Dover Rowing Club - Est. 1846, Esplanade, Dover (2026)

17/08/2026

Dover Rowing Club's Jon Cook completed his unique Para Arch to Arc Challenge today arriving at the Arc de Triomphe after a gruelling four days. He began from Marble Arch with a punishing hand bike journey that took far longer than anticipated due to the extreme heat on Friday, arriving around six hours later than expected. The conditions had raised concerns over Jon's wellbeing as one of the impacts of being incomplete T6 paraplegic is the loss of normal ability to regulate body temperature.

Jon rallied on Day 2 to complete the Channel Crossing distance row in the Dover Port and a row down the coast towards Folkestone. A delayed ferry crossing reduced Jon's chances of taking the top off the last leg from Calais to Dover, completing 37 km before drawing a line under a difficult day.

The lasting impact prevented the planned 02:00 start for the third day as he needed a longer recovery time. A good push from Jon saw him travel beyond Abbeville setting up a fourth day that would see him going for 150 km to the finish in Paris. Jon struck out determinedly riding through Auberge de Monceaux down to Beauvais before reaching Attain Ville to leave him 28 km to the finish. Heading down through the Saint Denis area of Paris, Jon joined the Paris cycle network until the Arc de Triomphe loomed into sight and the end of an epic challenge. Jon finished at 23:07.

Jon took on this challenge to raise funds for the four organisations that have helped him during his recovery from spinal tumour surgery which initially left him wheelchair bound. Those organisations are Aspire, SIA Spinal Injuries Association, WheelPower and Dover Rowing Club.

Anyone wishing to support Jon's fantastic challenge can do so by following the link: [https://gvwhl.com/FPB1N](https://gvwhl.com/FPB1N)

10/08/2026

Press report by David Newman

Dover Rowing Club delivered a terrific eight win performance at Deal Regatta whilst securing the Senior Aggregate and sharing the Novice Aggregate with Bexhill and Deal. Dover came second by a point in the Grand Aggregate and were second in the Women and Junior Aggregates.

The Open Senior Sculls saw Tom Stothart and Will Coleman competing. Stothart flew off the start with Coleman in pursuit. He led through the first turn with Coleman second and a growing distance from the rest of the competitors. A steady second turn from Stothart set him up for the short run home to take the win with Coleman close behind in second. In the Open Senior Four two crews competed: Jasper Mallet, Will Coleman, Jake Cornwell, Tom Stothart coxed by Vanessa Ware, and Emily Harvey, Ella Cook, Lee Stampton, Holly Hannington coxed by Ashleigh Stevenson. After a strong start from both crews it was the Ware crew that pulled away from the field and led through the turns. Pulling away from the Worthing crew in second they had a four length lead going into the second turn before pushing to the line for an easy win. Stevenson's crew finished in a points position in fourth.

The Open Senior Pair of Coleman and Mallet would start well and would gradually pull ahead at the turn with Deal in pursuit. On the run to the second turn Dover started to create distance. They turned with a clear lead but were faced with an oncoming crew requiring both boats to change lines to avoid significant contact. The rest of the run to the line was uneventful delivering a clean sweep of the Open Senior titles.

Further contribution to the Senior Aggregate came from Woman's Senior Four and Pairs. Two crews competed in the Woman's Senior Fours: Rachel Bailey, Charlotte Cox, Stevenson, Lily Stafford-Edwards coxed by Paul Scrivener raced against Megan Chester, Camelia Hanga, Jess Porter, Ware coxed by Jaynali Patel. Both crews got away well and found themselves chasing Shoreham. Scrivener's crew moved to second and gapped the chasing boats through the turns, comfortably securing second. Patel's crew would come home fourth just behind Worthing. R Bailey and Cox finished third in the Woman's Senior Pair.

