Pangbourne crew sets sail for 34th Great River Race through Central London

Hundreds of international crews are taking part in London’s River Marathon — and a local team is among them.

Some 240 crews and 1,500 competitors, supporting more than 30 charities, are confirmed for the 34th Great River Race in London on Saturday, September 16.

And The Pangbourne Water Rats will be joining them — competing in the 22-mile race across Central London.

The Water Rats’ team usually includes John South, Nick and Kat Syfret and Matilda Oppenheimer, who are competing in the veterans’ category this year.

Their team and boat name, Messing About, was chosen by founding member Mr South, who was inspired by a line from Wind in the Willows.

When Mr South first found out about the Great River Race in 2001, he entered his team — initially without their knowledge.

“John heard about the race and thought it sounded fantastic fun, and he was desperate to be in, but he didn’t know anyone with a boat, and then he thought of us,” explained Mrs Syfret.

“We were on a camping holiday in Denmark with our children, and we came back, and John said, ‘I hope you don’t mind, I’ve entered us for the Great River Race.”

But things weren’t exactly plain sailing from there. None of the team had any professional watersports experience, so were quite literally plunged in at the deep end.

Mrs Syfret continued: “When we actually arrived, we found it was really serious.

“Far from dallying along, we actually had to row, and the waves were really, really rough.

“The whole thing was utterly terrifying, with Dutch whalers sounding like washing machines coming up behind you, shouting guttural cries, and if they hit us, we’re sunk.”

But Mr and Mrs Syfret, who own the traditional blue salter’s skiff, still say it is “the best thing (they) ever bought.”

The crew has since taken part in 19 contests, supporting a wide range of charitable causes.

And this year, the team is hoping to fundraise for the Halo Trust, a charity committed to clearing mines and debris in war-torn countries, including Ukraine.

But the choice of charity is significant for another reason.

“My eldest son was in the army, and he joined the Halo Trust,” added Mrs Syfret.

“We visited him in Jordon, and we’ve seen the work they do.

“We also visited Ukraine before the war broke out. He gave us the number of a Halo office in Kiev and we visited and were given a little tour and talk. It’s so amazing what they do.”

The crew commence weekly training every June. Mrs Syfret says their biggest barriers nowadays is old age and varying health conditions — with their fasted time being one hour and four minutes.

The crew aren’t overly competitive and never expect to raise more than £500 each time.

“All we aim to do is to not sink, not get disqualified and to get to the end without drowning,” added Mrs Syfret.

But this year, they want to do things differently and raise funding for this valuable cause.

The race runs from Millwall in East London to Ham, Richmond, and can be watched from viewing points along the course. Visit https://greatriverrace.org.uk/observation-points/ to find out where these are located.

Crew progress can be tracked on the Great River Race website, using the Follow my Challenge app.

Please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/pwrforhalo to contribute to The Water Rats’ chosen charity.