Rowing NSW Point Score 2016-2017
Premiership Points - 393.5 - 12th in NSW
Masters Points - 224.5 - 6th in NSW D-Grade - 113 - 6th in NSW |
Rowing NSW released the official point score for the 2016-2017 season today - 12 May 2017 - and we should be very pleased with the results. We have climbed three places in the premiership points to 12th overall in NSW. The straight Masters comp saw another jump, with us taking 6th position on the ladder. Unfortunately, we slipped to 6th in D-Grade from our 2015-2016 position of 5th, with Balmain taking our last years spot by a single point! However, we managed to place equal 10th in C-grade - that's a first!
Our steady rise through the competition ranks over the last few years is something to be proud of. We are a small club that does not boast or attract elite rowers. It is through training and team work that we have pulled together as a club to become who we are today. To everyone - great job! |
2017 NSW Masters Championships - 6th & 7th May
Saturday:
The first day of the State titles at SIRC was a very good one. The perception from inside the group, then increasingly from outside it, was that SWMLCRC was not content with merely being a participant at this regatta. Saturday proved that steps have been taken (literally, onto the dais). While no Gold medals were won, there was enough presence on the medal dais (and near misses) to announce the new attitude. Even Barry, in between marvelling at all the Mosman crews he thought were leading but were actually running fifth, had to take off his blinkers and look harder. Mike and Joe were out first, finishing second and later collecting medals. The WME4- followed and SWMLCRC1 finished 4th – not far away from North Shore crews who eat nothing but ‘Sweep-Bix’ for breakfast, while SWMLCRC2 were further afield. The MME2x of Doug and Andrew had a sleepy heat race but absolutely burst off the start in the Final and trailed only last year’s quinella over the line by a total of 3.6 seconds. Close, a cigar gained, but bigger ones to be got. One bronze. The MMG4x saw 2.5 SWMLCRC boats and while the 2.0 tried very hard it was the 0.5 of Richard and Steve, along with Mike Perry and Branko Kovacic who were BIG chances late in the race but the experienced Manning River crew prevailed. One bronze, one silver. Andrew doddled through a MMD1x heat and Final. Steve and Richard then got back to work in the MMF2x and had Barry rechecking his start list as they comfortably finished 2nd and revisited the podium. One bronze, two silver. The mixed crews in the G2x, D4x, F4x and G4x all found very swift opposition and threatened not. The WMG4- of Rosemary, Judy, Enza and Lillian collected medals in their event for their second placing. Carolyn and Marcela finished 6th in the WMD2x against perennial medallists but had positives to take away. Richard tried hard in the MME1x but met probably the weekend’s most imposing field where many very good scullers missed the final. In the WME4x, Judith, Sally and Suzie plus Jenny McKeown found the pace a bit hot but Rowena had teamed up with last year’s partner Linda Mudronja and Susan and Toni from St George, to have victory cruelly snatched from their grasp in the last 100m. Rowena still visited the podium and again put the Club colours forward. One bronze, three silver, four trips to the podium . . . good stuff.(AP) Sunday: With a chill in the morning air, and two silver medals under his pillow, Richard started off the second day of competition for the club in the F1x single. His fourth place earned him a spot in the final but unfortunately no booty. The men’s G8+ (Joe, Mike, Neil, Denise, Charlie, Terry and two Leichhardt rowers, Robert Kelsall and David Rosenfeld) and women’s F4x (Judith, Suzie, Sally and Lil) crews met tough competition in their straight finals but enjoyed good water and cheerful chat with other crews before the start. The morning session ended with our 6-boat armada of mixed doubles greeted by the worst conditions of the day. Strong southerly gusts chopped the water making even the hand-held starts tricky. Our crews battled across four divisions vying for the now coveted (and enormously practical) Rowing NSW earthenware. But, alas, the competition from across the eastern seaboard was too good and all were denied drinking trophies. With conditions on the improve - albeit slightly - Carolyn stylishly kicked off the second session in her heat of the D1x where her composed efforts were rewarded with a spot in the final. Once there, her valiant effort was thwarted by the usual suspects of rowing royality in that age bracket. The women’s E8 (Enza, Petra, Sue, Rosemary, Lil, Judith, Alba and Sally) and Terry’s G1x were straight finals. Both boats tried hard but could not place. Then Andrew subbed into a Drummoyne D4x and nearly revisited the podium but his crew was pipped for bronze. With Steve sidelined with a sore back, that not even two silver medals and French champagne could remedy, the men’s E4x asked Tim Willsallen of Coffs Harbour to place his very capable butt into Steve’s seat. After cruising through the heat, the final was nail-biting with four boats jousting for the medals. In a gripping finish, and in a club record time of 3:23.35, Andrew, Doug, Richard and Tim finished third – a mere 0.56s behind second-placed St George. Bronze. In the same session Rowena, like Carolyn, took a relatively relaxed path into the E1x final where her best efforts delivered her sixth in a strong field. Straight