HRR Update Seven

HRR Update Seven, from 51.5768° N, 0.9895° W

Today’s update is from rising fourth year Grant Janart. He sits in two seat of the four and hails from Rye, New York.

Another British morning, but this time with a twist! Though we had the usual porridge and tea breakfast, we experienced some overcast weather and a bit of rain, which cut the heat we’ve been feeling for the last few days.

With some tweaks to the rigging of both the 8+ and the 4+, to account for a solid headwind during the time trial tomorrow, practice consisted of a few focused mid-rate pieces. As we progress through the days here at Henley-on-Thames, we build confidence with every stroke.

Hiking through the English countryside

In a classic Virginia-taper fashion, we took an “easy” hike to the five horseshoe pub, overlooking miles of rolling green farmland. The hike included some regrets, as the footpath was littered with overgrown nettles and bug swarms. We met a “lovely” woman along the way who informed us that the route google maps and Frank’s Swiss military training/memory provided us with was a private road, and there were signs indicating this (though the signs were conveniently covered by overgrowth) which resulted in us taking a much more “scenic” and longer route, much to everyone’s annoyance.

After successfully surviving the arduous journey, we all made it to the pub at the top of the hill. Unfortunately, this hike was a “preview hike” since both boats have time trials tomorrow we enjoyed refreshing water with the promise to return tomorrow to claim our traditional Pub Night beverages. We successfully made it home for dinner, with much more success than Ben Carr’s last hike/roll in the nettles. And finally, as an interesting little side note, team manager Michael was deeply fascinated by the sheep and their mating rituals.

As the day winds to a close, we all set our sights on tomorrow. As a crew we are looking forward to racing, and hope to use the day to gain experience on the course and set a standard for the racing to come.


If you’d like to see more of our adventure, you can also follow our travels on twitter (@VirginiaRowing) and instagram (@vmensrowing).