Eton College Boat Club: Rowing Tour to South Africa 2008

Port Alfred Media Reports

2008-05-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

Vote of Thanks

2008-04-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

The first and second VIIIs have had a terrific trip to SA. Highlights for me included spending a day with the Nemato rowers at Port Alfred, the trip to the Diamond Mine at Cullinan and the fantastic lake at Elgin, CT. I'm sure that the VO2 max testing was an enduring memory for the boys, as some found new levels of pain only dreamt of before!

Finally, I must thank all those that have helped us. There have been so many, but special thanks must go to: Sean Tangney at St Benedicts, Harold Hobson (St Andrews) and Jan Bloom (Nemato) at Port Alfred, Brian and Adam and all the crew at Stellenbosch uni - we look forward to hosting you at Eton for Henley. Lastly, thanks to Martin and his team at Sport Tours SA for all he has done for us. Without his help we would have been in very deep water.

ABH

Aquila Private Game Reserve

2008-04-14T10:59:00.001-07:00

Aquilla Reserve, 8th April. An early start was rewarded by a hearty breakfast and interesting game drive at the reserve. Rhino, Elephant, Hippo and Lion were the highlights, as well as a spot of something sparkling to end the trip.

Maties, Ikeys, Rugby!

2008-04-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

All the boys and coaches went to watch the final of the Varsity Rugby at the Stellenbosch University grounds. A capacity crowd of over 30,000 attended, and most of the boys had to watch unofficially from the hill at the back of the stadium. After a terrifically exciting game the Maties triumphed over the University of Cape Town's Ikeys 16-10.

Match v. Stellenbosch University

2008-04-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Match with Stellenbosch Uni, 7 April. After the disappointment of the cancellation of the Western Cape Championships as consequence of a single day of very poorly timed South African winter wind and rain, an informal race was arranged for the following afternoon and when an Eton VIII prevailed against a technically proficient crew from Stellenbosch University at Elgin.

No Pain, No Gain?

2008-04-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

"The VO2 max testing will be an enduring memory for the boys, as some found new levels of pain only dreamt of before!"

Sports Science Institute of South Africa

2008-04-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Monday morning and it's time for physical fitness assessments at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. The submaximal step test is a world-wide, standardised and acknowledged procedure of testing high performance rowers during training and/or competition periods, and the results are usually regarded as significant data for selection of national teams of rowers.

Cape Town

2008-04-07T07:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning, the clouds burst and the storm broke, resulting in the disappointing cancellation of the Western Province Champs regatta. Instead, the squad decamped to Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront.

Vergelegen

2008-04-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

A very refined picnic on a Saturday afternoon - Vergelegen Wine Estate.

Heading Out

2008-04-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

Eikenhof Dam - Storm Clouds brewing

2008-04-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Cooling Off

2008-04-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Mr. Henshilwood ponders......

2008-04-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

More Eikenhof Dam

2008-04-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Eikenhof Dam

2008-04-04T02:54:00.000-07:00

For the last stage of the tour, we arrived at Eikenhof Dam just outside Grabouw, in the Western Cape.

A Private Jet?

2008-04-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

Not quite: SA Express Port Elizabeth to Cape Town

Dune Training

2008-04-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

In the late afternoon, the boys took to the dunes near Port Alfred for some tough training in the sand. (some cool b&w pics from Mr. Henshilwood)

Township Walkabout

2008-04-04T01:22:00.000-07:00

After the morning's training session, the boys went on walkabout with the development squad to see their township homes - a bit of an eye-opener, but a remarkably warm welcome.

Kowie Development Squad

2008-04-04T01:13:00.000-07:00

In Port Alfred, the squad met a remarkable youth group from the local township which uses rowing as a means of building self-respect and discipline, and offering a way out of poverty and disadvantage. The township squad joined the Eton boys for a great morning of training and interaction.

A Very Local Connection

2008-04-02T01:52:00.000-07:00

In 1820 the British government, wrestling with a depression, the problem of absorbing soldiers returning from the Napoleonic wars and the Industrial Revolution, seized on the idea of settling people in the frontier districts of the Cape.

