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Rowing

Introduction

Rowing at Seafarers Sailing Club began in January 2024 when, at a specially convened General Meeting, the membership overwhelmingly approved a proposal to purchase a Bursledon Gig.

As anticipated, rowing has become as popular at Seafarers as it is at other local clubs. Working alongside the Club's sailing programme, rowing encourages new people to join the Club. It also provides an extra social and on-water activity for existing members including those who do not sail, and those considering retiring from sailing.

The Club's new Bursledon Gig was delivered from the manufacturer in April 2024.

Benefits

Benefits of rowing include:

It is very sociable.
It is good for health and wellbeing.
It requires less boats per participant than dinghy sailing.
It requires less training and special clothing/equipment than sailing.
It is not dependent on the wind.
It can take place all year round.
It does not require a planned timetable or duty crews.

Competition and Inter-Club Activities

Whilst it can be fun to row up and down the shoreline, it can also be fun to row to Netley, or to a café at Stokes Bay or in the Hamble River. There are relaxed rows, timed rows around markers (see Rowsea Challenge below), and local races against Hillhead Sailing Club .

As a newly formed rowing group, Seafarers has been invited to take part in the many events organised by other rowing clubs in the area. These include Tudor Sailing Club in Langstone Harbour and Hamble River Rowers.

Other rowing events that Seafarers can take part in include::

The Head of Harbour Race in Chichester Harbour
The Cockleshell Challenge from Eastney to Horse Sand Fort
The Great River Race on the River Thames
The Round Hayling Race

Photographs of the Club's appearances at the 2024 and 2025 Hamble Valley Regattas, the 2024 Tudor Challenge and the 2025 Tudor Winter Series, the 2025 Great River Race, and the Heads of Harbour Race held in March 2025 are all available from the website GALLERY. A selection of photographs from the 2025 Great River Race appear at the foot of this page. Videos of this event are available in the MEDIA/Club videos menu.

Administration

The rowing section is part of the Seafarers family. People who join the club specifically to row pay the same membership fees and carry out the same duties as those who sail.

Administration of rowing activities is the responsibility of the Rowing Captain.

Whenever rowing takes place, it is under the supervision of at least one of the Club's Gig Monitors. Monitors undertake a basic course in rowing to ensure they are competent to supervise the activity at Seafarers.

All rowing at Seafarers is carried out in accordance with the SSC Standard Operating Procedures (available from CLUB/Club Documents - here). SOP Section 8 deals with Rowing.

Communication

Every outing of the Gig is accompanied by at least one Monitor. Due to the nature and location of Seafarers Sailing Club, it is not usually practical to programme rowing in advance. Therefore a WhatsApp group has been formed which any Club member interested in rowing may join. This enables Monitors and rowers to coordinate rowing sessions.

Rowsea Challenge

This Challenge provides a focus for casual rowing. The course represents an appropriate exercise for developing rowing skills and teamwork and, by timing each attempt, rowers and teams are able to measure their progress.

The Challenge involves rowing the Club's Bursledon Gig around a fixed triangular course of approximately 3.25 miles. The time taken is measured and recorded. The team with the fastest time are the current "title holder". The team with the fastest time over the season will be awarded a trophy at the Club's annual Prize Giving.

For a full set of instructions, go to the Rowsea Challenge (click here or use the menu to the right (if a smartphone user, select )