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Hastings & St Leonards Rowing Club History Highlights

1868 Hastings & St leonards Rowing Club Formed.
Three Prime Ministers in 9 months.......Lord Derby, Disraeli and Gladstone. Income Tax raised to 6d in the pound. Oysters were a poor man's dish.
Hastings Regatta held in July. 90 defrees in the shade and 130 degrees on the beach. Tub Race won by a Mr Mirchell. Regatta fete at Hastings Lodge attended by some 1500 people. Dancing on the lawns to three bands. Montgolfier balloon and fireworks
1876 A bottle of Bollinger Extra Quality Champagne cost 10/- shillings at the Club's Annual Banquet at the Queens Hotel.
1877 South Coast senior Champions. The crew of T.J. Chessum, G.Apps, J.C. Miller and A. Drag were reunited at Dover regatta in 1927.
1888 Medals won at the Dieppe Regatta.
1889 Junior Pairs, Senior Fours and Senior Sculls Champions.
1900-1925 The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the S.E.C.D. Railway transported boats to regattas free of charge.
1903 The four-oared galley "The Laurels" was dashed tp pieces by heavy seas.
Much controversy following the blackballing of a "Working Man". (Believed to be because he was unable to dance!). Much correspondence in the local and national press. The Hastings & St. Leonards Cinque Port Rowing Club was formed by a break away group thus giving the Town of Hastings two rowing clubs for a number of years causing much rivalry.
1904 One of the main attractions at hastings Regatta was dog racing.
1905-1906 Herne bay transported a four oared galley on their bicycles to hastings and Worthing Regattas.
Races held for whelk boats.
1907-1908 Rowing declined owing to the increased popularity of soccer.
1910 Beach boat purchased ("The Seagull") for those members who wished to pusue the sport of angling.
1911 Sea doors burst open by the sea . The first of three times in 100 years.
1921 South Coast Champions.
1922 The "Sydney Egerton I" christened.
1923-1925 W.Simpson and W.G. Reeves Pairs Champions for three years.
1926 W.G. Reeves and W.J. Lawrence Pairs Champions.
1933 The Regal cinema put on a concert in aid of Hastings and Bexhill Rowing Clubs.
1934 Novice Fours Champions.
New Pair boat ordered at a cost of £45
1935 Junior Pairs Champions
1930-1950's The Annual Supper and Smoking Concert (men only) was usually held at either the Castle Hotel or the Carlisle. Tickets cost approximately 7/6 and atrracted some 150 members and guests.
1935 Club moved to a temporary accommodation at Rock-a-Nore. (The building is now the Shipwreck Heritage Centre.) Facilities had to be made available for the Council's Horsekeeper to draw hot water from the harness room. (The premises were formally the stables for the Council's dust-cart horses.)
1938 The Secretary was instructed to obtain 12 packs of playing cards and score cards for the annual whist drive.
1939 Club activities suspended for the duration of hostilities with a balance of £15. Most of the Club's members enlisted in the forces.
1949 A four-oared galley was rowed around the Sovereign Lightship.
1952 The "Princess Elizabeth" christened.
1953 The Club moved back to its White Roack Premises.
yates Trophy winners for the first time since 1939.
1954 Junior Pairs Champions. (A. Cloke and B. Waite)
Competed in the Coronation Regatta on the Serpentine.
The "Percy Walker" and the "Jack Hall" christened.
1956 Junior/Senior Fours Champions. (J. Apps, D. Waters, B. Waite, A.Cloke)
1957 Dover, Eastbourne and Folkestone Rowing Clubs nearly closed due to lack of members.
1958 The "Sydney Egerton II" christened.
1959 Junior Sculls Champions (R.Apps).
Hastings won the Grand Aggregate cup, at Hastings Regatta, for the first time.
1950-1960's Events at Hastings Regatta included sailing, swimming, model boat racing, water skiing and power boat racing.
1960 A new four-oared galley cost £300 and a set of blades £20.
1963 Commander Sydney Egerton retired after 42 years as Club President.
1965 The "W.J. Lawrence" christened.
1966 The "Cyril Crouch" christened.
Club social room and bar declared unsafe and the Council gave the Club three bays of the underground car park.
1968 Centenary Year.
Dinner dance held at the Royal Victoria Hotel. The guest of honour was the newly elected Borough M.P. , Kenneth Warren. This was his first official engagement following the election.
1969 Sea doors washed away for the second time in severe gales. One found opposite the Queens Hotel, the other never found. Club flooded and severely damaged.
1970 Last year of travelling to regattas by M. & D. coach with boats on top.
1972 Trailer acquired for £300.
1973 Cross Channel sponsored row.
Entered Head of the River Race for the first time.
1974 No CARA regattas attended due to lack of members.
1975 Stag Nites started.
Seven blades broken in one season as new members re-used equipment.
The "Teddy Brookes" christened.
Attended infamous Merville Regatta in France.
Sponsored row to Eastbourne (including ladies crew) beached at Norman's Bay due to rough weather
1976 Winter training on a gravel pit at Dungeness.
1977 Sponsored row from Putney to Greenwich and back.
1979 Slipper bath under the Club room filled in with 5,000 wheel barrow loads from the foreshore.
1980 The "Emily Louisa" Pair christened
1981 Ladies invited to the Club Supper for the first time.
1982 The "Les Greenhill" christened.
Sponsored row to Pett Level and back by Veterans crew. (M.Oram, A.Leeson, E.Smith and R.Apps.)
1983 The "Joe Apps" christened.
1986 Five burglaries at the Club during the year. Club's future in doubt.
1987 Most successful rowing season ever. Won C.A.R.A. Grand Aggregate Cup
1988 Club departed from a years old tradition and elected a Patron who was not the Town Mayor. Cllr Mrs Jane Amstad was delighted to accept and is still our very active Patron.
Ladies Junior Four Champions.
First Senior Four win for 50 years.
1989 Beaten by Bexhill in a row off for the Junior/Senior Championship.
1990 Sea doors washed away for 3rd time in February storms. Club flooded with three feet of water causing severe damage. Boats saved in life threatening water inflo led by members led by Kevin Sherwood. Club premises evacuated. Operated from the Sailing Club premises for next two years before moving back home in December 1991.
The "Jane Amstad" christened.
1993 Ladies win at Championship regatta.
Club obtains £6,000 grant from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts to purchase a new four and a set of blades.
1994 The "Noggin the Nog" christened.
Beaten by Bexhill for the JUnior Four Championship.
1995 Joint C.A.R.A. Novice Champions.
1996 The "Intrepid" christened.
C.A.R.A. decrees that men and ladies will row in a common Novice race.
1997 Now on the Internet.
C.A.R.A. Junior Four, Junior Pair and Junior/Senior Four Champions.
South Coast Junior Four Champions.
1998 Record breaking year saw Hastings Junior Four (A. Gideonse, S. Veness, N. Neale and S. Tyler) win 10 out of 11 races and the South Coast Championships at Bexhill. C.A.R.A. Junior Pairs Champions plus Junior Senior Championship crew.
2000 An excellent 2 day Millennium Party held down the Club. Lots of Champagne and sleeping bags for the younger members.
The "Maurice Oram" Pair christened.
2001 Captain Paul Knight is voted President of the C.A.R.A.
The club takes part in the "Shorething"- The Festival of the Sea".
2002 Ian Smith makes our first Double scull "Lorraine". Rgatta held on 3rd attempt.
2003 Over 100 people attend the Club for the launch of the Club's first plastic lightweight racing IV; The "Richard Bicknell" .

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