As we enter the New Year, I am delighted to report on what the club has achieved over the past term. I firstly must thank Robin McCorkell, my predecessor as Captain of Boats and a good friend, for all his hard work last year alongside the Committee. I also ought to introduce myself: I am reading medicine, now in my 5th year, and last year was a Social Secretary on the committee (the one sending the many emails about Pembroke Regatta and BCDs- apologies!).
CBC has welcomed a new cohort of rowers, some joining the senior sides alongside an extensive novice intake, which our new boathouse attracts. Our 1st novice women’s boat (NW1) won the Queen’s Ergs competition with NM1 coming second, starting the term in the right direction. All our novice boats performed exceptionally well this term, yet it must be highlighted that NM1 won the novice Fairbairn competition as well as the Emma Sprints race earlier on in the term. NM1 went on to race the senior course the following day as well, for the opportunity of gaining longer racing experience. George Hawkswell, Joep ten Wolde, Maria Stroyakovski, Michael Westmuckett-Martin and Jack Rickard warrant special thanks for all the time they have devoted this term to coaching the novice boats.
We have welcomed new coaches for our top boats this year, with Alice White taking on W1. Alice has raced with New Zealand Junior’s, as well as representing GB in the 2015 World Championships in Bulgaria, before arriving in Cambridge where she has raced in the Boat Race in 2017 & 2018. Ed Hackett is our new M1 coach, who has rowed in the past with UCL, UL and Red Bull. Michaelmas term of course concludes with the Fairbairns Cup, where W1 had an outstanding performance, achieving 2nd place out of all the colleges. M1 also had a strong performance, being awarded 4th place. Our men’s side was sufficiently large to enter an M2 4+ into Fairbairns who also performed well.
We have a good number of Caians trialling with the University this year. Matthew Holland (former CUW cox), Calum MacRae (CUL 1st boat last year), Ben Dyer and Joe Nash are trialling with CUBC, Harry O’Loughlin with CUL, while our CUW trialists this year are Victoria Walker (CUL 1st boat last year), Catherine Walker, Catherine King and Kate McDaid. We wish them all the best, with the final months now in sight to the boat races!
We were delighted to host a Boat Naming Ceremony on 18th November for the Pippa Rogerson women’s 8+, named after our illustrious new Master. It was highly enjoyable to talk with so many alumni who returned for the event, and I would like to thank the Master and the Dean for their support with the occasion. We also organised a corporate boating event for Red Bull this term, an entertaining morning bringing in further revenue for the club.
We concluded the term with a training camp in Seville, where we rowed alongside the Spanish team and the O’Donovan brothers! As well as giving motivation to the squad, the camp integrated novices into the senior sides and gave us the opportunity to focus for a week without the distractions of Cambridge degrees. I must thank Adam Grant for assisting with the organisation of the camp, as well as Anna Samuel and Charlotte Heeley (Women’s Side Vice-Captains).
I would also like to strongly thank all the alumni who send regular subscriptions to the Club. These donations assist the club throughout the year, ensuring costs for our members are affordable, and enabled this recent training camp to be possible.
Following the camp, a very exciting partnership has formed. Humphrey Cobbold (Matriculation 1983), CEO of Pure Gym, has generously agreed to support the club over the coming years. We would like to take this opportunity to greatly thank Humphrey for his immense kindness to the club, which we are sure will enhance our performance and safeguard the club for future generations of Caians.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I wish you a joyful 2019.
Chris Gilmartin
Captain of Caius Boat Club 2018-9
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