Happy New Year to all our members. 
At the AGM that was held in December 2009 the following positions that were appointed.
Chairman - Steve Gentry
Secretary - Fiona MacInnes
Treasurer - Jerry Jones
Club Captain - Joy Treliving
Gig Captain - Jeremy Lawrence
Flash Captain - Leigh Anne Alford
Welfare Officer - Sophie North
Grants Officer - Jenny Coleman
Fundraiser - Theresa Middleton.


Thank you to all those who attended and we all look forward to a great year ahead. 
We have our new training gig that is ready for crews to train in ernest, the Zeus is all repaired and ready to row thanks to the hard work and dedication of the mens vets squad. A huge Thank you guys on behalf of all the club members. The Cream of Cornwall progress is constantly updated on this website and is due to be finished early spring, possibly in time for the first race which is the 3 Rivers at Saltash in March - (fingers crossed).

I would like to take this opportunity to report the current status of all the boats and the intended training regime for the 2010 season.

Zeus
She is currently being stored in Peter's shed at Trecoombe. She has been painted and is looking splendid and ready to be put back into the water. However, the old gig cover has succombed to the elements and we have placed an order for a new one, so when we have received it Zeus can be put back into action immediately. Please bear in mind that the date for boats to be shipped to IOS has been brought forward which will mean that Zeus will have to go when requested.

Training Gig
Our new plastic training gig sponsored by Ginsters has already facilitated training (see pictures below) and is a tremendous asset to the club. We have been able to row from Saltash on saturdays and we have been able to regularly put out four or more crews. The Ginster gig is currently being stored at Ginsters factory so that it can be trailered to Saltash where training can take place at all states of the tide. This has proved very successful as crews are enjoying having a regular slot and can train for a solid hour (or more if required) at a time. If however there are crews that prefer to row on sundays, this can be arranged.

Cream Of Cornwall
As previously mentioned, our new gig, Cream Of Cornwall sponsored by Roddas, is nearing completion. Brian Nobbs has been very happy for us to visit and many club members have witnessed the building progression which has been very exciting to follow,
A new trailer has been ordered and will be collected at the beginning of February from Tyrone Snell trailers. At this time of writing it is very likely the the Cream of Cornwall will be one of the first gigs to be shipped to the IOS, shipping commences on 22nd Feb.
Cream of Cornwall will be furnished with a full set of new oars, lifejackets, safety bag and contents.
Ladies will be delighted to know that Suttons have been commissioned to provide a set of Ladies macons which we hope will be ready for the World championships which will also be suitable for the juniors to use.


Training Prior to World Championshps
We have been training at Saltash for a number of weeks now with the new training boat. Saltash is favoured over launching at Calstock because we have had no room at the Calstock boatyard to store the gig up till present. Further to this, with no constraints with the tide we have been able to have the gig on the water for 5 hours or more! This has been such a bonus as we have never been able to train in a gig in the winter in previous years and this has allowed us to get new people on the water far earlier than before.
Following the world championships, we fully intend to locate the training from the boatyard and the training gig can be used as part of club nights so that we can start regularly using the gig as part of the training schedule for the youth members as well.
The gig captain will be introducing a booking procedure to be agreed at the next committee meeting and this will be announced when appropriate.
Prior to The World Championships, the training gig will be available throughout the weekends at Saltash. We are planning to leave the gig at Saltash overnight on saturdays so it can be used both days. At present, the men vets are using the 8am and 9am saturday slot and when other crews have been established, a regular slot for them can be decided upon. 
Our next priority is to establish crews and to appoint skippers for those crews.

Ladies training is currently at 10am and 11am at Saltash, please let me know that you intend to come to training via the website on the training page by Thursday evening, The website will also provide information as to whether training is cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Future
We now have 3 gigs which can be used by the club. Along with this privilege goes a logistical challenge. One gig will be located at the boatyard, another at Callington and another we hope to store and possibly launch at Cothele.The committe are now actively investigating all possibilties and will endeavour to resolve long term launching, storing and training issues.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions queries or suggestions using the 
contact page.
Next committee meeting thursday 14th January in Calstock Village Hall at 7.30pm in the small hall. All are welcome or if you cannot attend but wish to raise an issue, please email me using the contact form.

Joy

The Cream of Cornwall is really taking shape and approaching the final stages to completion.

Timbers/ribs are now going in following their steaming into shape.

Zeus is undergoing essential maintenance during the winter months and will be ready fo the new season in 2010
Thanks to Peter for the use of his workshop and to the dedicated memebers who have given up their spare time to paint our lovely Zeus.

Calstock Rowing Club went down to Brian Nobbs' workshop to look at progress  of the build of the Cream of Cornwall.

