Rowing Lake
Paul Oldham
Lakes) last night to talk about Milton Country Park and I asked him in
passing what the current plans were for getting the "canal" under the
railway line.
He tells me that the plan now is to use a culvert, either three big
pipes or one rectangular cross section concrete slot, to get the water
under - this being considerably cheaper than the original plan of
raising the railway line. Pedestrians, cyclists and crews and their
boats will use a subway alongside the canal which will be well below the
level of the canal as it passes under the tracks.
So rowers are going to have to stop before the railway line, get out,
lift their boat out, carry it under the railway line, and get back in again.
I nodded and we moved on.
But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake? Or are crews going to
drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
--
Paul Oldham ----------> http://the-hug.org/paul
Milton villager ------> http://www.miltonvillage.org.uk/
and FAQ wiki owner ---> http://cam.misc.org.uk
"I don't do drugs. I get the same effect just standing up fast .."
Ben Blaukopf
> But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
> isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake? Or are crews going to
> drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
>
Annoying, but not a showstopper. Crews regularly row on the lower river
(i.e. below baitsbite) and have to carry their boats past Baitsbite
lock. 3000m of straight rowing (2000m course, plus training lake) is
more than worth it, particularly since I imagine that the facilities at
the railway crossover will be rather more flat and level than they are
at Baitsbite.
I'd be more interested in what happens to the subway when it rains. The
Milton Rd footpath regularly gets flooded undeneath the railway line. I
presume this is just due to blocked drains. I can't really see how
drainage can be constructed for something that is substantially below
river level, but maybe I'm just being unimaginative.
Ben
Paul Oldham
> I'd be more interested in what happens to the subway when it rains. The
> Milton Rd footpath regularly gets flooded undeneath the railway line. I
> presume this is just due to blocked drains. I can't really see how
> drainage can be constructed for something that is substantially below
> river level, but maybe I'm just being unimaginative.
The Milton Road underpass has pumps (assuming that they're working, or
indeed still there) and I guess they'll have to do the same here.
--
Paul Oldham ----------> http://the-hug.org/paul
Milton villager ------> http://www.miltonvillage.org.uk/
and FAQ wiki owner ---> http://cam.misc.org.uk
"Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?"
Chris Shore
"Paul Oldham" <pa...@the-hug.org> wrote in message
news:ungcd4-...@clive.the-hug.org...
> So rowers are going to have to stop before the railway line, get out, lift
> their boat out, carry it under the railway line, and get back in again.
My father relates how he and his college crew at Oxford would row their boat
to Henley every year in the 50s. Apparently, the locks are long enough to
get an
eight through but only one is wide enough to do so with the blades
out.
Chris
Roland Perry
Fri, 23 Mar 2007, Chris Shore <chris...@arm.nospam.com> remarked:
>My father relates how he and his college crew at Oxford would row their boat
>to Henley every year in the 50s. Apparently, the locks are long enough to
>get an eight through but only one is wide enough to do so with the
>blades out.
The locks are pretty big along there, and not a huge number (13
Oxford-Reading and 3 Reading-Henley). I expect it breaks the trip up
quite nicely.
--
Roland Perry
Al Grant
> But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
> isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake?
It might be a disincentive to deciding on the spur of the moment to
do a piece on the lake just when you happen to be there, but then
that may not be on offer anyway.
> Or are crews going to
> drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
Or rack a boat at the lake, if that's possible. There's a shortage
of rack space in Cambridge (10-year-waiting list to rack an eight
in CRA?) and a racks at the lake could be an option for some
non-university clubs or individuals. I have no idea if there will be
any rack space though.
Mary Pegg
> non-university clubs or individuals. I have no idea if there will be
> any rack space though.
A boathouse is planned.
--
"Checking identity papers is a complete waste of time. If anyone can
be counted on to have valid papers, it will be the terrorists".
Anne Rogers
> their boat out, carry it under the railway line, and get back in again.
> But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
> isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake? Or are crews going to
> drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
It was my understanding that most use of the lake would be unique to the
lake and not involve rowing to and from a city centre boathouse, hopefully
the existance of the rowing lake will mean some crews will train on there
and the river will be a little emptier, so those on the river will have less
desire to get off it.
