Former RHS pupils take part in the Devizes to Westminster Kayaking Marathon 2014

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Devizes to Westminster, devizes to westminster kayaking marathon 2014, dw kayaking marathon, kayaking, RHS, rhs kayaking, the royal hospital school

Although the School did not enter the annual Devizes to Westminster Kayaking Marathon this year due to the lateness of Easter coinciding with our start of term, the Royal Hospital School was nevertheless represented by association. A number of ex-pupils competed and one crew from Ipswich Canoe Club had been trained for over four months in the run up to the competition by Royal Hospital School coaches Les Thompson and Lee Menday.

In the Senior Doubles race, which is a non-stop event, former pupil Luke Harding and his partner finished 112^th out of 190 in a time of 28hours 23 minutes. Another former RHS pupil, Beth Martin, finished an amazing 18^th overall and was the partner in the winning Ladies Crew in a remarkable time of 21hours 09 minutes.

The Ipswich Canoe Club crew completed in 26hours 05 minutes in an RHS boat coming 60^th. Finally, former Hawke boy Billy Butler was 2^nd in the Senior Singles category, which runs in four separate stages. Billy’s time was 16 hours 30 minutes and he was only beaten by the current Polish and World Champion!

Les Thompson, DW Coach, said “A coach from one of our major competitors in the DW event suggested that it had been a pleasant change for RHS to allow other schools to collect some of the trophies, but we do hope to be back in competition next year!”

RHS paddlers finish in strong positions against senior crews

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Devizes to Westminster, Essex Winter Series, Kayak, RHS, royal hospital school, the royal hospital school

Royal Hospital School paddlers competed in a 9 mile race at Chelmsford on Sunday, as part of the Essex Winter Series of races.

In challenging conditions, the Royal Hospital School crews finished 11th, 14th, 15th and 18th; they competed in the open age category and were against some very strong senior crews.

• Cameron Kerr and Ed Bourne – 11th in 1 hr 10 mins
• Will Hassall and Adam Hunkin – 14th
• Zack Tabor and Alex Crawford-Ewart – 15th
• Jordan Scott and Rachel Miles – 18th (4th ladies crew)

Their ‘ancient coaches’ also took part, finishing 4th in the Open Canadian canoe class!

The Royal Hospital School re-confirmed as top marathon kayaking school in the country

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canoeing, Devizes to Westminster, kayaking, RHS, royal hospital school, success, the royal hospital school

The National Schools Championships Regatta took place on a chilly November Sunday at the Wokingham Waterside Centre in Reading. Jointly organised and run by the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, Marsport and Canoe England, the objective is to encourage grass roots School Canoe Clubs and inter-Schools competition but for established canoeing schools like the Royal Hospital School it is also good preparation for the ultimate canoe marathon, Devizes to Westminster.

The seasonal temperatures did not cool the enthusiasm of the crews which saw a range of abilities from novice through to experienced racing paddlers. The morning session saw a sprint competition over 500M and 200M distances, with some close racing in the respective groups but the afternoon session was the main event of the day.

This was a 20KM Marathon Race comprising four laps on Dreadnought Reach, each lap including the “DW Compulsory Portage” at the Waterside Centre. A close start saw an early pack break away including the Royal Hospital School crews of Cameron Kerr/Edward Bourne and Will Hassall/Edward Hunkin. Into the second lap, Kerr/Bourne broke away to finish in second place with a time of 2 hours 18 minutes. There was also strong performance from Zack Tabor and Alex Crawford-Ewart who finished 5th with 2 hours 21 minutes and Will Hassall and Adam Hunkin who were placed 6th with 2 hours 25 minutes. This resulted in the Royal Hospital School securing the overall Team Trophy.

Gareth Scragg, Junior Teams Liaison Officer for the DW Organising Team said “There was great enthusiasm from all the crews participating in the Regatta, some excellent racing and very positive feedback from coaches and teams.”

Lee Menday and Les Thompson, Canoeing/Kayaking Coaches at the Royal Hospital School is clearly delighted with these results; “The paddlers rose to the challenge and maintained the high standards they had set themselves last Easter in the Devizes to Westminster Marathon. RHS has firmly established its reputation as the top school for marathon canoeing/kayaking and reflects the hard work and dedication of our students towards this sport.”