Latest photos on the new gig

The keel has been laid and you might see that the first plank is being securely attached at the bow and stern on the port side. It will take about six weeks for the all the planking to be attached and then work will started on the inside of the hull. The gig is being built strictly to the new specifications laid down by the CPGA and the grey coloured "formers" or templates are being used to ensure the shape of the hull complies with the spec. When the interior of the gig is started and timber/ribs are put into the hull, the formers are withdrawn.      For more pictures of the building of Calstock Rowing Club's new gig The Cream of Cornwall CLICK Here

The new GRP gig is due to be delivered in November.  This is great news for the club as it will mean that training will be possible during the winter months and we will be less restricted by the tide.

Calstock Regatta was held this weekend of the 15th and 16th August, this was the first year in many where it has been held separately to the Bike show but necessary due to both events becoming so large the village could not cope with them going on at the same time. Thankfully despite looking ominous the weather over both days was dry and even sunny in parts extraordinary for recent August weekends.   The village green was packed with stalls selling clothes, jewellery, facepainting, bouncy castle and a Punch and Judy show meaning that spectators had plenty to do when not watching the racing. The rowing club maintained an excellent array of refreshments from the Village Hall and a queue was always in evidence keeping the volunteers working hard all day long on both Saturday and Sunday.   These were however just a sideshow to the main event, clubs from all over Cornwall competing in traditional racing that has taken place in the village since the turn of the century. This weekends regatta was the final in the racing calendar and therefore points from the racing influenced the overall standings in the Cornwall Rowing Association Championships. There were more than 30 races held over the 2 day event including the heats, heats were held where too many boats entered and they could not fit accross the river. The highlight of the weekend was the Under 14's Mixed 4 oar in 18ft flashboats where despite having a crash and ending up 3rd on the day the Calstock crew clinched the Cornish Championship and join a long line of successful Calstock youngsters that have can call themselves a 'Cornish Champion'. In the Under 14's Randan held in 15ft coxless skiffs, Calstock had to beat Saltash to take that championship as well but it was not be and Saltash pipped them at the post after a turbulent season of racing between the 2 crews.   Other notable results for the home crews were Leigh Ann Alford taking second in the Ladies Pair of Paddles and managing to grab 2nd place overall in the championship when her main rival was disqualified for an indiscrection on the buoy turn, Charlotte Roberts from Polperro taking the victory at Calstock to complete a perfect season. Calstock Ladies 4 oar managed to hang onto third for the season despite coming fourth on home water. The Under 18's Girls 4 oar taking second on the day and 2nd overall for the year, missing out to a very dominant Polperro crew. In the Men's Pair of Paddles Jan Wilkins of Saltash finished a lowly fourth place but still managed to take the championship, the winner on the day being James Howells from Saltash. In the Under 18's Boys 4 oar, Penryn capped an impresive season with yet another win, and the same crew came a creditable 5th in the Mens 4 oar which was won by Saltash.   Following the end of the days racing a total of nearly 300 'pooh' sticks were released, the winner being the first through the viaduct, when announced a loud cheer went up as the winner was local girl Bethany Dingle who received a cash prize. The presentation of 'shiney' medals and 'glittering' cups cherished by younger rowers was then made by club supporters Joshua Preston and Jeanette Stebbings to all the 'placed' crews. all competitors and spectators agreed that it was 'one of the best' regattas in recent history. Thanks must go to Tina North who worked tirelessly on fundraising and organising ably assisted by many members of the club, thanks also to Keith Ingram for doing all of the starting of races and all members and supporters of the club for all their hard work and generosity however large or small over the weekend.   Calstock Rowing Club is always looking for new members to compete in all age ranges, from 10 and 11 year olds up to Veterans (40+) and Super Vets (50+). There is no better way to get fit, socialise and enjoy magnificent scenary all over Devon and Cornwall competing against some of the best rowers in the region, possibly becoming a 'Cornish Champion', check out our website www.calstockrowingclub.co.uk, our membership is drawn not just from Calstock but from the Callington, Launceston and Tavistock areas.

 The Under 18 girls crew registered the second straight 1st place this season and if it weren't for us being generous in lending Polperro rowers we would now probably be winning the championship. In the Under 16 Girls Pair of Paddles Rosie Bradley finished in first place, beating a few of the boys that were in the same race. And in the Ladies Pair of Paddles Leigh-Anne Alford capped a wonderful year with a second place chasing the winner from Polperro within a length, an amazing result when you look at the quality of the field Leigh-Anne was rowing against.   These regattas are immense fun and I would encourage everyone who hasn't attended one to put themselves forward, come down on Tuesday and Thursday evening and we can see about getting you out in a crew. We have 3 flashboats which means that for the Ladies 4's and Mens 4's we can put out 12 people of each gender, 2 skiffs in the Randans is another 6 finally add the Senior Mixed and we should be able to guarantee every adult at least 1 race possibly 2. I have to say people who come along have the privilege of watching the young rowers, the future of this club, competing against their peers in very exciting races and it's hard not to be affected by their enthusiasm.   Don't be shy, it only takes a couple of races and you could become hooked like so many others including me!!!   Cheers,   Nick.