Rupert Joslin
16 May 2026
So the Chiswick Dash Day arrived and the crew met up at Chiswick Pier. Coxes had their meeting and we went down to the 7 or 8 boats on the pontoon - a mixture of gigs, cutters and other traditional boats - all ably towed down from Richmond by Mark Edwards. Conditions looked good with the incoming tide well in our favour for the 7 mile course.
The race was a time trial with boats setting off at intervals after a brief warmup downstream then turning to cross the start line and start the racing. Once the racing was underway we couldn't see any boats ahead or behind (being the almost the last boat to start the time trial. Despite this the crew kept up their morale without anyone to race against.
After what seemed like ages I glimpsed very far ahead in the distance another boat - around the Kew Bridge area - just as were hoping. We agreed to hunt them down to imporove morale and position, after much effort and encouragement Ruper Cox stylee - and we finally overtook them about a minute before the finish line at Ham Carpark.
It was an epic race and I was so proud of the crew for the energy, power and strength they gave. Our final position was a well deserved Third Place - very well done after a lonely start to the race.
Crew:
Cox - Rupert Joslin
6 - Alex Eaves
5 - Joanna Henry
4 - Matt Denyer
3 - Nick Hand
2 - Charis Buckingham
1 - Daisy Roberts
Boat - Trojan
Stroke Rate - 29 - 31 strokes per minute
Race Distance - 7 miles
Epic!
Well deserved refreshments were enjoyed back at the clubhouse - hosted by Richmond Bridge Boat Club.