An occasional look at the ebb and flow of the Thames
I knew from a very young age that I loved the water. It didn’t matter whether it was pottering about in a small rowing dinghy on the Thames at Twickenham where I was born or flinging myself through breaking waves on the beach at Holland on Sea in Essex where we used to stay with my uncle and aunt most summers – I just loved the water.
Whenever Staines regatta comes around, it’s always a bit of a poignant time and this Saturday the event is being staged as a tribute to the memory of the crew of the Ashes eight, three of whom – David Firman, Alan Wickens and Alan Choules – died in a tragic accident at Penton Hook in April 1971.
It’s that time of year when the Thames regularly resounds to the shouts of enthusiastic coxes urging on the oarsmen in the boat in front of them and one of the highlights of the season is always Staines Amateur Regatta which takes place on Saturday, July 24.
It’s not often you have the opportunity to remember a courageous deed in a practical way but Staines Boat Club members have managed it by naming their new rescue boat after a former oarsman who died whilst saving the life of a fellow crewman.
There are rowing clubs up and down the length of the Thames and crews being put through their paces by enthusiastic coaches pedalling along the river bank are a familiar sight for anyone who regularly takes a stroll beside the water.