Whilst 2024 is an Olympic year, Greenbank Falmouth Sliding Seat Rowing Club are celebrating their 75th anniversary, writes Mary Coote.

Established in 1949, the club once situated in Falmouth now operates from Stithians Lake and has gone from a handful of boats in a shared building to boasting over 50 boats - some housed inside a purpose-built boat store with the rest racked outside.

As well offering boats for all levels and abilities, the club also has an indoor rowing area that club members use to train during the winter months, as well as when conditions don’t allow going afloat.

Whilst location puts the club - one of only two in Cornwall - a distance away from most, Greenbank maintains a high profile on a local, national and international level.

This year the club once again competed at the prestigious Henley Women’s, Henley Royal and Henley Masters Regattas with great success. These events, following on from each other in June and July, are the top regattas in the country for rowers on an international scale.

Compeiting at Women’s Henley this year was the club’s youngest competitor at this level, Ellie Dash, who joined the junior section of the club when Covid struck in 2020 and had to wait until 2021 before she could learn to scull. She is currently studying at Hartpury.

The club is delighted to say that she won ‘The Rosie Mayglothling Trophy’ for ‘Aspirational Doubles’ with her partner Catherine (Katie) Gardner. She has been going from strength to strength.

Ellie said: “We felt quietly confident going into the time trial because we knew we had a strong crew. Our confidence came from my gold and silver medals at BUCS plus gold medal at Metropolitan Regatta, (in the Championship event), and Katie’s course record and silver medal at National Schools, as well as her recent debut at the Junior Europeans in the quad.”

Zara Povey, who started rowing at Worcester, joined Greenbank in 2022 to continue her rowing before heading off to the University of Reading.

She has been highly successful on both the university front and as a GB trialist. In the February GB trials she came third in the U23s and was first in the U21s. In the April trials she was again first in the U21s and fourth in the U23s.

Recently her Reading University Boat Club championship quad got to the quarter finals at Henley Women’s Regatta and got through qualifying for Henley Royal Regatta. Her crew was the only UK university women’s quad to qualify for Henley this year. Ellie and Zara are worth keeping an eye on, both going from strength to strength.

At Henley Royal Regatta Tim Wilkinson competed for the third time as an individual in the Diamond Challenge Sculls 1844, one of the world’s top single scull events, and has been part of crews when rowing for the University of London.

Tim learnt to row at Greenbank when he was 16 and has been notching up successes ever since. Holding down a full-time job doesn’t seem to affect his outstanding performances, which can be attributed to his passion for rowing and dedication to training, week in and week out.

He was a semi-finalist in the Diamond Challenge Sculls in 2021 and continues to inspire others within the club as do performances from Ellie and Zara.

Henley finished at the weekend with Henley Masters, which, alongside the British Masters, held at Nottingham, is the top regatta for those 27years+ (category A), up to those with an average age of 89+ (category M).

Representing the club were Lee Clarke and Ron Coote rowing an F pair, who beat a formidable duo from Upper Thames in one of the best and most exciting races of the day.

The Upper Thames pair won British Masters last year, Henley and the World Masters, so Lee and Ron can take full credit in beating them at British Masters this year as well as at Henley.

From those starting out, to those at their peak and those continuing their love of the sport, the club continues to keep its standards high.

This Saturday (July 20) Greenbank has its annual regatta at Stithians Lake. The club invites anyone interested in the sport to go along and see what it’s all about.

The club is part of The West of England Rowing Association and competes in championship events, May to September, against clubs from Devon and Somerset. It’s an exciting and challenging sport to be involved in and one that demands a commitment of time and energy.

It offers no boundaries to age, as you can row from 12 years old up to 100!

If you are interested visit www.greenbankfalmouth.org.uk or look up the club on Facebook. Alternatively contact the club captain Mary Coote on 07879 44685.