New Training Boats

City of Sheffield Rowing club has taken delivery of three new trainer boats. These are the Edon stable singles, and were supplied by Ahoy Boats.

Following the success of our learn to row programme, this year we are launching the Sheffield Schools Rowing Challenge in partnership with Yorkshire Sport and Move More. This will provide indoor rowing coaching to the widest possible range of Sheffield secondary school students, and the opportunity of a summer school on Damflask Reservoir. The recently purchase training boats will the club to increase the capacity of both the Learn to Row and the Summer School. And the City club is hopeful that both universities will make use of these training boats for their new novices starting in September 2021.

Ahoy boats provided a 25%. The funding was raised through a number of different avenues. Donald McDougall managed to secure £1,000 of support from the Aviva community fund. Ahoy Boats very kindly provided a 25% discount as the boats were last in stock. The remainder was made up with the funding associated with a commitment from the club management to ensure that all membership fees paid into the club during lockdown[s] was solely ear marked for the purchase of new rowing equipment.

The Edon boats have been provided with their own racks, with castors at the base, so that they can be moved around the boathouse. This is a very beneficial feature as storage within the boathouse is a premium as a result of three clubs sharing the space. Hopefully with the planned improvements to the boathouse, we will be able to find a more permanent home for the newest members of the fleet in the not so distant future.

In order to ensure that the boats will stand the test of time, guidance on rigging these new boats has been provided on the club website and it is recommend that everyone who intends to use them watch this, before attempting to rig the boat themselves.