Our opening Ocean to City training last Sunday was great craic. Plenty to enjoy with ceoil, damhsa agus comhrá. I would be lying to any ocean to city first timers if they thought that drinking coffee and doing Irish dancing and chatting as gaeilge will get them race fit and upskilled enough for a full ocean to city.
As long as I have been in the club we have used ocean to city completions as a barometer to how advanced and proficient you had become. Not just the race day, but especially all the training sessions led to much learning. I would like to build on this by having ocean to city training not just being about fitness training (though you'll need plenty of nautical miles under your belt come event day too) but also a focus on skills training. By this I mean allowing new members getting up to standard to complete the event, improvers to learn some stroke rowing skills, and possibly mentor captains to get the confidence to step up too.
I propose that we meet on Sundays at 11 for ocean to city trainings. For now if we just show up and arrange ourselves similar to a Saturday morning row. Any crews who have already formed can stick together and then others can be organised into boats as suits best. When and where possible with whoever shows up I would like to see mentoring for people at various levels. Let's also use this to get the nautical miles under our belt. The fitter you are and the better prepared you are the more enjoyable the big day is.
I certainly can't commit to being there every Sunday, but I would like to think that we have enough experience in the club that those who do show up can arrange a row from the club.
Fingers crossed for suitable weather this Sunday. Any cancellations I'll post here.
Let's make ocean to city 30th May 2026 a success !
Colin
See you there.
Count me in thanks.
Unfortunately with the westerly gusts forecast to be 57km/h with blustery showers tomorrow during our scheduled training time, I am cancelling our outing. I expect to see white caps on the waves out there instead of beautiful currachs. Fingers crossed for the following Sunday, and hopefully our ocean to city hopefuls can get out on the other rows during the week to keep the nautical mileage up!
Looking forward to our outing on Patricks day instead on Tuesday (hopefully that forecast improves, but at least it's from a better direction for shelter)
Colin
Please be aware that I will be unable to attend the next 3 Sundays for Ocean to City training at 11am. I will be away at work on the high seas.
I believe that we should have plenty of people in the club who will be well able to organise a row from the club for members only.
My intention is to organise rows in the lower harbour once we've had a few training sessions from the club. This I believe will suit both new comers but also those of us creaking into action who will be getting fit for the big day bit by bit!!
I might ask those of you who have already formed crews please put your crew up here. Don't forget, it will be up to each captain (or whoever they delegate it to) to register their team with Ocean to City. Some eager well organised crews may even have already registered, and paid their entry fee.
Good luck with your training
Colin
This Sunday 21st March, the Cork Dragons are assembling at Shandon boat club at 12.30 - 12.45ish to launch their two dragon boats again for 2026 season. If training row was able to be wrapped up fairly sharply, we might be able to offer assistance with their launch, or maybe anyone not rowing on Sunday but available for hand? Oisin
Lovely training row this morning, thanks everyone involved. Lovely atmosphere welcoming all. Great the two boats under the trees got one coat of tar.
Thank you.
Elaine
Good morning, the forecast for Sunday 29/03 is for wind to pick up from noon onwards before dropping back from 3.00pm. If there is a scheduled O2C training row we might be better off getting out on and off the water earlier than the normal 11.00am start