The Woman's Junior Senior Four crew were Chester, Hanga, Porter, Ware coxed by Coleman. From the start it was a battle between Dover and Shoreham with Dover taking the turn first. Running to the second turn Shoreham put in a burst to close the gap. Dover turned well and pulled away from Shoreham to win by a length and a half.

The Open Junior Four saw Harley Scrivener, Ollie Scrivener, Jack Castree, Sonny Varnes-Stone coxed by Stevenson. They quickly took a narrow lead over Bexhill and the outside Shoreham crew. Through the first turn Dover held the lead and started to pull away from Bexhill with only Shoreham left in the battle for first. Holding a length lead going into the second turn Stevenson executed an excellent turn allowing her crew to pull a couple of lengths clear at the finish. This was a great performance for a crew who had only recently moved up from the Novice category.

In the Woman's Junior Four Dover's Championship crew of Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Hannington, Harvey coxed by Ware faced off against Janice Bradford, Lucy Castree, Alex Henchy, Rhiannon Castree coxed by Chrissy Purvis. Ware's crew rapidly pulled clear of the field, shaking off Shoreham by the first turn. A second comfortable turn led to the sprint home for a commanding seventh win of the season. Purvis' crew secured a points finish in fifth.

Woman's Novice Four saw three crews competing: Aine Baines, Michelle Meakin, Hayley Crocker, Alex Tilly coxed by Purvis; Chester, Bryony Doick (Southsea), Jess Porter, Evie Jones coxed by Coleman; Debbie Thomas, Abigail Sirmon (Southsea), Elizabeth Strong, Evie Holland coxed by Stampton. It was a Coleman's crew who had the best start and were soon moving into the lead. Through the turn they moved clear and were able to maintain a comfortable rate through to the finishing line. Stampton's crew performed well coming home in third place with Purvis' crew in seventh.

Woman's Novice Sculls saw Leggatt as Dover's sole competitor. A steady start saw her grind out a lead heading towards the first turn. Comfortably round, she established her lead allowing her to control the race and, despite her opponents attempts to close the gap, taking a well judged win.

Masters 50+ saw P Scrivener, Stampton, Nick Bailey, Leggatt coxed by Purvis impeded at the second turn by Folkestone but still able to finish second behind Hastings.

Woman's Junior Pair had E Cook and Harvey against Leggatt and Hannington with Cook and Harvey getting the better placing coming home in second with Leggatt and Hannington in fifth.

In the Open Junior Sculls Coleman battled hard but couldn't keep contact with Shoreham finishing second with club mate P Scrivener in eighth.

The Junior Pair saw H Scrivener and O Scrivener battling Southsea for second place with one final push seeing them miss out on second by a bow ball. Varnes-Stone and Jack Castree finished eighth.

Woman's 40+ featuring Bradford, Purvis, Hanga, Leggatt coxed by Stampton had a bad start but fought back to be in contention. Around the second turn they charged down on Herne Bay but missed second place by a whisker.

J16 Woman's Quad of Hollie Castree, Jess Clements, Strong, R Castree coxed by E Cook fought hard to take third place in the straight line race.

Master 40+ Jon Cook, Stampton, Bailey, Jon Castree coxed by Paul Scrivener had a great race finishing third.

The Woman's Double Sculls saw Harvey and E Cook face off against Evie Holland and Evie Jones, with the Harvey / Cook combination finishing third and the Holland / Jones tenth.

J14 Mixed Quad Izzy Vickers, Toby Cook, H Castree, Riley Danko coxed by Ware finished fourth in a good performance from this young squad.

Open Novice Four: Chris Wong, Mark Warby, James Cane, Jon Castree coxed by Cox, would finish sixth.

Open Double Sculls saw Stothart and Danko racing against Varnes-Stone and T Cook, with Stothart / Danko finishing seventh and Varnes-Stone / Cook finishing eleventh.

