Dear Members,

This will be my final missive of 2009, and by the time you reach the end of it you'll be pleased about that. Since it's December, I think it's worthwhile to have a bit of a recap about what's happened this year, as well as a peek forward into next - but be warned, it isn't brief.

Looking back, many good things have happened in 2009. I suppose the most visable and obvious thing which is different are the greatly improved facilities. UTRC is now in the enviable position of having some of the best facilities in UK rowing, which will stand us in good stead over the coming years.

Anyone who wants to row seriously will have an unrivalled environment in which to train both on and off the water, and we must take advantage of this by attracting new members and by looking after those we already have. Not many clubs have got what we've got. In facilities terms, we are now in the premier league. The challenge is to push for greater honours on the water, and to consolodate the gains we have made in the cohesion of our general membership. As 2009 draws to a close, I believe we are well on the way to achieving both goals.

I'd like to mention a few individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the development of these facilities, and whose efforts deserve special attention.

First of all our Chairman Steve Dance needs to be singled out for special praise. Steve put in a phenomenal amount of time to ensuring that the various funding possibilities were extensively researched and followed through. The hoops through which a project leader has to jump are onerous, and Steve negotiated them with great skill and patience. The extensive funds raised are a testament to his determination to getting the job done, and I know that our membership is extremely grateful for everything that Steve has done in securing the facilities for the club's future.

Next, Jim Burkitt and Mike Green played a key role in making sure that the project ran to time and budget. Jim is a top class project manager, and is pretty useful with a blade as well, having won the Britannia Cup at Henley in 2005. Mike was the first ever Chairman of UTRC, and was hugely influential in getting the first part of the clubhouse built in 1985. Between them they did a great job in finishing off the development to the high standard it is today, and made sure the building did not run over cost - they did a really professional job and deserve particular thanks.

Also, you the members put up stoically with using the club when it was a building site; high fives all round. The athletes had to train in a tent which had mushrooms growing on the carpet by the late spring, and judging from the smell in there by July I'm surprised no one actually died. Congratulations to all for surviving, and indeed flourishing in such a hostile environment. In fact, one of the year's highlights was the men's performance at Henley Royal Regatta, narrowly losing out in the Thames Cup in a very fast time - those noxious spores clearly caused them no lasting harm.

Last, the vision of our founder and President Peter Sutherland has at last come to fruition after nearly 50 years at the helm. He has finally turned what was once the regatta boom shed surrounded by swamp and stinging nettles into a pre-eminant rowing site through keeping his steady hand on the tiller. The aren't many people who can play the long game as well as that.

As far as the rowing goes we have made a solid start, but of course there is much more to do. The women have been ably led by Ali Gill, who continues to inspire squad trialists to emulate her own success in representing GB at Olympic level. The girls have won an attic-full of pots already this season, and continue to go from strength to strength. The next goal for the women's squad is to place highly in the Women's Eights Head of the River Race next March, and then to produce fast crews in the summer. There is plenty of winning Women's Henley experience in the squad, and the challenge will be to blend this with some youth to produce more wins for UTRC. In the summer we may even gain representation on the international club circuit through a few of our women, which would be terrific. Only this morning the women's squad had a meeting at which we discussed the plan for the rest of the year - we are hopeful that Alex Cavell (ex-Oxford women's coach) might join the coaching team, which would be a huge plus. The outlook continues to improve, and with the likes of Alex on board I have every confidence that we can achieve great things.

On the men's side Keith Mason has made significant strides in building on last year. The training workload has increased steadily so far, and this will begin to pay dividends over the next couple of months. A place in the top 25 at the Head is a real possibility, and there is a buzz of excitement creeping into the sessions now as we begin to see the scores coming down in the gym, and the water-work improving all the time. In addition to Keith and JPM, and for the benefit of all members, I have asked a few top international coaches to come down to the club as our guests during the winter to give us their thoughts.

