Allcomers Regatta – Sunday 29th June 2014
Information for the Allcomers Regatta 2014 is now available An event aimed specifically at complete beginners, groups of friends or work colleagues.
Durham Regatta
Visit the Durham Regatta website for information about this annual event that takes place on the 14th and 15th June.
Dynasaurs by no means extinct
Round 3 of the Northern Sunday League was the most successful to date for DARC with 14 wins secured. The second sweep event of the year took place at Chester-le-Street in dry and sunny conditions. It was our turn to provide the boats along with the Tyne ones so there was an earlier than usual[…]
Durham City Regatta Draw
The draw for Durham City Regatta is now available for both Saturday and Sunday. Please ensure that all crewmembers, officials and helpers are familiar with the competitors instructions for Saturday and Sunday.
Durham City Regatta
Entries for Durham City Regatta have now closed. The draw and safety instructions will be posted here on or after 7th May.
Recs go to War (of the Roses)
Bradford ARC hosts an annual invitation scratch regatta known as the War of the Roses which sees veteran rowers of all standards from across the north of England converging on Bradford’s Victorian clubhouse in its picturesque setting on the River Aire at Saltaire. This year’s event was held on Saturday April 26th and, as a[…]
Durham City Regatta
The prospectus for Durham City Regatta is now available for both Saturday (also in pdf) and Sunday (also in pdf) BROE is accepting entries now. Entries close 6pm Friday 2nd May.
Durham Regatta Grants for Local Rowing
Durham Regatta have agreed to make available a pool of funds of £7500 per year, for at least the two year period commencing 1 January 2014. This amount will be used to fund grants of up to £1,000 to organisations involved in the development and promotion of the sport of rowing on the River Wear[…]
DARC Profile – Jacki Patrickson
Jacki Patrickson is DARC’s coaching co-ordinator. A civil engineer and mother of two, her first job as a graduate, was spent building roads and bridges around Durham (I have it on good authority that she is particularly fond of culverts). Four years ago she moved back to Durham and started working freelance, providing interim management,[…]
Another world record for inspirational Gill
2014 looks set to be another golden year for DARC super rower, Gill Prescott. Gill, who recently won the North East Sporting Inspiration of the Year Award 2013, broke her own world record for the 55-59 age group at the English Indoor Rowing Championships in Manchester on 3rd March. Gill took 1/10th of a second[…]
DARC Profile – Coach Mark French says, “always start people in a single first”
Mark is a former Chester-le-Street member, and joined DARC nearly 2 years ago. He was in the Royal Navy, and was a Sales Manager for Debenhams. He qualified as a UKCC level 2 rowing coach 2 ½ years ago and then became a Community Rowing Coach. Now he combines his role as a Foster Carer[…]
Durham Small Boats Head Cancelled
Durham SBH has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled again. Current conditions and the forecast are poor and an early decision is better for everyone. Still some time to get your entries into Tyne next week and hopefully the University Hayward cup will go ahead on Saturday in Stockton if you want to watch[…]
The Great Gym Clean
The Rec rowers did a magnificant job yesterday, Monday 10th Feb, to give the gym a deep clean, and the Junior section pitched in to put all the equipment back in place, before their training session. Twenty plus rec rowers spent over two hours on the cleaning make-over with their characteristic enthusiasm. Virtually all the[…]
Sarah warns of Killer Shrimp
Talking to DARC profiler, Sarah Wheater, I took the opportunity to find out about the CHECK-CLEAN-DRY campaign. Andy: Sarah, it sounds like a dry cleaning company, what’s it all about? Sarah: It’s actually about stopping the spread of alien species Kind permission of The Environment Agency Andy: I’m guessing you’re not talking about rowers from[…]
DARC Profile – Sarah Wheater
Sarah Wheater is an environmental scientist and novice rower. Originally from South Yorkshire, she moved to Durham in September 2012. How did you get into rowing? Through the sports and social club at work. I had a friend in Warrington who was helping organise a Learn to Row course and they needed an extra body[…]
Mark Bell clears hard arch with a little loose change
It’s another of those volunteer jobs that goes largely unnoticed – river clearing .. John Appleby and Derek Gordon in a safety launch last year, most of the daylight hours, providing safety cover, in freezing conditions, whilst the Council, cleared a massive tree from the river and the landslip in Pelaw Woods. January 2014 –[…]
Draw Published – Durham Small Boats Head
The draw for Durham Small Boats is now available in both PDF and Excel formats. Clubs should ensure that all of their competitors, coaches and supporters are aware of the information contained within the Competitors Instructions
Rec rowers raise two-and-a-half grand
It’s like one of those maths problems. How many cups of coffee does it take at 50p a cup (less cost of the makings, not forgetting the biscuits) to raise £2500 in a year. Answer … A lot. The rec rowers have just handed over this money, as their contribution to club funds, from both[…]
DARC Profile – Recreational rower – John Riach
John Riach rowed many years ago, at the Royal Grammar in Newcastle, and took part in the first Durham Head in 1959 in a ‘maiden’ crew (for all you millenials, that’s the old term for ‘novice’). A civil engineer, John worked all over the country until his retirement a few years ago. Andy: John, I’ve[…]
Juniors raise £600 at bag pack!
