Isle of Ely rowers complete 26-mile Moon Row

Find out what happened when the Isle of Ely Rowing Club’s women rowers took on a 26-mile midnight row, in aid of breast cancer charity Walk the Walk…

‘With exceptional trepidation did the women of the Isle of Ely RC follow the weather forecast for Saturday 10th May: it was not good. By the time the crews assembled at the club at 7pm, the wind was howling down the Great Ouse River. However, having agreed that they all still wanted to row despite the marginal conditions, the women took to their boats – an eight, which was kindly let to them by The Kings School, Ely, and a quad – bedecked in pink bras, lights and feather boas.

‘The idea of a marathon Moon Row came from the Isle of Ely Rowing Club captain, Teresa Aslett, and was inspired by the London MoonWalk, a 26 mile walk through London that same night in support of the breast cancer charity Walk the Walk. “The team work in each boat was absolutely brilliant”, said Aslett, “the crews were made up of those who have rowed for many years and those who have been rowing for only a year and the one thing we all had in common was that none of us had rowed in the middle of the night before.”

‘The 26 mile row took place on familiar water – two legs that covered the second half of the Great Ouse Marathon course – and the crews successfully completed their row just after 3am. 

‘The Moon Row would not have been possible without the hard work of Lyn Haynes and the fundraising group, Rob White and Tim Dodes who drove the safety launch, all of the coxes and all of the friends and family who yelled encouragement from the river banks and bridges, and from The Ship pub at Brandon Creek, where other members of the club were given permission by the pub owners to rattle their Walk the Walk collecting tins. The feeling at the end of the night was summed up by Lyn Haynes who stated that it was “a fantastic achievement [and] despite the awful weather, we did it!” Most important, however, is that the rowers raised £3500 for Walk the Walk.’

To find out more about the Moon Row challenge, or to donate to the cause, visit www.justgiving.com/IOERC.