In particular I'd like to draw members' attention to something that is planned for January. As you know, the American Robin Williams is a comic genius. Well don't worry, he's not coming down to coach us just yet. What a few of you may not know is that there is an English Robin Williams as well, and luckily for us he is a rowing genius (albeit a very modest one). Robin has won the World Championships as a rower and a coach, and has more recently coached the Cambridge Blue Boat crew for 10 years.

He is taking a sabbatical from his current role as Chief Coach to the GB National Lightweight Team, building on the success of the gold medallists in Beijing for the 2012 Olympics. Since he lives locally, he has agreed to come down early in the New Year to help us out a bit. Having people of Robin's calibre around the place is a fantastic opportunity for us to learn from someone who has been there and done it.

The plan is for Robin to do some coaching with the men's squad, but also to provide some guidance for anyone who wants it through a couple of talks which will be open to all. The first one will be about his ideas on rowing and training, and the second one will be on coaching and performance.

These are scheduled for 10am on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th January, after the first water session, and will last for about an hour. I would encourage as many people as possible to attend because it is not every day that we get an opportunity to hear the views of world class performers in our own house, and ask questions of your own - all part of that prized "added value" we're trying to introduce these days at UTRC (along with those free sticky buns). I'll have more to say nearer the time, but put it in your diary now because you won't want to miss it.

I'm a big supporter of the junior section. The juniors represent the future of the club, and we have a thriving squad under the direction of Will Satch, who is himself well on the way to representing GB at the London Olympics despite a recent foot injury. Even though he can't walk too well, he's still able to row which is much more important. Having good people about the place rubs off on all of us. Case in point, in recent weeks JPM has been taking an interest in the J18 quad which has made a huge difference. The juniors win pots every time they compete which is a testament to the coaching they receive, and the time they put in. They wouldn't be putting in the hours if it wasn't fun, so a massive thank you is owed to all the helpers and parents who make the junior squad one of the most successful in the country. One of them will be representing Upper Thames on the other side of the world in New Zealand over Christmas, and I look forward to seeing the pictures when they get back - one for the website I think.

It's important to continue improving the rowing results until we get to the point of being recognised as one of the top handful of UK clubs over a sustained period of time. With the personnel we have, both on the water and on the bank, we should be able to bring home some big wins in all sections over the next two or three years. We must prioritise this.

Of course most of us aren't going to win medals at the Worlds any time soon, and frankly it's just as well we aren't even trying to. We'd be pleased to win at Henley T&V, let alone at HRR. We are the members on which the club relies to fill it's coffers every September, and it is us that pay for the majority of expenditure that takes place at UTRC. Without us there would be no new clubhouse or equipment, because the demand would not be there and nor would the funds.

Another encouraging development is that we have made significant progress in freeing up this "intermediate" group of members from previous pigeon-holes, and we are beginning to see a more inclusive approach being adopted by members with people mixing in more readily, which gives us more flexability all round and bodes well for the future. The sticky bun races which we have run every few weeks have helped this process of inclusion, and have been good fun (the next one will be in January). We will be running the Christmas plum pudding races on the morning of Sunday 20th December and I'm sure that this will be another well supported event for everyone to enjoy - as ever JPM will be the race controller, and is open to bribery.

Even though we want success on the river and an active membership, there is nothing wrong with some more leisurely boating going on, especially at off-peak times, and we will continue to improve the equipment and general facilities for the benefit of every member, regardless of age, ability and experience etc. I think each section of the club is well catered for now, but you must let me know if there are areas which you feel need more attention. It's worth stating, though, that equipment and funding priority will always go to the people who are doing the most training, regardless of who they are.

One of the biggest positives over the last few months has been the way in which Austen has brought about changes in the Boathouse. Just last weekend an eight ran over a tree in the river which ripped out the bottom of an important club boat. Whereas in the past this would have lead to six weeks of inertia and then a sudden panic, Austen had prepared the offending section for repair by the end of the morning, and has already nearly finished the job under a week later. He has also been through the fleet renewing broken shoulders and saxboards, and generally making good our equipment, some of which has been languishing for years. This has transformed our efficiency, and everyone has gained from this.