The juniors spent 3 hours bag packing at Sainsbury’s at Pity Me on the night of 30th December – a fairly quiet night as shopping numbers go, but the amount raised was a whopping £601.54. The junior Christmas Breakfast raised £76 The junior Christmas fayre raised £570 for the Phillipine Disaster Appeal ( increased to £1070 on[…]
Gill named Outstanding Performer of the Year
It’s been another award-winning week for the unstoppable Gill Prescott. On Thursday 5th December she won the Northern Echo Local Heroes Award for Outstanding Performance of the Year, after winning the Durham Regional Award. Two days later, she followed this with a Championship Record breaking performance at the British Indoor Rowing Championships in Cardiff on the 7thDecember.[…]
Christmas Fayre raises £1071 for Philippines Disaster Appeal
The Christmas Fayre was a great success ( it would have been nice if more club members had called in for a free coffee and mince pie) but we raised £571 on the day and as a result of a £for£ charity match from my employer (Lloyds Bank) the final total going to the Disasters Emergency[…]
Roly Metcalfe
I am sorry to have to inform you that Roly Metcalfe, a long standing member of DARC, passed away peacefully on Friday, after a short illness. Roly was a member of DARC for many years, indeed he was one of the Vets who introduced me to rowing over 20 years ago, coxing his crew at[…]
Real Veterans Day Out
Mick Downworth, of the Mens Development Squad, is an outreach worker for forces Veterans and their families in Gateshead. So, last thursday 28th November, Mick had arranged a day out, at the club, for this ‘Gateshead Veterans Hub’. Some of the veterans had suffered injuries and disabilities and have served in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo,[…]
Rutherford Head – Shocking weather – Great Results
D.A.R.C. crews were greeted by some shocking weather when they arrived on the Tyne, for the popular Rutherford Head on 30th November Instead of the apocryphal gale force winds, snow blizzards and ‘sinking’ river conditions there was … a gentle breeze, sunshine, and a calm river. Facing the shame of bar conversations that were less[…]
Gill shortlisted for Outstanding Performance of the Year
Not content with breaking world records and winning over 30 events this year, Gill Prescott is now through to the finals of the Northern Echo Local Heroes Awards 2013. Gill won the Sporting Achievement of the Year Award at the County Durham Sports Awards in October and has now been shortlisted for the Award for[…]
Christmas Fayre raises £1071 for Philippines Disaster Appeal
The Christmas Fayre was a great success ( it would have been nice if more club members had called in for a free coffee and mince pie) but we raised £571 on the day and as a result of a £for£ charity match from my employer (Lloyds Bank) the final total going to the Disasters Emergency[…]
DARC Members Survey Results
The full report of the DARC SATISFACTION SURVEY – Report and Plans for Action is out today. Over two thirds of the 117 respondents rated their satisfaction with their membership of DARC, as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’. There were many positives about the facilities, about the general friendliness of members, and for the excellent coaching,[…]
The Launch of the Jessica Eddie
Durham rowing Olympian, Jess Eddie, visited the club on the 6th October to launch our newest racing boat, the “Jessica Eddie”, a lightweight Eight named in her honour. Jess, who attended St.Leonard’s School in Durham and learned to row on the River Wear at age 8, joined Durham ARC as a teenager before being picked[…]
Durham Primary Regatta – Draw and Racing Timetable
The Draw and Racing Timetable for Durham Primary Regatta is now available. You can download it in PDF and Excel format. All competitors, coxes and coaches should ensure that they are familiar with the Competitors Instructions.