So look. I know it's not quite December yet, and apologies to anyone who doesn't want to hear the C-word until they've started opening their advent calendar, but apparently some people have started doing their Christmas shopping already. I know, terrifying, right? But the reality is that the season of good will is creeping up on us so if, like me, you've been in festive denial, it's time to get cracking. And where better to start than the guys? Everybody knows that the men in our lives can be the hardest to buy for. Well, fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy. It's the Girl on the River Christmas gift guide for male rowers.
1. Coxmate GPS, Rowperfect, £220, currently reduced to £200
If your rowing man likes a bit of tech, this is the bit of kit for him. It's terrific value and gives him plenty of facts and stats to spend the Christmas holidays geeking over. I reviewed it more fully here, if you want to know more. Buy it now, while it's still in the sale. Just don't blame me if it tells him things he didn't want to know.
2. "In my head I'm rowing" mug, Supermug, £9.99
Might as well be honest about it. You may think you're having a scintillating discussion about Donald Trump's hair or whether Brexit means Brexit, but what he's actually thinking about is how quick his catch is, or why the guy in the four seat never taps down, or how long it is until the next erg test. With this mug you can tell him he's well and truly busted.
3. Ergo basher T-shirt, Godfrey, £19
Every rower's secret fantasy. Forget winning at Henley - it's actually taking a baseball bat to the damned erg. Let him live the dream with this T-shirt, which comes in a bunch of different colours and sizes.
4. Christmas jumper long-sleeved tech top, Redbear Sports, £29
I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this top, and how astonished I am that it's taken me until now to stumble on this site. Alongside their frankly fabulous superhero leggings and tops are these Christmas numbers which mean you can even rock a Christmas jumper on the river. It's proper sportswear with wicking and the whole shebang, and it's a unisex design so you can bag one for yourself, too (they also do vests, short-sleeved tops and even hoodies in the same design).
5. Skorch dry bag backpack, Rock the Boat, £30
We're all used to the idea that rowing is a watersport, blah, blah, and so most of us are OK with getting wet (even very wet, depending on how splashy the person in front of you is *cough*). Which is all very well until you have a phone and a change of clothes and other bits of pieces that you do actually want to be the opposite of wet at the end of an outing. Dry bags have been around since forever, but they're not that easy to carry around, which is a problem at an event when you've got multiple bits and pieces to cart about. Step up the Skorch dry bag backpack. All the problems sorted, right there. Available in various sizes and colours - this one's 30L. Sadly I don't have a solution to what to say to him when he loses, though.
So no excuses for delaying the Christmas shopping any longer. I'll be back very soon with more gifts for women rowers, juniors and coxes. Ho, ho, ho!
