Southsea Rowing Club is Portsmouth's only coastal rowing club. We row upon the Solent along the Southsea and Eastney seafronts. More experienced rowers may enter the Portsmouth Harbour and row as far as Fareham.

Our fleet of boats consists of coastal fours, pairs, doubles and single sculls, all of which we race in regattas along the south coast during the summer months.

We have a selection of training equipment e.g.. free weights, Concept 2 rowing machines, mats, bench press, leg press etc etc. You can train at your own pace as an individual, or as a group under the eye of our trained coaches. We provide training plans through the winter months and water based coaching throughout the summer.

The club has a great social side as well, we run various events throughout the year both on and off the water. Please keep an eye on our socials page for upto date information.

Southsea Rowing Club is open to anyone to join, however as noted below we currently have set a minimum age of 15 for membership due to safety restrictions, the aim is to lower this in the future as our junior section develops. In September 2009 we ran our first Junior Learn to Row course to bring in some members in the 15-18 age category and hope to start growing this section of the club over next few years.

Before anyone can row or train at the club we require that they complete a membership form, available on the information page or in the new member packs at the club. Please contact the membership secretary if you have any questions.

Rather than taking new members throughout the year we have recently moved to a more structured intake of new members to try and ensure a higher quality of induction and to bring new members into the clubs in group that can develop and row together. Those with previous rowing experience may join at any point in the year as they will already have an understanding of water safety, training and rowing technique - though refreshers (and if needed a 'costal conversion') will be given!

The club aims to run 2 to 3 'Learn to Row' courses each year depending on demand and these dates will be published in advance on the website. In general there will be one around Feb-Mar and another around Sep-Oct, with a 3rd during the year if required. Each course is for up to 12 people and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis - so please register your interest early! The course will run over 6 weekends for 2 hours each weekend and will cover the following areas:

• Introduction to equipment
• Safety on and off the water
• British Rowing technique
• Use of indoor rowing machine
• Rowing sessions on the water and general boat handling
• Core stability
• Circuit training
• Introduction to racing

The Learn To Row course currently costs £36 which is non-refundable.

If you would like to register for the next Learn to Row course then please complete the Learn to Row course registration form from the information page and send to our membership secretary.

Novice training is on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6.00pm and Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10.00am (weather permitting) all through the year, except on regatta days.

The choice of clothing you wear is governed very much by the weather conditions and water temperature. Here are a few general rules that should help you decide what clothing to bring with you.

• Always bring a change of clothes, you will get a least a little wet!
• Too much clothing is better than too little.
• Many thin layer work better than a few thick ones.
• A thin waterproof or kagool is a must in wet or windy weather.
• Wet shoes to wear in the water, trainers are ideal.
• Woolly hat.

In the summer months, shorts, tee shirts, kagool and wet shoes will usually suffice.

If you decide to take up rowing or you wish to compete for the club, you can purchase a range of rowing apparel in Southsea Club colours from Godfrey. This can be purchased direct, or the club usually has a bulk order once or twice a year where the prices are slightly cheaper depending on the quantities.

Rowing is a sport that can be experienced by people of all ages, however due to safety restrictions placed upon us we have set a minimum age of 15 for rowing or training. Rowing by its nature is a physical sport and as such you should be in good physical health. If in doubt please contact your doctor before staring any new physical activity.

As with all sports there is an element of risk associated with rowing, safety is our prime concern and there is an ongoing program to improve safety standards.

In the interest of safety we are unable to let you row unless you are in general good health and can swim at least 100m in light clothing.

If you have and questions or issues about safety at Southsea Rowing Club, Please contact our safety advisor listed on the contacts page.

We are unable to take responsibility for personal belongings while you are in the club. For this reason we advise against leaving any valuables in the changing room.

The club is insured against public liability to third parties but this does not cover the user of club equipment. You use club equipment at your own risk without liability on behalf of the club or its members. All new members and existing members who are unsure should seek advice before using club equipment.