Anne
Roger Hume
>
> It was my understanding that most use of the lake would be unique to the
> lake and not involve rowing to and from a city centre boathouse, hopefully
> the existence of the rowing lake will mean some crews will train on there
> and the river will be a little emptier, so those on the river will have less
> desire to get off it.
>
> Anne
How long is it going to be before rowing clubs want to build boathouses
near the lake?
How long will it be before the river frontage in Cambridge is changed
forever by development to river view flats?
Roger
Paul Oldham
> On 23 Mar, 08:46, Paul Oldham <p...@the-hug.org> wrote:
>
>> But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
>> isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake?
>
> It might be a disincentive to deciding on the spur of the moment to
> do a piece on the lake just when you happen to be there, but then
> that may not be on offer anyway.
Apparently that won't be allowed: crews are going to have to book slots
on the lake.
>> Or are crews going to
>> drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
>
> Or rack a boat at the lake, if that's possible. There's a shortage
> of rack space in Cambridge (10-year-waiting list to rack an eight
> in CRA?) and a racks at the lake could be an option for some
> non-university clubs or individuals. I have no idea if there will be
> any rack space though.
There's certainly plans for at least one boathouse, and I suspect there
will be more later. So you're probably right.
--
Paul Oldham ----------> http://the-hug.org/paul
Milton villager ------> http://www.miltonvillage.org.uk/
and FAQ wiki owner ---> http://cam.misc.org.uk
"Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late"
camToo
> I had a meeting with someone from the Rowing Lake (aka Cambridge Sports
> Lakes) last night to talk about Milton Country Park and I asked him in
> passing what the current plans were for getting the "canal" under the
> railway line.
>
> He tells me that the plan now is to use a culvert, either three big
> pipes or one rectangular cross section concrete slot, to get the water
> under - this being considerably cheaper than the original plan of
> raising the railway line. Pedestrians, cyclists and crews and their
> boats will use a subway alongside the canal which will be well below the
> level of the canal as it passes under the tracks.
>
> So rowers are going to have to stop before the railway line, get out,
> lift their boat out, carry it under the railway line, and get back in again.
>
> I nodded and we moved on.
>
> But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
> isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake? Or are crews going to
> drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
The view of the Amateur Rowing Association is on
http://www.oara-rowing.org/Asp/uploadedFiles/File/Regions_Forward%20Plan_White%20Paper_E.06.pdf
Al Grant
> How long will it be before the river frontage in Cambridge is changed
> forever by development to river view flats?
I can't see it happening on the central river. There are three
or four colleges (Selwyn and others) occupying the big shed
boathouse next to the bowls club, so I'd imagine if there was
any prospect of the town clubs vacating their boathouses,
Selwyn etc. would want to move in and free up their site for
redevelopment, which would be no great loss.
Paul Oldham
> On Mar 23, 9:46 am, Paul Oldham <p...@the-hug.org> wrote:
>
>> So rowers are going to have to stop before the railway line, get out,
>> lift their boat out, carry it under the railway line, and get back in again.
>>
>> I nodded and we moved on.
>>
>> But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
>> isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake? Or are crews going to
>> drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
>
> The view of the Amateur Rowing Association is on
> http://www.oara-rowing.org/Asp/uploadedFiles/File/Regions_Forward%20Plan_White%20Paper_E.06.pdf
... which says nothing about this issue, unless I'm missing sommat.
--
Paul Oldham ----------> http://the-hug.org/paul
Milton villager ------> http://www.miltonvillage.org.uk/
and FAQ wiki owner ---> http://cam.misc.org.uk
"If a train station is where the train stops, what's a workstation...?"
Al Grant
> On 26/03/07 08:46 camToo wrote:
> > The view of the Amateur Rowing Association is on
>
> ... which says nothing about this issue, unless I'm missing sommat.
Given the amount of interesting detail it has about rowing in and
around Cambridge, you can perhaps take it from the fact that it
says nothing about this issue, that it isn't seen as an issue.
