On Saturday, September 15, three crews representing Llanion Warriors Rowing Club (made up of rowers from the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock area) competed in the annual Great River Race, which is a 23-mile marathon from Greenwich to Ham (Richmond).

Each boat carried six rowers, one acting as cox whilst the other is a passenger under the Ferryman's Guild rules, which govern the event.

The club had entered one men's supavets crew, a women's crew and a mixed crew. They were competing within a specific class, against a large number of other Celtic longboat crews from around the Welsh coastal and English clubs. In total, there were over 320 boats, of all shapes, sizes and classes, from all over Britain, Eire and the Continent, which made for a very colourful scene at the Greenwich late morning start, in beautifully warm autumnal weather.

The race was very demanding and the exceptionally warm conditions challenged even the most experienced crews. The staggered start saw the different classes leave at different times, therefore the coxes had to be on the alert at all times, not only for opponents, but the myriad of commercial craft that sweep up and down this major highway.

The start is quite chaotic, with crews jostling to get the best possible advantage, yet all Llanion crews managed to get away without incident.

Conditions were very hot, so all crews took on board lots of extra food and water. During the journey crew changes are designed to keep everyone as fresh as possible to ensure best possible performance. Consequently, each boat saw at least three to four rapid changes over the course of the race.

As the stream of craft moved further up river running with the flow tide, lots of friendly banter was exchanged between opponents. This was often punctuated by the sound of the drums and paddles of the very powerful Dragon boat and outrigger crews as they swept through the field.

All three of the Llanion teams performed well and, although they found the conditions very demanding, all were spurred on by the vociferous and supportive crowds that lined the river bank and all of the 19 bridges along the course.

Although many had experienced the event before, the six rookies amongst the crews had also been invigorated by the opportunity to row so close to some of the capital's major historical monuments, famous landmarks and tourist attractions. The grassy banks along the finishing straight just above Ham House in Richmond, were lined by thousands of cheering well-wishers and their support seemed to reinvigorate all of the very tired teams as they passed the Queen's Diamond Jubilee barge, Gloriana, which was present at the finish line.

The supavets finished in 2 hrs. 44 mins and 35 secs, the mixed team 2 hrs. 45 mins. 27 secs and the ladies in 3 hrs 18 mins, all very creditable times on the day. Unfortunately they did not win any class prizes, but all had given their best and enjoyed the challenge.

After a suitable rest, the celebrations went on long into the night.

The team wishes to thank, Europcar Hire (Pembroke Dock) and Ashdale Engineering and Lifting in particular, along with all of the other club sponsors, for the support provided for the teams. Well done to all of the other Celtic crews and to those who secured the silverware in our class.