More than 4 000 British people landed on the beach in Algoa Bay and were guided inland to their allocated farms - they're known as the 1820 Settlers.

Just inland from Port Alfred is the town of Bathurst. Founded in 1820, it was named after, Lord Bathurst, then the colonial secretary. It was intended to be the administrative centre of the Settler community, but it lost its status to the more prosperous Grahamstown and is today one of the smallest municipalities in South Africa.

Strangely, it's also the site of this giant pineapple......

Port Alfred

2008-04-02T01:48:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning, the squad began the trek to Port Alfred, in the Eastern Cape. The bridge is a key landmark over the River Kowie, and is right next to the boat club.

Farewell to Roodeplaat

2008-04-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

All Creatures Great and Small

2008-03-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, the squad took the opportunity of a guided bush walk through the veld around Wagon Drift. There they encountered wildlife large and small.

Land Ahoy?

2008-03-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Premier Diamond Mine, Cullinan

2008-03-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, the squad headed off early for something COMPLETELY different; the Premier Diamond Mine in nearby Cullinan.

Premier Mine is world-famous for the discovery of the massive Cullinan diamond in 1905. It was found in the early surface workings and is still by far the largest gem diamond ever found. It weighed 3106 carat or 621 grams and was 10 cm long, 6 cm high and 5 cm thick. The stone was named after Thomas Cullinan and was sent to Amsterdam for splitting and cutting – allegedly by parcel post in a plain box. The original stone was cut into nine large stones and 96 smaller brilliants. The four largest stones are known as “The Stars of Africa". All nine large stones are either in the Crown Jewels or are owned by the British Royal Family.

The Premier Mine has produced over 300 stones greater than 100 carats and more than a quarter of the entire world's stones larger than 400 carats. Other stones include the Golden Jubilee (at 755.50 carat rough, the largest diamond ever found) the Premier Rose (a 353 carat rough), the Niarchos (cut from a 426 carat stone) and the fabulous 599 carat De Beers Centenary diamond. The Premier - South Africa's third busiest working diamond mine - is historically famous for being the source of many of the world's largest diamonds, including the Stars of Africa and the Golden Jubilee. The tour not only visited the upper workings of the mine - a big hole several hundred metres across - but also went underground, deep into the mine itself, where the minimum temperature is a cool 27 degrees.

More Roodeplaat

2008-03-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Eton 1st viii at Roodeplaat

2008-03-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

African Sunsets

2008-03-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

THREE MEN AND A BOAT?

2008-03-28T08:19:00.001-07:00

ON THE WATER

2008-03-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

In the PM, the squad moved to Victoria Lake in Germiston, for the first outing on the water. There was the opportunity to spar with the Gauteng (Provincial) Junior Squad who were also training on the lake - and of course the experience of training at high altitude.

MORNING TRAINING

2008-03-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

After a night of tremendous African thunderstorms rolling across the veld, we woke early on Wednesday morning and headed back into Johannesburg for a morning training session at the well appointed gym at St. Benedict's.

WELCOME TO SOUTH AFRICA

2008-03-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Day One. 7.05am. The overnight flight from London arrives on time at Oliver R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

After collecting the bags and the minibuses, first up is a meeting at St. Benedict's College, with Master of Rowing Sean Tangney. Eton will be using St. Ben's boats and equipment during the Gauteng leg of the tour. Although the boats are less than a year old, it's quite sobering to think that these are the first new boats St. Benedict's has had in a decade......

We also recced Victoria Lake in Germiston, just south of Johannesburg - where St. Benedict's and the provincial junior squad are training - as a possible alternative venue (in case of hyacinth infestation at Roodeplaat - see, it's dangerous in Africa......) We'll probably conduct a training session here tomorrow.

Then, a little later than planned, we finally headed off overland to the tranquil Wagon Drift Lodge and Savanna Bush Lodge. Well, it was tranquil until the squad arrived anyway.....

Wagon Drift Lodge & Roodeplaat Dam

2007-11-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

Martin has just come back from a recce of Wagon Drift Lodge and Roodeplaat Dam.

Here's a look at where you'll be staying and training.