Congratulations, we’ve done it! Thanks to your generous contributions, Jeppe Boats and Blades has now ordered a Swift Carbon Elite for the Jeppe 1^st 8 for the 2021 season.

There have been many incredible achievements over the last six months.  First and foremost, our ambitious target of ordering the boat by September has been accomplished and the boat is scheduled to arrive in time for the January 2021 camp.

While this was our primary objective, along the way we’ve met many Jeppe oarsmen from 1958/9 to 2020, spanning the entire history of Jeppe Rowing. We discovered that Jeppe as a school and Jeppe Old Boys spearheaded school-boy rowing on the reef and that, as a school, we’ve been instrumental in getting many other schools rowing. 

It is our hope and expectation that the old friendships that have been rekindled, and the new ones that have been forged, will establish a strong community of Jeppe oarsmen working together to build a stronger Jeppe Rowing club now and in the future.

In keeping with the tradition of naming Jeppe boats after swords or blades, the new boat will be named DAMASCUS. This name was put forward by Christopher Midlane, a founding member of Jeppe Boats and Blades, and has been accepted unanimously. Damascus blades  are made from Damascus steel and the technique used to make the steel marks them as ‘Damascus’.  These blades bear a unique watery pattern which is the result of layering iron and steel and forging the metals together by hammering them at a high temperature to form a welded bond.

The name aptly describes the coming together of Jeppe Old Boys from over seven decades to make this boat a reality.  Volkert Clausen, the current Rowing Patrons Chairperson, captures the essence  of this when he says, ‘Damascus epitomises Jeppe, with strength, togetherness, and the beauty of the steel matching the beauty of the new boat.’

It is with a heartfelt thanks to every single Rowing Old Boy that we now await the arrival of Damascus. Without the support, commitment and camaraderie of each ex-rower and us all ‘pulling together’, we would surely have fallen short of this mammoth task.

Please continue to follow and support the Jeppe Boats and Blades initiative, as we still need to raise the final amount to take delivery.

Thank you once again for supporting this auspicious cause. Long may Jeppe Rowing prosper with the legacy and help of our prestigious Rowing Old Boys.

Team JBB