Although I can be socially distant in the workshop – as I am all year – the lockdown still brought things to a halt.

This business is really only part time as I am the primary carer for the little person in our family. So when lockdown knocked out our usual routines for child care, I became full time ‘daddy daycare’ with our full on little one!

However, I have still managed to get a few hours of work in each week, all squeezed in around my wife’s work hours.

So far I am busy keeping up with last quarter’s job bookings.

Completed and shipped recently are jobs for Australia, Germany, and the USA. Locally I have done four duplicate Head of the River Fours blades (two with mounts), and two pairs of Twickenham blades have been repaired and painted ready for the next season. Next to complete I have four OxBridge oars that are already well on their way, and I’m even rebuilding a set of eight sculling blades for a local school.

Welsh job for Australia

What I haven’t done is get anything done on the four boats clogging up the middle of the workshop!

A few months ago I helped out a small start up club with a long email detailing how best to renovate and paint old blades.

The club didn’t have enough money for new oars, so they were chasing older ones that would do the job suitably for novice and intermediate. However, despite seeking second hand equipment, they didn’t want a second class experience.

Today I received a warm thank you email complete with photos of the lovely newly renovated and painted oars. Our heroes at the Carrick Rowing Club had found the time over lockdown to really get stuck into the job and what a job they have done.

I didn’t earn a single pound, but I feel all warm and fuzzy inside!