Sandra, who runs the catering at Grosvenor Rowing Club, had her first ever sculling lesson last Sunday. I put her out in the TS 515 training scull and gave her the basics then let her paddle around on her own for a bit.
Next two days she wanted to have more little goes in the boat. The weather was fantastic early this week. She had no more tuition from me. Just supervision. The boat is the best teacher.
Then on Wednesday after the morning fog had cleared Tony Churchill offered to paddle alongside her in another boat up the river to the Red House. But things went so well that she and Tony sculled all the way up the river to Eccleston, a distance of 3 1/2 miles (5km) and then all the way back!
This was her reaction when I spoke with her today about it.
"That was one of the best days of my life... It was everything I expected it to be and more!" And her eyes lit up.
This is the joy of sculling. It is also an extraordinary commendation of the training scull.