An Oarsome Tiger Effort!

Our very own Bernie Le Riche, who’s usual day job is a pilot, broke his foot recently. Unable to fly, he thought he’d keep himself busy by taking on some blade repairs.

Under the supervision of Stuart Johnstone of CNC Composites at Five Dock, Bernie took the more damaged sweep, quad and double oars, 28 in total. He sanding back each blade, applied strips of carbon fibre to the damaged areas, then more sanding and priming before the final coat. The whole process took about 50 hours of his time and saved the club many dollars.

Bernie said, “I enjoyed working with Stuart as he’s an old mate from my Adelaide days as a youth rower. I'd like to thank him for all his help and allowing me to use his workshop. He always goes above and beyond and his workmanship is second to none".

Thanks also to the masters men who conducted a working bee in August, generally tidying up the shed and work bench. Boatmaster Nick is always looking for people to volunteer for jobs around the club.

There are many things that can be achieved with a few people helping for a few hours.