"It never ceases to amaze me," writes John Wallington, "the incredible and interesting people I have had the good fortune to meet and the stories I have been told whilst representing Kodak over the last thirty years.
It came as no surprise to me when I received a telephone call during the
Spring from Colin Venus, Photographic Manager, The National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, informing me that he was in full training to row across the Irish Sea!
I have known Colin as a Kodak customer for over ten years and during that time I have listened with great interest to his accounts of mountain biking across the Himalayas, trekking great distances across this country or that country, spending a huge amount of his annual holiday helping physically and mentally handicapped young people on board a three masted schooner. So hearing his account of training schedules with the
Aberystwyth Boat Club in readiness to row across the Irish Sea in May
1997 really came as no surprise to me.
The CELTIC CHALLENGE takes place every two years and starts at Arklow,
Co. Wicklow and finishes at Aberystwyth. The boats that take part are
Pembrokeshire Long Boats, 23' in length and made from fibreglass, with four fixed seats for four rowers and one seat for the Cox. The distance between Arklow and Aberystwyth is approximately 88 miles.
This year was the third time that the Aberystwyth Boat Club had entered for the Celtic Challenge, but this year was to be different, this year they entered three boats.
During March I received another telephone call from Colin Venus enquiring if Kodak would be interested in sponsoring one of the Aberystwyth Boat Club boats and we were pleased to respond to this request by sponsoring the purchase of four vitally important life jackets. Not only that, but Colin insisted in placing Kodak logo's on each side of the bow and unofficially calling it The Kodak Boat! The official name of this boat was
Really Brig-Y-Don.
Place: Arklow, Co. Wicklow
Date: 3 May 1997
Time: 08.00
Conditions: Flat calm
The Celtic Challenge has begun.
Twelve boats started the Challenge on that day and due to expected bad weather the organisers sensibly decided to bring the start time forward eight hours to 08.00. Even at that time on the Saturday morning the mist was beginning to form at sea and the wind was beginning to freshen.
Each represented Boating Club was supported by an official Support Vessel and each rowing crew were only permitted to row for a maximum of two hours at a time. The Support Vessels provided replacement crews, food, hot drinks and the opportunity to change into dry clothes. When the time came to transfer crews, the procedure was for two crewmembers to be exchanged at a time via a rubber dingy. The whole transfer took between 10 - 15 minutes.
After only a couple of hours into the Celtic Challenge the weather conditions deteriorated considerably and most of the crews suffered from serious sea-sickness. This was one of the reasons why the duration for each rowing crew was reduced to a maximum of 90 minutes.
Out of the twelve Pembrokeshire Long Boats that started at Arklow at 08.00 on 3 May, only six managed to reach Aberystwyth, and out of the three boats entered by the Aberystwyth Boat Club, two finished including The Kodak Boat, the Brig-Y-Don.
The whole crossing took a mammoth 22 hours during which time the crews battled with a force 5 wind for most of the way, together with average wave height of 6ft. It is an amazing fact that after rowing the full 88 miles, three boats arrived at Aberystwyth within seven minutes of each other.
The Aberystwyth Boat Club will recall many amusing stories of that trip in May, many of which could not be published, but I can tell you that they that day for the first mixed crew to complete the course stands proudly behind the Bar in the Clubhouse. Endurance is one word to explain the high spirits that existed among the whole crew but having spent some time listening to their many stories before, during and after the Celtic Challenge
1997, I would put it all down to sheer professionalism, hard work and above all.......TEAM SPIRIT.
Well done Aberystwyth Boat Club.
Well done Brig-Y-Don.
Well done the Kodak Boat.
Well done Colin Venus, Basil Evans, Alan Blair, Nigel Hopkins, Max Aicken,
Maldwyn Jenkins, Jenny Fothgill, Donna Warrington, Iola Evans,
Will Troughton, Rosie Collins and Gabby Grey.