Machteld and Meeuwes were both members of the Lampert committee in 2009-2010. Machteld passed away in 2012, Meeuwes in 2013, both due to traffic accidents. ‘The boat has been named in their memory,’ says the competition officer Eline van den Berg. ‘This boat will last a good 20 years so they will remain part of our club.’ The Lampert committee revealed the boat’s name. Machteld and Meeuwes’ families had also been invited to attend, along with their former teammates.The rowing club has a tradition of naming its boats after characters in the saga of Jason and the Argonauts, such as Melanion of Colchis. After an extract was read from the saga and the name revealed, the four women who row in that boat lowered it into the water for the first time. The coxed lightweight four had an excellent first outing.
Argo boat named after deceased committee members
It was an emotional boat christening ceremony on 13 May at Argo. The student rowing club’s newest boat has been given the name Melanion van Kolchis. The initials refer to two of the club’s former committee members who died recently: Meeuwes Koops and Machteld Klok.