RHS winners of the National Schools Kayak Championship 2013

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canoeing, Devizes to Westminster, DW, kayaking, marathon, RHS, royal hospital school, the royal hospital school

On Sunday 24 November RHS entered three crews in the National Schools Kayak Championships organised and run by the Devizes to Westminster (DW) Organisation, Marsport and Canoe England on the River Thames at Dreadnought Reach, Reading.

The event comprised a series of 500m and 200m sprints in the morning, as a “warm-up” event, with the main event being a 20 kilometre marathon, over a 4 lap course.  For half of the race the paddlers were struggling against the flow of the river making for particularly challenging racing.

The Regatta is held to promote Schools Canoeing in the UK and it gives crews time for early preparation for the DW season ahead.

The top crew for the Royal Hospital School were Ed Bourne and Cameron Kerr, who finished in second place overall with a time of 2 hours 18 minutes. There was also strong team performance from Zack Tabor and Alex Crawford-Ewart  (5th with 2 hours 21 minutes) and Will Hassall and Adam Hunkin (6th with 2 hours 25 minutes) resulting in RHS securing the Team Trophy. Well done boys!

The Royal Hospital School has been re-confirmed as one of the top marathon kayaking schools in the country.

Another successful year for RHS in the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race

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canoe marathon, canoe race, Devizes to Westminster, DW, RHS, sport, success, the royal hospital school

Throughout the Spring Term and DW training, the RHS Kayak & Canoe team adopted the simple refrain:

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!

It was a mantra that would be our team’s saviour!

John Handyside, the British Canoe Union and National Development Coach for Racing, Marathon & WWR, described the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race as the longest, hardest, most challenging Canoe Race in the world. It’s 125 miles long and has 77 portages; it’s on canal, river and the notorious tidal Thames. It goes overnight or, for juniors, over four consecutive days – and just to add a bit more flavour, it’s held at Easter, which is not the most ideal time for weather and water conditions.

Well he wasn’t joking, and this year was no exception. Up until the Wednesday before the start, the organisers were facing the possibility of cancelling the race. Extreme weather conditions and very high volumes of water meant that the Safety Officers and Environment Agency had real concerns.

Two days of dry weather and an improving forecast allowed RHS the opportunity to travel to Devizes and on the Friday all of our 6 crews got on to the water. Temperatures were below zero and the wind was energy sapping, but one by one, all finished the first 34 miles in creditable times. Overnight the temperatures plummeted to -5; so low that most junior teams had problems lighting their gas stoves to cook breakfast in the morning.

On the second day, the weather conditions meant that six junior crews had to be withdrawn from the race for safety reasons. Good preparation by the RHS team had paid off and all continued through to day three. By now our parents and supporters realised that this event was more than just a mere race. The Junior DW is the most mentally and physically demanding challenge open to anyone under 19 years of age. Day three was an early rise and although the junior competitors stayed in sheltered accommodation overnight due to adverse weather, the temperature outside was -1 and they still had to cook breakfast.

Blisters had blisters, aches and pains merged into one and wet paddling clothes had to be put back on for the next 38 miles. But despite the odd moan and look of despair, RHS stood out as a well prepared, highly motivated and organised team. And without the invaluable help of our parents and supporters, the race simply would not happen.

On the final day the team coaches, Mr Thompson and Mr Menday, put the RHS crews on the water at Thames Young Mariners in Teddington, taking time to steady paddlers’ nerves and offer a few words before they set off before dashing down to the finish line at Westminster Bridge to count them all back in.

Individual Crew Positions:

Of 81 crews, Cameron Kerr and Oliver Bagley finished 23^rd, Zack Tabor and Ed Bourne finished 15^th, William Hassell and Adam Hunkin finished 30^th in the under 17 category. Anran Chen and Jordan Scott finished 49^th and Jordan is now the youngest RHS girl to have completed DW. The girls also made 7^th position in the girls’ race out of 22 competitors. Sophie Murrison and Richard Branch finished 14^th and were placed 1st in the mixed K2 category.