I'd like to take this opportunity, though, to stress once again how important it is to look after our kit. If there is a seat missing from a boat you want to row in, or you decide you want to frig-rig a boat to suit yourself, you cannot just go ahead and take a seat from another boat, or frig-rig your own version of the "Oarsome Foursome" without asking first. These things impact others, and if we're not careful before long we will be back to the bad old days of having half the boats out of service with bits missing, or every coxless four stroked from bowside. So please, don't assume that you have carte blanche to do whatever you like in the boathouse.

Starting from January we will be introducing further restrictions, not less, whereby the spans and blade inboards will be standardised - so be aware that this issue will be increasing in importance. You've got my details, so if in doubt please use clear it with me first. Failing that, JPM is your point of contact - rest assured that his say-so will always be good enough for me.

Once Austen has made his way through the kit, which will take most of the year, it will no doubt be time to start again, a bit like the Forth bridge. Not only does Austen's presence give us better discipline in the boathouse, but the quality of his repair work is far superior to more traditional contractors, and more cost effective too. All in all it's been a revelation; Austen is clearly one of the best, as evidenced by his being head hunted recently by Abingdon School as their Boathouse Manager. Luckily he is still able to combine the two roles, and long may this continue. If you come across any repairs which need doing please contact Austen or myself direct - the previous suggestion of having a repairs book has not worked in the past. Someone always steals the pen.

Moving on to the clubhouse, we have clarified who to contact in the event of various occurances. Basically, for day to day issues like plumbing and internal repairs David Church is the man to go to. He can be contacted by email on david_church@tiscali.co.uk. For compliance and structural issues Jon Mottram is your man (see website). I have been asked by the Committee to say that we must all take a level of responsibility for ensuring that the facilities are well looked after, which is right, and to point out that we will be increasing the budget to reflect concerns that the cleaning must be improved.

I'd like to say a quick word about a couple of areas which are behind the scenes, but very important. First to register my support for the work done by our Water Safety Advisor, Richard Berkley, who does more than you know. Richard is down every weekend and most week days, coaching and helping out generally. He keeps tabs on what we need and his knowledge is second to none (and that's not just a platitude, I mean it). One of his first actions was to buy a new rescue launch, and some up-to-date life jackets. Gone are the days of thinking that a mouldy rubber ring will suffice in the event of an emergency. Richard's contribution is invaluable, so what he says goes as far as I'm concerned.

Second, Guy Girling's role as Welfare Officer is vital, and again takes up a great deal of time and effort. The paperwork involved and the learning required are mindblowing, and so any support he needs will be forthcoming. Without people like Richard and Guy our club couldn't function properly, but it's the actual quality that they bring to their roles which I mean to highlight here, not just the fact that they put in the quantity of hours. So please help to make their life easier at UTRC because we really can't afford to lose them. Again, we need to have good people in all areas of the club.

I'm not going to go on listing any more people who deserve a mention because most of you probably haven't made it this far anyway. Therefore my last topic will be the website, which Anna Van Leemputten is in the process of rejuvenating. All I'd say about it is that it's a work in progress, and will be a big improvement on the previous one once it is finished. If you have got any comments or suggestions on it then please direct them to me and I can pass them on. No one has a monopoly on good ideas, so let's hear them.

OK, that's me done for this month. Anna files these things under the Captain's Blog section on the website, so if there is anything you want to reference after deleting then you can always refer to the website.

I think we've come a long way this year but I know we can go much further still. As Captain I'm clearly interested in having racing success, and I'm going to turn more of my own focus onto this over the next six months. But for now it's enough to say a general "well done", and wish you all the very best for Christmas. I can't wait to get stuck in again in January, and look forward to seeing you down at the club.

Have a great holiday season,

With best wishes,

Justin