03/08/2026

Press report by David Newman

There were celebrations for Dover Rowing Club at Herne Bay Regatta as the Woman's Junior Four secured the Coast Amateur Rowing Association Championship for their division with their sixth win of the season. Dover entered two crews; the A crew of Ella Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey with Vanessa Ware as cox; the B crew of Alex Henchy, Lucy Castree, Zara White, Rhiannon Castree coxed by Lee Stampton. The race saw Dover A facing off against Herne Bay's lead crew who were on the better inside lane. Herne Bay had the better start edging out to a slight lead as both crews pulled ahead of the pack. Into the turns it remained close with Ware moving her boat more inshore. As the push for home developed Dover A moved through and away from Herne Bay to open a length and a half lead through the finish line and spark celebrations amongst the crew and supporters. Stampton's crew would finish eighth.

Open Senior Fours saw Dover enter two crews, Will Coleman, David Powell, Tommie Were, Tom Stothart coxed by Ware, and Oliver White, Jack Castree, Henry Cox, Sonny Varnes-Stone coxed by Stampton. Herne Bay's crew had a flying start pulling out to over a length lead with Ware's crew in hot pursuit. Heading into the turn Herne Bay had maintained their lead and entered first but a sharp turn by Ware largely neutralised their advantage. The run home was neck and neck until, with 300m to go, Ware's crew broke free and started to move away to take the win with over a two length lead. Stampton's crew secured a points finish in fifth.

In the Open Novice Four O White, Powell, H Cox, Jon Castree coxed by Stampton got a good start with Herne Bay and Deal competing initially. Heading into the second half of the outward run it became a two horse race with Herne Bay. Through the turns there was no clear leader and it wasn't until 500m to go that Dover pushed ahead, only for Herne Bay to push back as they neared the finishing line. Dover's crew held their nerve and took the win by half a length. O White and H Cox progress to Junior level with this win.

Open Senior Sculls saw Coleman and Stothart competing. They both started well and soon found themselves in pursuit of Shoreham's sculler. Coleman had the better turn and moved ahead of Stothart and into second. Unable to catch Shoreham, Coleman took second place and Stothart finished third.

Woman's Senior Four had Rachel Bailey, Charlotte Cox, Ashleigh Stevenson, Lily Stafford-Edwards coxed by Ware start well and quickly enter a three way fight with Shoreham and Herne Bay crews. Tight through the turn, Shoreham started to ease ahead leaving Dover to fight Herne Bay for second. Despite a hard fight Dover fell to third at the line by half a length.

Coleman and Stothart entered the Open Senior Pair and started well but couldn't hold onto the leading two crews. Through the turn they consolidated their third place and pushed on in pursuit of the two leading boats. They were unable to improve on third at the finish.

Woman's J16 Quad saw two crews competing Holly Young, Hollie Castree, R Castree, Poppy Worthington-Taylor coxed by E Cook and Holly Dunham, Elizabeth Strong, Ella McQueen (Shoreham), Jess Clements coxed by Stampton. The sprint race quickly developed into a battle for third and fourth with Cook's crew pulling ahead of Stampton before the line.

In the Mixed J14 Quad Dunham, O White, Worthington-Taylor, Riley Danko coxed by E Cook competed well fighting hard for third place at the line.

Leggatt and Z White raced in the Woman's Novice Sculls. Leggatt had the better start and was in the leading three as the scullers headed towards the turns, Z White was sculling well in sixth. The run home saw Leggatt drop back to third at the finish with Z White coming home in sixth.

Nick Bailey would get a brace of third places rowing in a Folkestone composite in the Masters 40+ and the Masters 50+.

Woman's Novice Four saw two crews competing; Young, Charlotte Barnes, Strong, Worthington-Taylor coxed by Ware faced off with H Castree, Michelle Meakin, Hayley Crocker, Alex Tilley coxed by Stampton. It was the Ware crew who had the better race moving through to third place through the turns and consolidating their position on the run home with Stampton's crew seventh.

