Vesta Rowing Club
| Vesta Rowing Club | |
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| Location | Putney, London, England |
| Coordinates | 51°28′11.3″N 0°13′14.7″W / 51.469806°N 0.220750°WCoordinates: 51°28′11.3″N 0°13′14.7″W / 51.469806°N 0.220750°W |
| Home water | Tideway |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Affiliations | |
| Website | www |
| Events | |
| Notable members | |
| Harry Blackstaffe | |
Vesta Rowing Club is a rowing club based on the Tideway River Thames in Putney, London, England. It was founded in 1870.
Vesta organizes two head races every year; the Scullers Head and the Veterans Head.
Vesta Rowing Club was founded in 1870. It is said that during the club's inaugural meeting, members decided that the club should be named after the first boat to pass under London Bridge. The first boat (a steam tug) to pass under the bridge was Vesta.
The club’s first home was Salters Boathouse which was a part of Feathers Pub on the River Wandle which flows into the River Thames just up river from Wandsworth Bridge. In 1875, the club moved to the Unity boathouse (now the Ranelagh Sailing Club) and from there to its present clubhouse next door in 1890.
To begin with the Vesta only raced in-house. The club’s first known entry in an open race coming in 1876. The first open win came that year with J. Whaley winning the Junior Sculls at Windsor and Eton Regatta. The first sweep oared win did not come until 1888 and that was a Junior Senior IV at Walton Regatta.
From that date onwards Vesta had increasing success on the water not the least of which included Harry Blackstaffe’s double victory in the Diamond sculls at Henley Royal Regatta, the Wingfield Sculls on the Thames in 1906 and Olympic Gold medal in the 1908 London Olympics.
The club practically ceased functioning during the Great War of 1914-18 only being kept alive through the activities of some of its older members and those on leave from the front who occasionally rowed. There were 214 paid up members of Vesta in 1914. 78 joined up of whom 12 made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in that struggle.
In 1920 the club lost in the final of the Wyfold IVs at Henley Royal Regatta. It was the club’s first finals day appearance at that August regatta in a sweep-oared boat. In 1930 the club finally had success in this class of boat at the Regatta winning the Thames Challenge Cup for club VIIIs.
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