Issue 103 - October 1997

Dock briefs

SOUTH-EAST: The Waterman's Cutter is cutting a dash in the docks and on the tidal Thames and helping Simon McCarthy's try rowing programme.

The Thames Waterman's Cutter has become a familiar boat in the last two years on the lower reaches in the Great River Race. They now have their very own annual contest which is a curtain-raiser for Doggett's Coat and Badge. The boat is a traditional hybrid designed by Mark Edwards which can be rigged for fixed seats or slides and rowing or sculling, four or six, and made from wood or composite. Seven are now at large with five more in the pipeline. Simon McCarthy, himself a Doggett's winner, has been hard at work persuading the city livery companies and institutions which own them to harbour them in the docks so that anyone in the East End has the opportunity to row in them at minimum cost.

The Watermens Company boat is based at the Royal Victoria Dock and the Fishmongers' boat is at the Royal Albert Dock. McCarthy currently has two primary and four secondary schools sending kids to try rowing at the Albert Dock and wants four more cutters there. In future young novices will qualify for a proficiency certificate in cutters before progressing to the smaller plastic lake boats used by Fred Badowski at the Albert Dock rowing centre.

As a logical development of this activity, an IA course is planned for teachers from schools which get involved in the scheme. Besides the Watermens and Fishmongers, the Glaziers and Mercers companies have cutters. Other owners are Bulgin, Turks and the Port of London Authority.

Schools involved at the Royal Albert Dock are Bromley HS, Eltham College, Brampton Manor, Canon Palmer, Drew Road Primary and Storey Primary School.

© Copyright Regatta Magazine, 1997.