Storm Bert has caused significant disruption to rowing clubs across the country, with countless water training sessions and races this week having been cancelled.
Cancelled races include the Hampton Small Boats Head and the Fours Head around Mortlake – the first having been scheduled for today (30th November).
According to the Environment Agency, the river flow rate in Kingston has remained above 300m3/s over the past few days, more than double the amount usually required to justify red boards.
These red boards indicate that boat navigation is extremely “dangerous and difficult”.
Climate change has made these severe weather conditions, like Storm Bert, much more likely.
This disruption simply serves as the most recent example of these weather conditions consistently wreaking havoc on the rowing community over the past few years at this time.
Hampton School Boat Club coach Neil Double described the situation as “very frustrating”, although it is becoming “more normal” for rowers to be off the water for long periods at this time of year.
The junior under-15 crew at Hampton School, which Double coaches, have been rowing for 15 months; however, large portions of this time have been missed due to unsafe water speed and weather.
Ironically, he said, the best time for rowing was “during the summer” when most students are out on holiday.
The rowers at the Boat Club can only hope that the weather remains dry enough for the river to slow down.