J. Chisholm
> I had a meeting with someone from the Rowing Lake (aka Cambridge Sports
> Lakes) last night to talk about Milton Country Park and I asked him in
> passing what the current plans were for getting the "canal" under the
> railway line.
>
> He tells me that the plan now is to use a culvert, either three big
> pipes or one rectangular cross section concrete slot, to get the water
> under - this being considerably cheaper than the original plan of
> raising the railway line. Pedestrians, cyclists and crews and their
> boats will use a subway alongside the canal which will be well below the
> level of the canal as it passes under the tracks.
>
> So rowers are going to have to stop before the railway line, get out,
> lift their boat out, carry it under the railway line, and get back in
> again.
>
> I nodded and we moved on.
So we'll have to 'duck' and move on?
I knew it would be 'expensive' to raise the railway, and it was obvious
that they'd never get sufficient clearance for cycling (2.4m min)
without a 'pumped sump'.
In Ipswich there are some very low headroom bridges on a cycle route. I
suspect that any route is better than none, but presumably to carry an
'eight' you need a good bit of width and height (or will there be 'rollers'
Jim Chisholm
Al Grant
> In Ipswich there are some very low headroom bridges on a cycle route. I
> suspect that any route is better than none, but presumably to carry an
> 'eight' you need a good bit of width and height
Not really, they are carried into some very tight spaces in
boathouses. Unless they make it physically impossible the
crews should cope with getting it through. Having to duck
while carrying one sounds like a recipe for a bad back though.
c.a...@blueyonder.co.uk
>
> The view of the Amateur Rowing Association is onhttp://www.oara-rowing.org/Asp/uploadedFiles/File/Regions_Forward%20P...
>
>
No, no, no. These are the views of the Eastern Rowing Council.
Regional rowing councils are autonomous of the ARA. I can't remember
if the ARA Council has been asked for a view - probably before my time
if it had - but I suspect it would be in favour. You'll also notice
that this document falls into the trap of believing that Caversahm
will be holding regattas - it won't.
Sarah
> You'll also notice
> that this document falls into the trap of believing that Caversahm
> will be holding regattas - it won't.
did you mean it won't be holding large major (international?)
regattas? I can't imagine anyone having a body of water which you can
get at least a couple of crews side by side in a straight line for
more than 500m and not running some sort of event!
afterall isn't there a long tradition of cambridge student events
which involve less traditional methods than side by side BECAUSE they
don't have much water where you can do side by side? (uni fours,
bumps...)
j...@cvd.co.uk
No, none at all.
j...@cvd.co.uk
Given the phased nature of the construction and that the boathouse is
part of a later phase, I would imagine this would be a disincentive to
use the part completed lake.
Is the idea to move bumps races to the lake? If it were I can imagine
great logistical difficulties getting all the competing cres from the
town boathouses to the lake & back.
Jonathan Anderson
> But I'm intrigued - and I'm wondering if any rowers here have a view -
> isn't that a big disincentive to using the lake? Or are crews going to
> drive out to Waterbeach with their eights and start from there?
The boats will be racked at dedicated racking at the lake. Clubs who do
not already have boathouses will benefit most from this, such as Rob Roy
who will doubtless move out there en masse.
It is likely that boats will be taken out there on a semi-permanent
basis for clubs who normally rack boats on the Cam. This would mean that
a crew could train on the lake for a reasonable period of time without
the hassle of moving boats.
The fact that there is only 2500m of river on the Cam to get pieces in
(with room to spin at each end) suggests that people who are currently
happy ploughing up and down river won't find the 2K length too
restrictive. Assuming there is no prohibitive cost to doing this.
And those who already row out at Ely will almost certainly want to stay
out there because you need to get the miles in.
That's what I reckon anyway.
Jon
--
Durge: j...@durge.org http://users.durge.org/~jon/
OnStream: acco...@rowing.org.uk http://www.rowing.org.uk/
[ All views expressed are personal unless otherwise stated ]
Jonathan Anderson
> Is the idea to move bumps races to the lake? If it were I can imagine
> great logistical difficulties getting all the competing cres from the
> town boathouses to the lake & back.
The full course from the lock to top finish (for students) is over 3K
anyway so couldn't really happen.