Stevenson and C Cox competed in the Woman's Senior Pair finishing fourth in a hard fought race. Woman's Junior Pairs saw three crews competing; E Cook, Harvey finished fourth, Leggatt, Hannington finished sixth and Z White, R Castree came home in eighth place.

Open Junior Pairs saw Varnes-Stone, Jack Castree finish fourth and Ollie and Harley Scrivener finish tenth. These two crews would unite in the Open Junior Four coxed by Ware finishing fourth.

Open J16 Quad saw a mixed crew of Young, H Cox, O White, R Castree coxed by E Cook compete, finishing fifth.

Open Double Sculls saw Stothart, Danko finish sixth and Jon Cook, Toby Cook finish ninth. In the Woman's Double Sculls Harvey, Worthington-Taylor finished ninth and Young, E Cook come home tenth.

Open Novice Sculls: Were finished fifth, Varnes-Stone eighth and Jack Castree ninth in their respective heats.

30/07/2026

What a campaign so far for our Junior Ladies A crew 🤩 amongst an array of small boat success they have won 5 of the available 6 CARA points so far ! 👏 Keep an eye out for them this weekend as they look to clinch their 6th win of the season and secure the CARA ladies Junior championship 👀 🙏 Good luck girls !! We cannot wait to see what else you achieve this season. 🏆

Hastings 🥉
Folkestone 🥇
Dover 🥇
Southsea 🥇 CARA & 🥈 overall
Worthing 🥇
Shoreham 🥇

21/07/2026

Report by David Newman

Dover Rowing Club's Worthing and Shoreham Regatta report:

Dover Rowing Club were in action at both Worthing and Shoreham Regattas where Dover secured 3 wins and a raft of second places. The Woman's Junior Four saw two crews at Worthing, Ella Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey coxed by Vanessa Ware competed against Elizabeth Strong, Evie Holland, Evie Jones, Rhiannon Castree coxed by Lee Stampton. Ware's crew started strongly and steadily pulled away from the field. Through the turn their lead started to stretch and they were able to stay clear to the line. Stampton's crew would finish ninth. At Shoreham only Ware's crew competed in what would be a straight line race after issues with the buoys at the turns. Ware's crew dominated the race pulling clear in the first ten strokes and building the lead steadily through the course to a establish a significant lead of over four lengths and take their fifth win of the season.

Cook and Harvey entered the Woman's Junior Pair at Worthing which saw them battle hard in a restarted race. Fighting with the leaders at the turns they were pushing hard but the inside crew had the advantage and they finished fourth. At Shoreham, Cook and Harvey were joined by Hannington and Leggatt. They started strongly and established a lead with Shoreham in close order. Hannington and Leggatt were initially in fifth but moved to fourth by the half way point. With Cook and Harvey moving clear to take a comfortable win their team mates were moving quickly to third, and chasing hard for second, but the line came too soon on the shortened course.

The Open Senior Four of Jasper Mallet, Will Coleman, Tommie Were, Tom Stothart coxed by Ware were fighting Shoreham and Bexhill off the line. Through the turns Dover were second with pressure from Bexhill as they both chased Shoreham. In the last quarter of the course Dover moved away from Bexhill to secure second. At Shoreham the same crew were quickly into second with Shoreham moving clear of the field. Pushing hard down the course Dover couldn't close down Shoreham and they secured second at the line.

In the Woman's J16 Quad Sculls a Worthing sculler, Holly Young, Elizabeth Strong, Poppy Worthington-Taylor coxed by Cook had a good race keeping with Shoreham and Herne Bay crews, and coming home fourth. At Shoreham Strong was replaced by Evie Cane from Herne Bay and Castree came into the crew. All crews were lined up outside the buoys leaving them almost in the yacht lane. A fantastic start saw Cook's crew storm to a good lead on what was an unusually long course for the quad's race. At the three quarter point, which would normally be the finish, Dover were still leading but were passed short of the line by Shoreham. This was a excellent performance in unusual circumstances.

