The Story Behind The Small Boat Time Trials – Victoria Lake Club, Germiston

When I got off the water after this month’s trials, I saw huge smiles and lit-up eyes, and I knew my dream had come true. But I want to share how the Small Boat Time Trials came about, and for this, I need to tell you more about my journey. 

Getting into rowing as an adult is somewhat unconventional. I completed my learn-to-row programme in January 2023, exactly a year ago. But after that, I was on my own. Of four people who did the novice classes with me, I was the only one who continued rowing. It was the time when strokeman, strokeside, and stroke coach meant the same thing in my mind. I remember a first-division rower telling me that an ‘inexperienced bloke’ like myself wouldn’t ever have a seat in his eight. Those crucial moments either make you go home packing or force you to redouble your efforts to succeed.

My next idea was to organise Social Scullers every Thursday morning at Victoria Lake. I brought donuts and muffins, and I was there every week, hoping to form a community. To be completely honest with you, that was when I first started going out in a single scull, and I was simply too scared to be on the lake alone. The event was so poorly attended that Sam Johnson called it ‘anti-social scullers.’ But in the meantime, I fell in love with a single boat. 

Now, months later, Small Boat Time Trials is a massive success for Masters rowing. It brings dozens of people together on the second Wednesday of each month. It is a competition for small boats: singles, doubles, and pairs. We launch boats one at a time, staggering them 30 seconds apart. It is fun to be chased by someone in front of you, giving you that extra energy to row. We have a top-notch live timing system – by the time you reach the jetties, your results are already published online. And let’s not forget the social after at the Waterfront Sports Bar that brings our community together.

I wish I could share a path to instant success, but I only learnt the one accompanied by a dozen painful failures. I hope to see you at the next Small Boat Time Trials!

Your bloke, Pavel Dabrytski.