport England’s donation is key in aiding the development of rowing in Herne Bay. It’s great to see new equipment so accessible for every member of the club and designed to drive membership, which in turn will help keep the club one of the premier coastal rowing clubs in the county.”

Dan, who has rowed for the Bay club for over ten years is a great advocate for the town and the club, which has always been close to his heart.

Ritchie and the club will be rowing and competing against other coastal amateur rowing clubs spanning from Herne Bay, Dover and Folkestone to the south west coast at the South Coast Championships on Saturday 8 September, hosted by Deal rowing club.

To find out about joining this welcoming local club visit www.hbarc.org.uk

With nine wins, eight second places, three thirds and many more, we can’t think of a better way to kick start the rowing regatta season.

The weekend saw Herne Bay Amateur Rowing Club travelling to Bexhill and Hastings to race on both days in the sweltering sunshine and choppy waters. But rough seas are what the club are used to, so they were in their element!

The Masters 40+ crew, consisting of new captain, Darren White, Liz Taylor, Stuart Webb and John Cox went in to win straight away. Coxed by Maisie Jeffries on both days who pushed and shouted the well experienced crew into first place.

The Master 50+ also did incredibly well both days. On the Saturday they were slightly beaten by the Hastings crew, who are celebrating their club’s 150th anniversary this year. However, the Bay crew made up for it by coming first on the Sunday. Well done to Maisie Jeffries who helped them get to that finish line.

Well done to Junior 14 boys crew: Jacob Webb, Will White, Bradley Perry-French and brother Lewis Perry-French with Adam Taylor as cox, who beat the other crews by miles coming first in their race.

The men’s Junior four crew had an awesome start in both races, getting them that lead on the other crews in the race and landing them into first place on both days. Their crew consisted of bow man Manuel Marques, Will White, Tom Harris, Luke Taylor taking stroke position on the Saturday and James Dawkins joining the crew on the Sunday. This also means that young Will, at only 14 years old has moved up from Novice to Junior status.

The crew to watch was men’s senior four race, made up of Ryan Hosking in Bow, Tom Walton, Dan Ritchie and Will Campbell leading and keeping the pace in stroke and again coxed by twelve year old Maisie Jeffries. The powerhouse crew sped through the water beating the other crews by many lengths on the Sunday at Bexhill.

Luke Taylor and Manuel Marques were definitely on form this weekend as they jumped into their pair boat, beating all other crews to the finish line. These two have been competing together and training all winter, so they deserved to get to first position.

The race that amazed us all on the Saturday was the ladies junior pair. Georgia Shelton and Jasmine Amos have only been training a short while as a pair and absolutely smashed it in their race by coming second. They may not have come first, but they should be so proud.

Another second place was achieved on the Sunday by the Ladies Junior four crew: Jasmine Amos in stroke position, Heidi White, Georgia Shelton and Stephanie Rondel in bow. It was lovely to see everyone working together so well.

The newly appointed captain for 2018, Darren White said a few words about the weekends racing “I was so so proud to be captain this weekend! So many achievements, so much determination, commitment and shear guts! All the hard work and winter training gave us plenty of reward, well done to each and every one of you.”

Hastings and Bexhill was a huge success and with all of these wins, meant the club achieved second place in the grand aggregate and won the junior aggregate trophy for the weekend.

Maisie Jeffries has to be the coxwain of the weekend, as she was the one directing, steering, shouting and screaming the winning crews into their subsequent places! Well done to Maisie.