HRR Update Five, from 51.5768° N, 0.9895° W
Today’s update is from rising fourth year Stephen Hayes, who is three seat in the eight.
Yesterday our trip in the beautiful country of Switzerland officially concluded. After arriving safely at Heathrow Airport, the VRA piled into two “Henley Taxis” and made it safely to our new home in the quiet countryside of Nettlebed. Charlotte and Jay, our hosts for the next six days, gave us a warm welcome and showed us around their home. A few of us rode into Henley later that day and took a jog around the entire course. Seeing the venue, the boat tent, and watching crews practice made the magic of “Henley” suddenly very real.
Today the team enjoyed some delicious porridge for breakfast and then drove to the Henley course for a practice. The eight rigged their new sleek white Hudson and went out for 3 laps on the course. We learned the importance of keeping our heads in the boat, because there are tons of distractions from other crews on the Thames. Doing some low rate pieces down the racecourse was enjoyable and provided a sense of the unpredictable and swirling waters between the booms.
Everyone refueled during a great lunch in Nettlebed and we are resting up for the next practice of the day. The Hoos are excited for the trials ahead and are focused on becoming a better crew everyday.
If you’d like to see more of our adventure, you can also follow our travels on twitter (@VirginiaRowing) and instagram (@vmensrowing).