Curlew is a rowing club in East London and is open to all ages and abilities. Although very successful, with crews at Henley for 10 of the last 11 years, we pride ourselves on our friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
The Curlew beginners’ course is run three times a year and lasts 10 weeks. It is the perfect introduction to rowing and will help to determine if the sport is right for you (and if you’re right for the sport!) The course is designed to be lots of fun, while at the same time ensuring that it has a clear technical and fitness base which provides a platform for rowers to move into the Development squad.
We’re very proud that 60% of recent graduates from the beginners’ course have enjoyed it so much that they are now training and racing with either the Development or Senior squads.
The Curlew Development squad aims to provide a fun and rewarding atmosphere for rowers to develop. It is open to our own athletes who have moved on from the Beginners’ squad as well as those who have started the sport elsewhere - usually at another club or at university - and wish to carry on at Curlew.
The Development squad generally aims to compete alongside the Senior squads in the winter season (with crews entered last year for the Docklands Head, Greenwich Head, Kingston Head, Reading Head and of course the Head of the River Race). Over the summer season the Development squad competes at the “middle-tier” regattas, with wins (and trophies) last year at Kingston and Richmond.
The Senior Men’s and Women’s squads are the highest level of rowing at Curlew. The aim of the Senior squads is to develop crews to race and compete at the highest club level, and they comprise a mix of “homegrown talent” who have moved up from the Development squad, rowers joining from senior squads of other clubs or from universities, and rowers who have come to the club from overseas.
Recent achievements include: wins at Reading and Metropolitan regattas, finishing in the top 100 for the Head of the River Race and qualifying one or more crews at Henley Royal Regatta for the last ten years.