Great Tyne Row

It's over for another year and memorable for lots of reasons, but notably the weather. Maybe we should have seen it coming, literally, but the start was enlivened by a sudden torrential downpour and the odd clap of thunder just as the first boats were on the point of setting off from Newburn. To cut a long story short, there was a delay of about an hour and then we restarted and the crews were soon in the sun and warmth at Scotswood all the way to Tynemouth .

The times and results can be seen on our website as a pdf or by clicking the image in this post as a jpg. Highlights were an excellent time of 01:42 for the 25k by the Open 4x+ crew in the fastest boat HEXpedition, followed closely in second place by the fastest Mixed 4x+ crew Camber Courtiers in 01:55. The fastest Women's 4x+ crew in seventh 7th place was A Treachery at the Tower in 02:50.

We had two coastal boats, a St Ayles Skiff Open 4+ with a cross-border friends composite crew Banac Explorers and a Shetland Yoal Mixed 6+ from Kinghorn in Fife (who got both a fastest and an 'admiring the view' award). Best Decorated Boat (with a Tower of London theme) was Treachery again and Best Dressed Crew was Coronation Chickens (see the photos when published to explain).

Pics and a fuller report to follow at www.greattynerow.com, but why not start thinking about an entry for 2024 - we are looking at dates already. We need a high tide about mid-day in August or early September, and not a clash with the GNR, so you can probably work it out for yourself.

The Great Tyne Row is running this Saturday, 26 August 2023, over 25km from Newburn to the river mouth. There are 20 entries, up one from last year though below our pre-Covid peak. We have 20 entries - 2 fixed seat coastal boats and 18 sliding seat stable quads. The full list can be viewed by clicking on the image below, which also shows provisional start times from 12.15pm onwards.

The other image is a map which amongst other things shows the start and finish and the intermediate 5km points. Useful for spectators as well as rowers, it shows the expected time 'window' when boats will be passing each of those 5km points, one of which is NewcastleGateshead Quayside. The window for that location is roughly 1.00-2.00pm, coinciding with the lunch rest period for the Tyne Bridge Zip Line. Good planning! Or possibly good luck!!

Full details at www.greattynerow.com. An updated draw will be there Thursday night.

Thank you to everyone who has submitted their entries so far! I’ll be getting invoices out in the next day or so.

Still time to get your entries in if you want to take part on the 26th!

Online entry is now live on the website!!

The link to the google form can be found in the documents section or in the entry information guide.

At last we can announce a date for the Great Tyne Row in 2023. Tides are not easy this year and have made us look at August bank holiday weekend. And another event on the Sunday, finishing at Tynemouth, has pushed us towards the Saturday. So the date is Saturday 26 August 2023. The format will be much as in 2022, so look at the web site which has the 2022 info still there for an idea of what we will be doing. www.greattynerow.com It will be updated soon. The pic is from last year's finish, with typical calm, sunny, warm Tyneside weather!

Well, it's over again for another year. The Great Tyne Row for 2022 on Sunday (21 Aug) was a great success with beautiful conditions from start to finish and 19 boatloads of keen rowers, most if not all getting in to the Roman theme.

Fastest overall boat in a record breaking time of 1hr28min was a mixed stable quad Tyne Rowmans from Tyne ARC. The "Enjoying the View" award went to Hadrian's Nemesis from Kinghorn CRC in Fife, rowing a St Ayles fixed seat skiff who finished in a very creditable 2hr35min. In between many more great times.

The results are out, in simple time order format at www.greattynerow.com/results2022 (best on desktop site) and in much more detail in a variety of orders in a spreadsheet in pdf and xlsx formats, downloadable from www.greattynerow.com/documents. Lots more pics in a day or two.

The start order with times is now out for the Great Tyne Row on Sunday. We had 20 entries but one has unfortunately had to drop out, so now 19. The list of entrants, with start times for the four 'waves' of boats, is now on the web site at https://www.greattynerow.com - click on the image same as the one above to see the pdf. Start is at 12 noon onwards at Newburn with first boats landing at Tynemouth Rowing Club about 2.30pm. Come and judge for yourself the Roman themed fancy dress! Pic from 2017 (not Roman).

Great Tyne Row - help our good cause in MMXXII

The GTR runs next Sunday, 21 August, and is supporting the charity Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums Development Trust who bring museum learning to life for children in the more marginalised areas of the Northeast.

The GTR is supporting this great cause by adopting a Roman theme for this year’s event, making it one of the many organisations in the region celebrating the 1900-year anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall, and by asking the crews taking part and its supporters to donate to the charity who run two Roman forts on the Tyne, at Wallsend and South Shields.

One of the last troops occupying the Roman fort at Arbeia in South Shields were the Tigris Bargemen who used to row goods and people up the Tyne to Hexham, so there’s a nice connection between the Wall and rowing. And here's a pic of a Roman barge.
Even if not participating please donate to this great cause by clicking on this link and following the instructions. It will make a real difference to the children of the North East.

The Great Tyne Row MMXXII Dressed as Romans, 20+ crews will row from Newburn to Tynemouth to celebrate 1900 years since the building of Hadrian's Wall. Their efforts will help bring learning to life, funding Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' learning and engagement programmes.

Entries for the Great Tyne Row, running on 21 August 22, close on 7 Aug but cheap seats end this weekend on 31 Jul. For more info see the poster (in comment below) or go to www.greattynerow.com. If minded to enter but not quite ready or have a question, drop us a line now at [email protected] to help us plan ahead. Remember it is for coxed stable boats only. Pics are from the first GTR in 2012.

Entries are now open for the GTR 2022, running on Sunday 21 August 2022. Full details (apart from our imminent Roman themed sponsorship request) are on our website at www.greattynerow.com.

The Northern Rowing Council is currently checking all key resources are in place, but hopes in a week's time it can be confirmed that the Great Tyne Row 2022 on Sunday 21 August is a goer. Usual format, catering for stable quads/fours (including skiffs etc) and stable doubles. It leaves Newburn on the high tide about noon and arrives at Tynemouth 2 hours (+/- a bit) later. Watch this space or go to www.greattynerow.com - just info there so far from last time in 2019, but 2022 will be very similar.

Great Tyne Row Great Tyne Row - challenge rowing event over 25 km on the River Tyne on 27 August 1

Sorry, Tyne 200 also off with low entries perhaps due to Covid concerns. But a club Bridges Row is still on and a small number of guest crews could be accomodate. Contact [email protected].

No Great Tyne Row for 2021 due in part to Covid, but a smaller event has just been announced for the same day, 1 August 21.