Leggatt competed in the Woman's Novice Sculls at Worthing and Shoreham. The Worthing race saw Leggatt battle with the top four scullers through the turns coming out fourth, the position she held to the finish. At Shoreham Leggatt got a stronger start and was in second by the turns chasing Shoreham. On the run home Leggatt came under pressure form Worthing and they found themselves going stroke for stroke with Leggatt holding off her opponent to take second.

Open Senior Pairs saw Stothart and Were racing Mallet and Coleman. In Worthing Mallet and Coleman got the upper hand and were second through the turn with Stothart and Were in fourth. On the run home Bexhill, as the inside crew, managed to move into second leaving Mallet and Coleman third and Stothart and Were fourth. At Shoreham Coleman and Mallet pulled away into second and were able to stay clear in that position all the way to the line. Stothart and Were came home fifth.

Woman's Senior Pair saw two crews at Worthing; Castree and Charlotte Cox, and Ware and Rachel Bailey. They raced well competing for a points finish and coming home fifth and sixth respectively. At Shoreham Cox and Bailey combined as Dover's sole entry. A better start saw the crew fighting for the top spot before dropping into a hard fought battle for second and finishing third on the day.

Coleman entered the Open Junior Sculls at Worthing where he fought his way to fourth. At Shoreham Cameron Mackintosh also entered. Coleman was pushing for second on the run in closing hard on Shoreham's second sculler but was unable to improve from third, with Mackintosh in eighth.

The Woman's Senior Four saw Castree move up two levels joining Cox, Bailey and Ware coxed by Mallett. A good start saw Dover turning in second with Worthing pushing hard in third. Through the last 300m Worthing, taking the inshore run, came through for second with Dover third. The same crew with Coleman as cox would finish fourth at Shoreham.

In the Open Junior Sculls Stothart and Mallet competed. The results from both regattas bore the same result; Stothart in third and Mallett in fourth.

Woman's Novice Four at Worthing, Young, Strong, Evie Holland, Worthington-Taylor coxed by Ware finished second in the heat and fourth in the final. Lucy Castree, a short notice replacement for Shoreham, reached the final and finished fifth, whilst Evie Jones raced to seventh in a composite. At Shoreham Young, Evie Holland, Worthington-Taylor joined by a Southsea rower and coxed by Stampton qualified in fourth place. In the final, the young crew battled through to fifth.

At Worthing the Open Junior Four of Henry Cox, Mackintosh, Jack Castree, Sonny Varnes-Stone coxed by Stampton finished fourth. Mackintosh and Varnes-Stone raced J Castree and H Cox in the Open Junior Pairs finishing fifth and eighth respectively. Varnes-Stones and J Castree failed to progress from the Open Novice Sculls heats finishing eighth and seventh respectively.

Woman's Double Sculls of Young and Cook finished eleventh and Holland and Jones finished twelfth at Worthing. In the worst conditions of the day at Shoreham Young and Cook fought to fifth just missing fourth and Castree, Worthington-Taylor finished eighth.

At Shoreham regatta Dover rowing club took second in each of the Junior, Senior and Overall Aggregate competitions.

11/07/2026

Jon Cook, a senior oarsman with Dover Rowing Club, is taking on an extraordinary personal challenge to raise funds for the organisations that have supported him through treatment for a rare spinal tumour and his journey of adapting to life as an incomplete paraplegic.

This August, Jon will attempt the Para Arch to Arc Challenge, travelling from Marble Arch in London to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris using a hand bike and a rowing boat. Covering an incredible 290 miles, the challenge is believed to be the first of its kind for a disabled athlete. Through this fundraising effort, Jon is supporting Aspire, the Spinal Injuries Association, WheelPower and Dover Rowing Club.
Jon's Story
An active sportsman and association football referee, Jon's life changed dramatically in late 2016 when he realised something was wrong. At the age of 36, he was diagnosed with rare spinal cord tumours. Married with two young children, the diagnosis brought enormous uncertainty about the future.

