Rowing Course

AR1: Novice Rowing Course (over 18 only) – 8 places, £85
(fee includes Fine Boat supplement for the season)
Sunday 14th June 2026, for 6 sessions (14th, 17th, 24th, 28th June, 5th, 12th July)

You must be over 18, a good swimmer and a member of the Wargrave Boating Club to participate in this course.

So you want to learn to row? Like the style of the Oxford and Cambridge crews ? How exciting that you have decided to give it a go.

Rowing is one of the few sports that is said to exercise every muscle in the body, it gives good cardio vascular benefits as well.

In well maintained boats you will enjoy a good 5 mile row on an interesting stretch of the River Thames from Wargrave to Marsh Lock.

A great group of enthusiastic members who meet up to twice a week for a friendly outing on the river, we welcome all new members from the Wargrave area over the age of 18.

Rowing introduction & training for complete beginners takes place in 6 sessions over a period of 4-6 weeks depending on the timetable of sessions.Training is open to anyone over the age of 18 years, with no upper limit to age. If you have never sat in a racing boat before, have watched the boat race or the rowing Olympics and wondered what it is like to sit in a racing boat, now is your chance. Our course is open to both men and women and on club days our rowing outings are nearly always made up of mixed crews and a wide range of ages.

The first day is just an introduction to the rowing section at the boat club, boats and equipment, river & safety, rowing terms and terminology used. Moored to the bank and using a training oar which has no water resistance, you will learn the basics of the rowing stroke.

In session two you will have 1-2-1 tuition the “Bank Tub”, watching and learning from others in the group.

In sessions three to five, you will have a 30 minute trip in a tub. This is a stable rowing boat which allows you to learn the rowing stroke for real, balancing the boat and also the timing you need when with a crew. These sessions will focus on rowing technique and building your confidence in balancing the boat.

In session six, you will experience your first outing in a racing boat which is called a restricted boat. These are the most stable racing boats designed for the novice rowing crew, most rowers won their first cup in these boats at regattas up and down the country. The crew will be made up of two novice rowers from the training course and two experienced rowers who will coach you from within the boat.

Then, the course is over and we hope you join the rowing group who meet every Thursday and Sunday.

Again, don’t worry if it all seems a bit much at this stage, we all learnt somewhere, by joining in with experienced crews, you will soon find it all becomes second nature. You never stop learning, the cox sees to that, even our most experienced members are told where they are going wrong on every trip, it’s all part of rowing.

Beware though, once you have the rowing bug, it never leaves you and what better exercise, as they say, rowers do it sitting down.

One thing that doesn’t happen, we don’t row in the rain, so the date may move depending on the weather.