Monster the Loch!
Posted: September 24th, 2024, 1:23 pm
Hello all - been AWOL a while - although been lurking again more recently.
Erg meters way down on what they used to be although fingers crossed will be putting more meters in over the coming months.
Anyway... this Saturday just gone found my son and I on the start line of 'Monster the Loch' ...a 21 miles rowing race down the length of Loch Ness!
Whilst we hoped not to be last we had no illusions of it being a race for us, enjoying the experience and finishing it was the goal (and raising money for the MNDA). This was slightly over 2x our previous longest row together 
We were in a double sculling boat but there were also sorts of fixed and sliding seat rowing boats, canoes, kayaks, proas, surfskis and even 1 mad person on a paddleboard!
We were promised sun by the organisers and advised to pack lots of water and sun cream - needless to say we never saw the sun but what a great experience it was - even when the wind and the waves picked up in the last hour out spirits weren't to be dampened... although a few iffy moments with waves breaking over the back of the boat on occasions - surfing and trying to keep the boat straight were new to us! 
We finished in a bit under four hours and 83rd out of 112 finishers. The scenery was fantastic and everyone very friendly. It may have been a bit more serious at the pointy end but people we passed or were passing us were always in good spirits and ready to swap encouragement.
For a flavour of the event, check this video from a the event a couple of years ago. Anyone dabbling their toes in OTW rowing and fancy a challenge its well worth giving it a go. You can even hire a coastal sculling boat if you get your name down early enough. It was a long way from the rowing lake I normally row on in the summer - figuratively and in reality (to the tune of a near 1200 mile round trip!) but sometimes you have to just say what the heck and go for it
Erg meters way down on what they used to be although fingers crossed will be putting more meters in over the coming months.
Anyway... this Saturday just gone found my son and I on the start line of 'Monster the Loch' ...a 21 miles rowing race down the length of Loch Ness!
Whilst we hoped not to be last we had no illusions of it being a race for us, enjoying the experience and finishing it was the goal (and raising money for the MNDA). This was slightly over 2x our previous longest row together We were in a double sculling boat but there were also sorts of fixed and sliding seat rowing boats, canoes, kayaks, proas, surfskis and even 1 mad person on a paddleboard!We were promised sun by the organisers and advised to pack lots of water and sun cream - needless to say we never saw the sun
but what a great experience it was - even when the wind and the waves picked up in the last hour out spirits weren't to be dampened... although a few iffy moments with waves breaking over the back of the boat on occasions - surfing and trying to keep the boat straight were new to us! We finished in a bit under four hours and 83rd out of 112 finishers. The scenery was fantastic and everyone very friendly. It may have been a bit more serious at the pointy end but people we passed or were passing us were always in good spirits and ready to swap encouragement.For a flavour of the event, check this video from a the event a couple of years ago. Anyone dabbling their toes in OTW rowing and fancy a challenge its well worth giving it a go. You can even hire a coastal sculling boat if you get your name down early enough. It was a long way from the rowing lake I normally row on in the summer - figuratively and in reality (to the tune of a near 1200 mile round trip!) but sometimes you have to just say what the heck and go for it