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Glossary

River Traffic

  • MT = Merrie Thames, river Thames passenger boat, runs between Richmond and Teddington lock....great wash, nice driver (see Wash Hanging)

  • YB = Yarmouth Belle, another passenger boat, naff wash, naff driver

  • Gin Palace = Big pleasure cruisers usually driven by "Pompous Twits" (PT)

  • Scullers = Mortal enemies, stealth bombers sometimes crewed by PT's

  • Womens Eights = Often crewed by 8 young things in lycra

  • Mens Eights = Often crewed by young PT's

  • Rowing boats - hired = Often seen mid river, rowing against the tide. Fun to watch, sometimes need rescuing

  • Raft = Pontoon giving club paddlers access to river (below the club connected to towpath by a ramp)

  • PLA = Port of London Authority launch

  • Lifeboat = Newly installed at Teddington, responsible for more capsizes than any other boat.....

River Furniture

  • Darkness = Inky stuff, used for paddling in during the winter (with reluctance). Name of a band but we have not been ableto get their opinion on paddling yet

  • Glovers = Small Island above and to the right of club, used for time trials and faffing around

  • Runway = 100m'ish dash past moored boats at Hamertons

  • Hamertons = Foot passenger ferry across Thames, opposite Marble hill park

  • The Car Park = Below Eel pie start of a 1000M ending at Glovers

  • Eel Pie = Island, three times larger than Glovers, 2K from club, right hand side (looking downstream) gives 500M+ race

  • The Beach = Mud and sand above Eel Pie (on left going upstream), good for capsizing & frolicking

  • TYM = Thames Young Mariners, Yachting club

  • Lock = Teddington Lock

  • Royal = The Royal Canoe club

  • Half lock = last lock on the tideway, below Richmond Bridge

  • Tideway = Tidal bit up to Teddington

  • Traffic Light = Lights at Teddigton lock indicating which lock to enter

Pubs

  • White Swan = pub at lower end of Eel Pie, good beach, dodgy loos

  • White Cross = Youngs pub downstream of Richmond bridge, nice food, expensive soft drinks

  • Slug = Slug and Lettuce, good food, good beer, cheep soft drinks, excellent foot dangling opportunities

  • Rose of York = Up the Petersham road towards Ham, a few hundred meters from the club. "Man in the box" lager

People

  • Trev = Esteemed racing secretary

  • Rear Admiral = Sean, Club Commodore

  • Peter = Adult Beginners coach and shorts wearer

  • Marcus = Improvers coach and Trick Cyclist.

  • Sue = Capsize coach

  • PT = Pompous twits

  • TPT = Tow Path...er..rhymes with bottie?

  • Seniors = Well...varies but can mean old, Fast, Slow, Elite and occasionally Tiddly Wink champions

  • Juniors = Whippersnappers who quite often don't know their place

  • Committee = Those who couldn't get their hands down quick enough at the last AGM

Blagging, know your boats & equipment

  • K1 = 1 person kayak

  • K2 = 2 Person Kayak

  • K3 = 3 person (tho very rare)

  • K4 = 4 person kayak.....

  • K5 = K4 + two juniors wedged in at number 4

  • Wings = paddles

  • Flats = ironed wings

  • Regina,Whisper, Stilleto = Racing K2s

  • Jag = Jaguar, racing K1, old shape

  • Cougar = Lo vol K1 for the Ladeeez

  • C1, C2 = 1 and 2 man canoes, including Hi Kneeling kamikazee things

  • "Skinny" = New shape boats

Races

  • 10K = Weds time trial race, 3 laps of torture

  • 200M, 500M, 1000M = Sprint distances, raced at regattas

  • A to D = sprint divisions (A - C for women...who do things with fewer letters)

  • Vets = Animal doctors (and older paddlers, 35+)

  • Divisions = 1 - 9 covering marathon distances (4Km upwards), 1 = v good 9 = mostly juniors and medal hunters

  • Descent = as in "River Descent", Liffey, Exe, Conway (ascent!) and lots of others in parts foreign; Douzie, Sella

  • DW = 125 mile Devizes to Westminster

  • Thameside = warm-up races for the DW, held on the Thames

  • Waterside = warm-up races for the DW, held on the...er....water

  • Hare and Hounds = Staggerd start to try get everyone to finish at the same time

Canoeing Technique

  • Big Plan = Sort of plan that is more statement of "desirable outcome" than "intent" but certainly involves a top three place in Mens B final at the Nationals next year tho might have to downgrade that to "Top three finish in anything"

  • Circuits = Tuesday nite torture run by Trish "Training for success" Davey

  • Power Circles = Sort of satanic rite thing, 5 pointed star and all that

  • Stroke Phase = Bit rude but can be helpful to analyse it

  • Hydodynamic lift = The buzz you get from falling in

  • Catch = as in "...I can't catch those damn juniors..."

  • Winging = making it up

  • Rotation = Something to do with crops?

  • Draw stroke = Possibly illegal

  • Bow rudder = I thought the steering bit was at the other end?

  • Support stroke = Applause heard when someone falls in

  • High brace = A bit like High Tea without scones

  • Low brace = Back support for veterans

  • Slap support = Firm, open handed blow applied to hysterical paddler

  • Interval training = Tiring stuff, best avoided

Racing Terms

  • Le Mans Start = Have to run to your boat at the start. Sounds daft and probably is.

  • Monte Carlo starts = Bit like Le Mans start but more of a lottery

  • Wash hanging = considered cheating by those who can't do it. Arrestable offence when sprint racing

  • Cheating = see "Wash Hanging"

  • Burn = Setting fire to competitors boats or, more accurately, "Burning" past them.

  • Regatta = Sprint racing, often in Nottingham, with a party on the Saturday nite

  • Marathon = Long distance stuff, generally no party


Landsdowne Boathouse
81-83 Petersham Road
Richmond upon Thames
Surrey TW10 6UT
United Kingdom

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