Regatta warning - Great River Race - 7th September

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CJL

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Good evening all,

I just wanted to make you aware that the Great River Race is weekend on Saturday.

The course is 22 miles from London Docklands to Ham House near Richmond and has a significant impact on both downstream and upstream traffic. There are pier closures and river closures to be negotiated so the PLA have issued a Notice to Mariners which can be downloaded from their website.

Rough timings are also available on the NTM.

CJL
 
Good evening all,

I just wanted to make you aware that the Great River Race is weekend on Saturday.

The course is 22 miles from London Docklands to Ham House near Richmond and has a significant impact on both downstream and upstream traffic. There are pier closures and river closures to be negotiated so the PLA have issued a Notice to Mariners which can be downloaded from their website.

Rough timings are also available on the NTM.

CJL

We have a couple of guys doing it. I may pop down to Ham if the Hammertons Ferry is working ok hours.

Don't forget the Teddington River Festival at the lock on Sunday !
 
Hope the weather holds up again this year. Around 350 rowing boats of all sizes will be leaving Greenwich from around 12 proceeding upstream to Ham House in around 3-5 hours when the tide will turn. Good luck everyone! :)
 
So they work it upstream now? I was a Support Boat on the very first one which started upstream and ended downstream at Blackwall.
 
Yes, I think it was considered easier to manage the line up for the start at Millwall Slipway. Also, as they arrive towards the finish, there is a lot of support and cheering from Chiswick, Kew and especially from Richmond riverside. All the cheers from above on the bridges is really good too. Great party atmosphere at the finish at Ham House. Fun for absent/working friends when able to follow GPS positions of boats in race, but not done last year. First time in seven years that I've not been involved. Great fun day. Fingers crossed for the weather though. :cool:
 
Evening all,

The change in direction happened a couple of years ago as it meant the rougher bit of the race happened when the crews were fresher and more able to cope. Year one was kinda forced upon them as the tides didn't work for them at all one year.

Feedback is that it's much better going upriver but there are some complex calculations that take place to ensure the fastest competitors arrive at Richmond Lock and Weir at the right moment with the weirs up.

Unfortunately the GPS trackers won't be happening this year due to the increased costs involved.

CJL
 
Great finish and quite a spectacle watching them all come out. Had a chap from work doing it who is tucking into his first beer as we speak.

I guess the wind did not help on some stretches.
 
I did the GRR again, knocked 45 minutes off last years time!

Now I can spend the next 12 months getting shouted at by the rowers.
 
Thank you BoatOne - I think I know which safety boat that was, as he stuck with the Dragon Boats for quite some time. There's quite a bit of footage in there of the boat I was paddling on, which I'll share with the rest of the crew. (From our POV it was horribly lumpy at the start!)
 
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