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Tuesday 13 December 2011

Row, row, row, row the boat


Here's a rare sight - a rowing crew gliding through Saltaire on the canal.  Bradford Amateur Rowing Club has its boathouse on the River Aire up by Hirst Weir, on land given to them by Sir Titus Salt in 1893.  You can often see rowers practising there, but I don't think I've ever seen them on this stretch of water.  We've had a lot of rain lately and there are flood warnings on some of our rivers so I can only assume that the river itself is too swollen and dangerous to use at the moment.  The canal looks fuller than usual, actually.

I know little about rowing so I can't say for sure what type of boat this is.  The four oarsmen have two oars each so Wikipedia tells me that they are sculling.  They have a cox too though.  They must be dedicated, to be out practising on a Sunday morning in December in the rain.

14 comments:

  1. A common enough sight on the river at Cambridge. It looks like hard work to me - for very little reward (other than the occasional appearance on very exclusive blogs!)

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  2. But it looks like a beautiful place for a walk!

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  3. You have to admire their commitment. Rowing (even during the Summer) looks pretty unappealing to me.

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  4. Watching Redwood, Pinsent & co winning gold in the Olympis - magic.

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  5. It makes a lovely picture. I can see the rain drops in the water but people are still walking. I would love to walk along that pathway next to the canal.(on a fine day) How about you take us for a walk along there one weekend.

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  6. A beautiful spot well captured. I don't know anything about rowing, either (in fact, your brief description had details I wasn't aware of) but the Clinch River at Oak Ridge is a major rowing area in the US. Schools from all over the northern states come there to train each spring and they host a number of events through the year. Maybe I need to get down there and get some pictures this year.

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  7. All I know about rowing comes from english movies. But it looks typically english to me, and the place here seems perfect to practice!

    (every saturday, I look at "Downton Abbey" on TV, what a marvel!)

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  8. It does look lovely despite the rain!

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  9. I like this, people walking, running or rowing, all enjoying getting some exercise.

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  10. You should watch the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race next Spring! Lovely rainy photo full of dedication!

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  11. It looks like a serene place for a rowing practice. Nice capture, Jenny!

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  12. Looks like some giant water insect!

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  13. What a delightful thing to come across! I really like this one. ~Lili

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