Boat Club (RUMS): Assisstant Boatswain

Hey all, I’m Sam (now mulletless) after a great year of boaty fun, I'm applying for Assistant Boatswain. Throughout my first year with the club, I’ve had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed getting more involved. This would be a great position to demonstrate my commitment, develop useful skills and make a long-lasting contribution to the club. I

I’m a naturally hands-on… and DIY orientated person, firmly believing if you can fix a bike, you can fix a car, if you can fix a car, you can fix a boat. I have previous experience of fixing boats and outboards from my sailing days and would love to further my skills.  I hope I’ve proved myself reliable this year, and moving forward into my third year would mean I have even more availability dedicated to the maintenance of the club. As a social person, I would be a friendly face around the boathouse people can report issues to and would offer help and guidance on maintaining and rigging boats, especially concerning the incoming freshers. Furthermore, I would ensure regular and productive communication with my boatswain to keep things running smoothly. My manifesto points are: 

• Re-organise and take Inventory of the tool locker, and fix or replace what's missing.
• Put an end to the Covid hangover, help the boatswain with the ordering and fitting of new equipment, and repair and streamline what we have.
• Teach novices the importance of checking aspects of the boat before training/ racing (gates, footplates).

I am running for assistant boatswain as I believe that I would enjoy this role very much, while also being able to help the club in one of the most direct albeit important ways, fixing boats! I’ve always massively enjoyed fixing things and making sure everything works properly, and this role would allow me to do that on a regular basis. I would be very excited to be able to learn and apply valuable knowledge and skills about working with boats. And my pledge is simple, I pledge to do my very best to make sure all the boats and other equipment are in good working order. I also can safely say I know the importance of a working boat, with our own novice men’s boat breaking regularly, I have certainly developed an appreciation for working equipment that would no doubt transfer to the role. Furthermore, I hope this role would give me the opportunity to serve the club, as I feel a lot was done for me through my fresher year, through general welcoming as well as seniors regularly fixing our boat, and this role would be just what I would need to give back to the boat club.  I believe through the role I could make a positive difference in the club and make our shared passion of rowing much more enjoyable for everyone in RUMSBC.  Therefore, I hope my enthusiasm for the club and role make me a suitable candidate in your eyes, and hope you are convinced enough to cast your vote for me!

I was surprised to see a boat in pieces during the preparations of the Cambridge head; I was even more surprised to see a boat in prices as we were floating down the river Thames in it! What these experiences have both taught me, however, is the complexity of the mechanisms built into these vessels. Every trip to the boathouse has revealed yet more subtle designs that keep us running smoothly. Such as the small heal restraint for quick feet release in case of a surprise capsize or the wiring of the rudder systems that helps us navigate the river, steering us away from death zones that take so many fins. Understanding how these structures work is a subject very close to my heart. As many of you know, I am an architecture student with a passion for making and fixing. After being so warmly welcomed into RUMSBC, I would love to give back to the club in a way I am uniquely positioned to do so. Using my knowledge gained during my weekly study of engineering to a free supply of nuts, bolts, and washers that inevitably comes with a degree like mine! I have always been impressed by RUMSBC's flexibility and ingenuity when it comes to rapidly fixing seemingly disastrous footplate and rigger mishaps with a minimal tool kit, and I hope to help continue this tradition. Looking forward, I would love to help improve the boats even further, such as finding a better way to attach the lights to the bow and stern rather than a long strip of duct tape. 

Being part of the RUMSBC crew for 3 years, I really appreciate the efforts and time gone into caring for our boats. But I also understand the occasional frustration and disruption to training, and sometimes even competitions, that a broken boat can bring to the crew. Especially as these malfunctions can impact your performance, and more importantly make you more prone to injury. I've developed a good understanding of how the boats are wired, constructed and fixed, especially rowing for W1 in the past year as we've had our fair share of boat breakdowns!

I'm a very reliable person and will swiftly tackle any issues. I want to aim for more regular boat maintenance, and create a space where the smallest issues are quickly raised before it becomes a full-blown problem - after all, prevention is better than cure! I also enjoy doing anything technical and am confident with my skills, but know there is a lot more to be learned. As a novice, I was quite clueless as to how the boats worked, so I'd like to be able to teach some basic maintenance to everyone joining the club.

Hopefully, I can bring to RUMSBC smoother, slicker, and stronger outings next year as your assistant boatswain.

Since starting rowing for the first time in September I have really enjoyed learning about how the boats work and how they are fixed. I am running for assistant boatswain as I would like to continue to increase my skills in this area and have seen how beneficial it is to the smooth running of outings that issues with the boats and launches can be quickly resolved. Helping out with the boat maintenance day at the start of term I learnt the teamwork required to keep the boats functioning and I would like to be further involved in this. I have absolutely loved being a part of RUMSBC this year and would like to be more involved in the club next year.