Imagine you’re in a boat, gliding through the waves of the sea, breathing in the fresh air as you watch the sunset reflecting off the water.
Coastal rowing combines the movement of rowing with the thrill of harsh sea conditions, meaning that the boat is often moving along with large waves and high winds, as well as being affected by varying tides and currents- providing a daring experience.
However, it also means that you can experience the beauty of the seaside from a totally new perspective.
‘It’s just a lovely feeling to be on the water and sometimes the sun’s setting and it’s reflecting off the water and it’s beautiful. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,’ explains local rowing club captain, Emily.
Herne Bay Amateur Rowing Club (HBARC), established in 1887, is just one of many coastal rowing clubs in the UK.
Emily is the club’s captain.
‘I wanted to become captain to try to encourage more people to row, I like the feeling of achievement that rowing gives people. So, when people come off the water, even if they haven’t won the race, they come off smiling and I just love that.’
Welcoming people aged 12+, HBARC consists of a wide variety of people, young and old, experienced and novice; the captain Emily describes the club as having a ‘sense of belonging’ and ‘teamwork’.
The club also encourages more people to start this exciting, highly rewarding sport.
Emily explains that ‘it’s really nice to see new people coming through the doors and seeing new members grow and get stronger and fitter and more confident’ and that she loves ‘coming down to the rowing club to see smiley faces’.
For those wishing to compete in coastal regattas, the association your club belongs to will determine which clubs you will compete against.
Herne Bay Amateur Rowing Club competes in CARA (the Coastal Amateur Rowing Association) and placed an impressive 2nd overall in the 2024 season.
Throughout the season, they competed against other coastal rowing clubs across the south coast in regattas hosted by the different clubs.
Coastal regattas are a fantastic way to showcase and challenge your rowing abilities and are also a great day out- there is usually a barbeque and some food stalls- as well as being a wonderful way to experience coastal rowing at its finest.
Herne Bay hosted their regatta on the 3rd of August 2024 and club captain, Emily, said that ‘it was really nice to see all of the club work together and welcome other clubs from around the South Coast, so it was good fun!’.
There are also many social events within the different coastal rowing clubs, highlighting the friendly element of this sport and the team spirit that can be found within it.
Throughout the winter, after the regatta season has ended, HBARC has many social events including fish and chip nights, a Christmas dinner and dance, drinks and cake after training on a Sunday and monthly bar openings where there are roast potatoes behind the bar.
These social events help to create a friendly, welcoming community within the club.
When asked about what makes the club unique, Emily said ‘I think it’s the family feel, families getting together and teamwork as well, I think seeing everyone crack on and rig up the boats, put the trestles out on the beach, getting the blades from the racks, it all comes together.’
Coastal rowing introduces you to a kind, hard-working community, that encourages you to push above your goals and dreams at every stage in your rowing journey.
Next season, the club hopes to continue their hard work, and Emily explains that their goal is to improve on last season's points and beat some of their close rivals.
She feels that ‘being captain, it's nice to see everyone come together and be a part of that.’