Jon underwent complex spinal surgery at Southampton Hospital. Although surgeons successfully removed most of the tumours, permanent nerve damage left him as an incomplete T6 paraplegic. He spent several months in hospital, including three months at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

His impairment made walking and maintaining balance extremely challenging, and he initially relied on a wheelchair. During rehabilitation, Jon discovered rowing on an indoor rowing machine, finding that balance was less of a barrier. It was there that he trained alongside a future Paralympic rower.

Jon later joined Dover Rowing Club to continue his rehabilitation, never imagining that he would eventually take to the water in a coastal rowing boat. As his strength and confidence improved, the wheelchair gradually gave way to a walking stick. Over time, he progressed from needing two clubmates to support him into a boat to being able to independently get into the boat while his crewmates steadied it.

His determination saw him rise through the ranks from novice to senior rower, including completing a successful row the length of Loch Ness and competing at the South Coast Rowing Championships.
The Challenge
Jon has taken on this epic challenge not only to give something back to the organisations that have supported him, but also to test himself by learning an entirely new skill: hand cycling.

For the rowing element, Jon will be joined in a club four by his daughter Ella, one of Dover Rowing Club's rising stars. Jon is an inspirational figure within the club, and members will be providing support throughout the challenge.

The planned route includes:
Day 1: Hand bike from Marble Arch to Dover – 87 miles.
Day 2: Row 21 miles to the centre of the English Channel and back, in line with regulatory requirements banning full crossings to France.
Day 3: Hand bike 182 miles from the French coast to Paris, finishing at the Arc de Triomphe.
Support the Challenge
Anyone wishing to support Jon's fundraising effort can donate via the link available on Dover Rowing Club's page or website.
https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/6985/para-arch-to-arc-challenge-in-aid-of-aspire-spinal/

08/07/2026

Not long at all now until our man Jon Cook takes on this inspirational challenge, the PARA ARCH TO ARC!

Please spare a moment to read Jon’s story.

In August 2026, Jon will be undertaking an immense challenge traveling from Marble Arch in London to The Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The London to Dover leg of 87 miles, will be on a hand bike, the Dover to Calais leg of 21 miles will be rowed (although going halfway and back to achieve the distance due regulatory issues), and then the Calais to Paris leg of 182 miles, again on a hand bike.

THIS HAS NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED.

Jon will be attempting to complete this challenge to raise money for Aspire, The Spinal Injuries Association, WheelPower and Dover Rowing Club.

In 2016, at the age of 36, Jon was diagnosed with rare tumors on his spinal cord. Following surgery on his spine in Southampton he spent several months in hospital including 3 months in the National Spinal Injury Centre for intensive rehabilitation. Although surgery and rehabilitation had been successful, Jon was left with permanent nerve damage from the waist down.

WheelPower helped Jon to find sport as a form of rehabilitation and as he is quite competitive in nature this was important to him.

Aspire and The Spinal Injuries Association helped Jon once he was discharged from hospital and have also reached out during times of stress including Covid Lockdown, to ensure that everything remained ok.

Dover Rowing Club welcomed Jon and found various different ways of getting him into a boat to take up coastal rowing. Due to all this, Jon felt its time for himself to show just how far he has come,

Please help by supporting Jon so that these organisations can continue to provide the vital services to people with Spinal Cord Injuries.

para_arch_to_arc

Donate - https://givewheel.com/fundraising/6985/para-arch-to-arc-challenge-in-aid-of-aspire-spinal/

04/07/2026

Dover Rowing Club thoroughly enjoyed their time at the Port of Dover harbour regatta

Lots of people trying their hand in a 250mtr sprint and we even had a go at dragon boat racing … safe to say DRC will stick to rowing 😉

Great event and great day !

Dover Rowing Club - Est. 1846

17/08/2026

10/08/2026

03/08/2026

30/07/2026

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