Three strands of culture thrived in the North East of England through the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries rowing as professional sport, innovative design of racing boats, and music hall songs to honour the oarsmens prowess. . Bonnie Brave Boat Rowers sets out to recapture the lost world of the prestigious Christmas Handicap through the bridges of Newcastle; to relive the immense following for the north-south rivalry in pursuit of world titles; to celebrate innovators whose revolutionary designs spread wherever boats were raced; and to echo the minstrels who immortalised sporting champions in song in the music halls of Newcastle, Gateshead and the industrial North East.