Wallingford Regatta

May 1: We spent nearly the whole day at the races - the Wallingford Regatta, or rowing races, to be precise - and we learned a lot and enjoyed something new.

First, the setting.  The regatta was held at an artificial lake owned by Eton College and built in time for the 2012 London Olympics.  Dorney Lake, which is just off the Thames River and is probably fed by Thames water, consists of a main segment, about 2500 meters long and wide enough for 8 racing lanes, plus a second, parallel, narrower segment with a raised path in between.  The lower end holds a big boathouse/pavilion and the boat docks where the boats go into and are taken out of the water.  The far end has a starter's box for the race caller and a timer box, plus the starting docks.  The race course itself is 2000 meters long, with markers at each 250 meter segment.  The observers hang out either on a grassy hillside or concrete platforms along the course.  Most people sat between the 1500 and the 2000 meter points with the best view of the final stretch.  There were several food carts catering to hungry observers and starving racers.  The day was dry and sunny, but there was a steady chilling breeze most of the day, crosswind for the rowers.

Second, the participants.  The regatta included 117 races or heats with more than 400 teams representing I don't know how many colleges and secondary schools (dozens at least).  The teams ranged from single scullers (using 2 oars or blades), to doubles, quadruples, and eights (using single blades) - all magnificent physical specimens, both male and female, and all wearing skin-tight spandex in their team colors.  Most of the boats also had coxes (some of the quads raced without a cox), all tiny people and mostly female.  The coxes are the bosses of the team during the racing process.  Then there were the team coaches and timers, who followed the race by riding bicycles along the raised path.

Coaches on bicycles

The race officials included inspectors, timers, announcers, starters, dock holders and stagers (more about these folk later), umpires and safety boat drivers, and innumerable organizers.  There was also at least one ambulance/first aid crew on the scene.

Third, the process.
1.  The crews assemble and prepare the boats.  It looks like the oar frames get attached before each race, and the crews check the fittings for the movable seats and booties.
2. The crews hoist the boat onto their shoulders and walk into the assembly area in front of the boathouse.

Assembly area

Inspection of Thames Rowing Club 8; the cox is in stripes

3.  Inspectors check that the boat is in proper configuration (including checking the amount of movement allowed by the bootie fittings (a new rule this month) and the coxes pick up their lane assignment cards.
4.  The crew move the boat to the loading dock, place it into the water, remove their ordinary footwear, arrange their oars, and get in.
5.  The crews push off from the dock and row into the secondary lake and on up to the starting area.  They take some time to warm up, rowing at different paces and practicing starting from a dead stop,  but all must arrive in time for their race.  As they approach the starting area, they shed any extra layers of clothing.  Race stagers call out instructions to the waiting boats, keeping the process flowing smoothly.  The race schedule varied the races, so that eights would be followed by a set of singles, and quads would be followed by doubles.  Different sized boats and different experience levels meant that starts took different time to set up, although a race ran just about every 6 minutes, and one race could be started while an earlier heat was finishing up.
6.  The crews maneuver their boats into starting position.  At Dorney Lake, the starting point was a series of docks with adjustable extensions that could be shifted so that the bow of each boat, whether a single scull or an eight, exactly lined up with the start line.  One person lays on each extension and holds the boat in place until the race starts.  The cross wind made it difficult to keep the boats lined up correctly.  Many of the afternoon heats involved junior crews who were less experienced with starting tactics, and the race caller kept shouting out instructions on how to keep the boats aligned.
7.  The caller gives a 2-minute warning, the umpire boat gets into position, the racers put on their game faces, tensing their muscles for the explosive start.
8.  The starter blows a whistle and the racers pull like mad down the 2000 meter course - for something between 6 and 10 minutes, depending on the size of the boat, the strength and experience of the crews, and the wind conditions.

Singles at the starting line

Eights away

2000 meters to go, away off in the distance

The intense start

9.  When they reach the finish line, most of the crews continued rowing for another 5 to 10 minutes, to cool down and maybe watch the competition in the next heat.

The winners

10.  The crews return to the loading dock, de-board, put on shoes and warmth, and take their boat out of the water.
11.  Winners of each heat and up to 3 of the fastest losers qualify for the next race or the final after a break, sometime later in the day.  Losers carry their boats up to land and start the dismantling process.
12.  The winners of the final races are awarded silver cups of varying degrees of splendor and significance; most cups are sponsored by a company.

The many silver cups

It takes a bit of attention to get safely through a big regatta, either as a participant or an observer.  We had to dodge boats being carried, dogs on or off leash, bicycles, joggers, and vehicles.  Out on the water the crews had to be aware of other boats, wind conditions and water fowl, plus the safety boat and the umpire boats.

We walked to Dorney Lake and back covering about 10 miles.  We stopped for "real cider" at the Waterman's Arms in Eton on the way home.

Post-race studying and re-hydration