CHARITY ROUND THE ISLAND ROW – 19th AUGUST, 2003.

On Tuesday, 19th August a crew from Ryde Rowing Club successfully completed a round the Island row - the thirteenth time a crew from the Ryde Club has rowed around the Island since the first row in 1880.


The crew of Ollie Bottrell, Matt Bull, Stu. Johnson, Steve Salter and Ashley Maitland are all under twenty and are believed to be one of the youngest crews to ever complete the fifty-file mile row and are only the fourth crew to row around in a Sliding Seat Coastal four as opposed to the more traditional fixed seat galley. The crew was coached for the row by Steve Bull, father of Matt and member of the 1979 crew who were the first to complete the row in a sliding seat boat. Steve and Matt Bull become the second father and son to complete the row following in the footsteps of John and Steve Dear who rowed around in 1965 and 1995 respectively. The crew used the Clubs Coastal Coxed Four "Dionne" especially equipped with additional safety equipment – life-jackets, compass, flares, Radio communications, tools and lights as well as refreshments for the crew.
 

The crew has a window of opportunity of five days, limited by tide and crew availability, starting on the 17th August in which to attempt the row, which is heavily weather dependant being believed to be impossible in anything more than a force three. The weather forecast for the first two days was clearly unacceptable but showed some improvement for Tuesday, 19th August and although not ideal, with the forecast being little better for the rest of the week the crew agreed to make the attempt and they set-off, rowing anti-clockwise from Ryde Pier at 6.30 in the morning. It quickly became clear that the conditions were worse than expected and that any ambitions the crew had of beating the Ryde R. C. held record for a four-oared boat of seven hours fifty-seven minutes was unlikely to be successful. The support team of Coach Steve Bull and Chris Walker in a RIB loaned by Carisbrooke Shipping and former Club Captain Ian Lennie in his Maltese Dhow, with crewman Tony Hickman debated weather to cancel the attempt with the crew and it was agreed to continue with the RIB running ahead to test the conditions and find the calmest water and the Dhow providing safety cover for the crew. The crew experienced the first really rough conditions on the approach to the Needles which they rounded at 9.58am after tree and a half hours rowing.

The half way point, which is approximately when Brook Coastguard Station is abeam, about a third of the way between the Needles and St Catherine’s Point, was reached after four and a half hours rowing, surprisingly only thirty minutes behind the record time. But conditions were not getting any easier and there was real concern as they approached St. Catherine’s, sufficient enough for the Coach to order the crew to put their life-jackets on as a precaution. After six hours rowing and guided by the support boat the crew were able to creep inside the infamous race of St Catherine’s point although the worst conditions of the row forced the crew to stop and bail out the boat just after St Catherine’s and much time was lost. But with the most dangerous point passed it was just a slog to the finish and moral was high again after the low point battling towards St Catherine’s as the crew were now confident of completing the row.

Dunnose was reached in seven hours ten minutes, and Forelands in eight hours twenty-seven minutes. Bembridge ledge, another danger point was passed with no problems and as they headed towards Seaview, Ryde Pier and the finish line were in site much to the relief of the crew who were now suffering from back ache, sore hands and other areas of the body! The crew finally passed the finish line of Ryde Pier at 3.58pm after nine hours thirty minutes and twenty-four seconds - not the fastest time but certainly a round the Island Row in the toughest of conditions which has raised several hundred pounds in sponsorship for the Wessex Cancer Trust.

photo shows 2003 crew approaching the Needles


Steve Bull

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