The Tawe Nunnugah Raid 2011 was for me a wonderful introduction to extended coastal rowing. I had rowed various dinghies as a youngster – leading a ‘Huckleberry Finn’ childhood around the beautiful waters of Port Lincoln, South Australia – not particularly optimal rowing dinghies – rather, punt type yacht tenders or heavier planked net-dinghies built by my father. Such experiences seeded a love for messing around in boats and, as might be expected, inexorably shaped a life of boating and boat building. Many years later I was commissioned to build a Whitehall and my client allowed me to adapt the traditional vessel to slide seat rowing. Now, I’m a rather irreligious fellow but this lovely vessel was my epiphany! Here was a vessel design that had evolved through the adaptive pressures of the bygone era of commercial sail, to be extremely efficient and seaworthy under oar. With the addition of some adaptations from the world of competitive rowing, namely slide seat, outriggers and light weight oars, there was a melding of form and function that was  just…well, perfect and I rediscovered the joys of rowing.

Raid vessels in Oyster Cove

Several copies of that lovely slide seat Whitehall followed, one of which I had the absolute pleasure of rowing in the Tawe Nunnugh Raid 2011. The Raid was an event for small rowing and sailing vessels covering a meandering course through the D’Entrecasteux Channel on Tasmania’s beautiful south east coast. The course covered roughly 100 nautical miles and extended over nine days and so was a significant test of vessel and oarsman! At the risk of sounding conceited, I have to report that both performed exceptionally well! I had confidence in the vessel, that was no surprise – the oarsman’s performance was more surprising but I have to concede the credit belongs to the qualities of the former!

The Raid started in Recherche Bay and finished nine days later in Hobart. Conditions varied from calm through to squally with driven rain and each day’s run covered roughly ten miles distance. Each day was a treat – even the squally one, as it was favourably directed and short-lived! The scenery was spectacular and the rowing meditative. I was able to row each days course in roughly three hours  – the last and longest at sixteen miles in four hours exactly. That’s four knots and without any burst boilers!