Thursday, April 5, 2012

Dublin Crew


click to embiggen
One of my favorite things to see, in my neck of the woods, is the Dublin Crew kids rowing on the Scioto.  They practice on the river, and travel to out-of-town regattas.  I love the precision of the team, the graceful way the shells skim over the water.  The cox sits in the stern, facing the rowers, steers the boat, and coordinates the power and rhythm. If I had to choose, I would definitely be the cox.

The etymology of the word "regatta" is debated.  Some say it is derived from the Italian "riga", line, for the starting line, and others consider it derived from the Latin "aurigare", to race.

This kind of competitive rowing has been around for eons, first noted in Egyptian inscriptions in 1430 BC. The first known "modern" racing began with competition among professional watermen that provided ferry and taxi service on the River Thames.

Doggett's Coat and Badge by Thomas Rowlandson

photos by Lisa Aurand

11 comments:

  1. Years back we were camping on the Thames in Londons Fanshawe Park (Ontario) and the university teams were out practising. It was a lovely scene...the swans were out as well. You could almost imagine yourself in Britain.

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  2. That is awesome!! Love your pics and the fact you get to take it in FIRST hand.

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  3. Well Tess, I've been around also for 'ions' and have never witnessed--or even seen!-- a regatta, OR a practice session.

    A few other things on which I've come up short also.

    Seriously, your blog still rates as one of the best in its categ...what category IS it in?

    You're beautiful, gal!
    PEACE!

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  4. This reminds me of a wonderful book I read recently: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, by Deborah Harkness. . .

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  5. Oh, my. Some racy pictures from the Mistress of the Manor.

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  6. All our grown sons still have nightmares of being hauled out of bed at 5a.m. as young lads by their father, thrown half asleep into the car & then chucked into a boat to cox for a group of silly old farts. Oops, that should read 'A Crew of Highly Skilled Master Oarsmen'. Needless to say not one of the 5 have ever shown any interest in rowing as adults, much to MOTH's amazement.
    Millie xx

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  7. I rowed in 8's at Henley, The Serpentine, and The Cambridge Bumps (amongst other venues). And my father once rowed in Doggett's Coat and Badge. Neither of us was particularly successful!

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  8. My father used to love regattas when we came to England from Chile. Love your photos, they remind me so many memories.
    Bonjour from a Chilean travel writer in Paris.

    Francisca Mattéoli
    www.franciscamatteoli.com/blog/

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  9. you see i'm a poet and not quite right in the head


    you see i'm a head
    and not quite right in the meter

    you meet her
    and you're not quite right

    You're right
    better to eat less meat

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  10. My daughter was cox for her university men's crew team. Her description: "I get to sit and look at big, good looking guys and tell them what to do- it's the best!"

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  11. You know, I'd rather be a rower. I had the exhilarating experience of an impromptu kayak race on a lake, and it really charged me up. I bet doing it with TWO oars would feel amazing! There's such a flow between muscle and water, with the oar like a wire carrying the current.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)