+44 (0) 7.....

Rowing crews row better when they dress in uniform kit. In an ideal world, the coach tries to wear suitably matching kit at regattas, but this custom is becoming more and more dificult to maintain for a variety of reasons. A standard problem at head races, and even sometimes in the summer, is that the coach has to stand around for hours getting wet and cold, so an extra layer or two of clothing is often called for. When the crew launches, eight or nine pairs of filthy trainers have to be removed from the raft, so it is wise to wear protective clothes as well as warm ones.

Mobile phones are the latest addition to the coach's burden during races. I think the record number handed to the coach just before a race this year by the J15 VIII was about 5. At Coate Water, one member of the crew decided to take the phone with him for the race. As it happened, the crew had to return to the start for a second race without coming into land for a comment from the coach, so the obvious solution was to phone him on the water . No good - it was in message mode!

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