Matthew Cantelo and James Rutledge finished an impressive 12^th overall and were 1^st in the Open Canoe race – a position held for 14 years by Bedford College! In the history of the junior race, an Open Canoe crew has never had a top 15 starting time slot on any race day. This only happens to fast K2 boats. An amazing achievement!

Team position:

• RHS Team B  2^nd CCF Race, 4^th Schools Race, 6^th overall
• RHS Team A  1^st  CCF Race, 2^nd Schools Race, 3^rd overall

The paddlers will be presented with their trophies on the 18^th May in Newbury.

Proud Coaches

These results firmly place RHS as one of the top schools and junior kayak clubs in the country. Congratulations to our pupils and their outstanding achievements.

Neiline Kay, Chief Umpire Stages Race, Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race said

Thank you RHS for your incredible team spirit, determination and behaviour this weekend. You are a credit to your hard-working coaches, school and parents. See you again next Easter!

Six RHS crews qualify for DW with excellent prospects

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canoe marathon, competition, Determination, Devizes to Westminster, DW, paddlers, RHS, royal hospital school, sport, the royal hospital school

Six Royal Hospital School crews have qualified for the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon. The gruelling qualifying event involved 32 miles of paddling and 28 portages on the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, all in under 7 hours.

The results were as follows:

• Anran Chen and Jordan Scott set a new girls’ record of 6hrs 19mins.
• Will Hassall and Adam Hunkin set a new Year 11 record of 5hrs 55mins.
• Matt Cantelo and James Rutledge set a new C2 record of 5hrs 46mins.
• Cam Kerr and Olly Bagley finished 3rd in 5hrs 43 mins.
• Zack Tabor and Ed Bourne were 2nd in 5hrs 39 mins.
• Sophie Murrison and Richard Branch were 1st home in a new mixed-crew record time of 5hrs 35 mins.

The Devizes to Westminster competition sees around 600 kayakers and canoeists take part in a 4-day, 125 mile race over the Easter weekend. This event tests participant’s skill, physical and mental stamina and determination at one of the toughest events in the world. The course is from Devizes in Wiltshire to Westminster in the heart of London and includes 76 locks at which crews must carry their boats out of the water and around the lock. The whole stretch involves around 90,000 paddle strokes – give or take a few thousand – and the junior paddler’s camp between each leg of the arduous journey.

These twelve pupils have put in months of training and preparation under the expert guidance of teachers and veteran paddlers, Lee Menday and Les Thompson, with superb qualifying times and good prospects in the run up to the fiercely competitive event.

CCF Extravaganza at RHS

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cadets, CCF, CCF Field Day, Devizes to Westminster, education, Pringle Trophy, royal air force, royal engineers, royal marines, royal military police, suffolk weapons company, the royal hospital school, Windsor Horse Show

Sunday 3 March was a busy day for members of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) as the four sections were entertained by a variety of visitors to the Royal Hospital School.

Mr Pooley enjoying his day

The Royal Marine Visibility Team and the Royal Air Force Engagement Team provided a range of practical activities and an insight into life as a Marine or a member of the RAF Regiment. The Army Air Corps provided a forward arming and refuelling point with associated vehicles and troops. The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers had some hands-on equipment for cadets to demonstrate their skills in operating a crane, while the Royal Engineers provided some excitement by giving rides in their ‘Wimik’, a close fire support vehicle.  The Royal Military Police made an audible contribution by allowing cadets to operate the sirens on their police vehicles and a number of cadets also had first-hand experience of both handcuffs and the back of a ‘Paddy Wagon’. In the range, the Suffolk Weapons Company provided a display of over 30 different weapons and cadets had the opportunity to fire a number of them.

Contingent Commander, Marc Godfrey, explains, “The CCF at the Royal Hospital School is compulsory for Years 9 and 10 and voluntary from Year 11 onwards, although many progress to officer roles in the Sixth Form. Not only do the 300 or so cadets get an opportunity to take part in field days and learn navigation, survival and camp-craft, there is also the chance to sail, fly, shoot, ride and canoe amongst other adventurous activities and to compete at an inter-school and national level in events such as the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon, the Windsor Horse Show and the Pringle Trophy. Through the CCF our pupils are taught self-reliance and confidence, the importance of teamwork discipline and leadership skills – all good training for life beyond school”.