finals of the men’s G4- (Mike, Charlie, Neil and Joe who collected a medal), women’s F8+ (Enza, Petra, Sue, Rosemary, Lil, Judith, Alba and Judi) and Denis’s H1x saw good, honest rows from all boats. Over the two days, our club entered 39 events. Eighteen were straight finals and 11 were mixed races. Most commendably perhaps for our club, of the 10 boats to contest heats, seven advanced to finals where they collected three medals. Included in that seven were four single scullers – Richard, Rowena, Carolyn and Andrew (oldest to youngest). Our final medal tally for the State Champs was three silver and two bronze – the best results for the club in recent years. Richard was our most successful rower with two silver (G4x, F2x) and a bronze (E4x) to boast about. And so with boats packed away and the light fading across the Parramatta River, competition rowers took last drinks in the unconventional but very practical venue of the boat trailer. Talk of the weekend turned into prospects for the coming season. With chips eaten and drinks drunk folks disappeared into the night leaving the moths to resume their rightful place dancing in the lamp light of Battersea Park. Well done to everyone for a wonderful season. Adieu!(R&DS) ME2x - Andrew, Doug - Heat 3rd of 8: Final 3rd of 8
MG4x - Steve, Richard, Branko, Mike P - Final 2nd of 8 MF2x - Steve, Richard - Final 2nd of 8 WE4x - Rowena, Linda, Susan, Toni - Heat 2nd of 8: Final 2nd of 8 ME4x - Andrew, Doug, Richard, Tim - Heat 2nd of 5: Final 3rd of 8 Medalists but not part of Rowing NSW's medal tally: MG2- - Mike, Joe - Final 2nd of 2 WMG4- - Rosemary, Judy, Enza, Lillian - Final 2nd of 2 MG4- - Mike, Charlie, Neil, Joe - Final 2nd of 2. |
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Iron Cove Masters - 30 April
The jostling of trailers, with the aim of being first through the Leichhardt gates, has become the unofficial opening race on the program. Unfortunately, we were out-manoeuvred by a number of like-minded drivers and subsequently relegated to woop-woop. However, with good trekking boots and strong walking poles, we all managed a number of hikes back and forth to the pontoon throughout the day - with good effect. What a day! A strong contingency of SWRC rowers participated in the penultimate regatta of the season. The water was good (not perfect), the weather was good (near perfect) and our stats were good with one perfect - Doug entered 3 races and came away with 3 wins! And overall it was a great contribution by everyone. Tallying up our premiership points for the day, we arrived at approx 38.5 points, which is outstanding, perhaps even a record! There were plenty of noteworthy rows, including the Men's F-K quad where Joe, Denis, Mark and Mike looked particularly rhythmic and controlled.
For the day, our firsts: Andrew in the MD1x, Doug and Andrew in the ME2x, Steve, Richard, Doug and Andrew in the ME4x, Rowena in the WE1x and again in a St George/Mosman composite WE4x, Doug and Rowena in the mixed2x. Seconds were recorded for Carolyn and Marcela WD2x, the F8+ of Judith, Alba, Lil, Rosemary, Sue, Petra, Enza and Dot (SRC), Judith and Rowena in WE2x, Andrew in MC1x, Steve and Richard in MF2x and Richard in his F1x. Thirds went to Terry and Denis in their respective MF-K1x races, Sally, Suzie, Enza and Lil in WF-K4-, the men's G8+ of Mike, Joe, Terry, Mark, Charlie, Denis, Neil and Robert (Leich) with Judith cox, Sally and Suzie in the WE2x, Steve in his E1x and F1x, Marcela and Andrew in the mixed2x, Steve and Richard in ME2x and as previously mentioned the F-K quad of Joe, Denis, Mark and Mike......Phew! That's a lot! Leichhardt have been very good to us all season. They have generously allowed us to use their ergs, loos and pontoon. Our 'thank you' note and gift of bathroom supplies and kitchen goodies was well received. With only a few sleeps to go until the final wrap-up for the season, taper well, carbo load, stretch out and visualise, visualise, visualise! (RS) |
Unwinding with beers, chips, coffee and wine at Roccos
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Edward Trickett -NSW Grade Championships - 8th & 9th April
Once again the world class facility we know as SIRC and the beautiful autumn weather provided almost perfect conditions for racing!
While there was no visit to the podium we had the pleasure of watching Ed Trickett's great grandson and his sister waddle down to present medals to the deserving few.
Steve and Richard both rowed strategic heats to qualify for MD1x semi finals. Andrew did the same to grab a place in a very hot MC 1x final. Joe joined the single guys for a crack at Quad glory. A nice row but not fast enough to stop SS being put back on the trailer. Steve and Richard were head to head in the MD 1x semi final 2 posting slightly slower times than their heats of 4:22 and 4:14 respectively and filling the last 2 positions. The MC 1x final saw Andrew thinking it was a Sprints event being in a strong position after 500m then going into training mode and looking very coach like crossing the line with no one to beat.
Sunday saw another picture perfect day with early fog lifting to allow the early risers watch Carolyn win her WD 1x heat, Steve and Richard headed down the M4 again for the MD 2x. A top three place was needed to make the final and while their 3:49would have been good enough in heat 1 it wasn't in heat 2 - another boat on the trailer. Carolyn drew lane 4 for her final and looked very good finishing 5th holding off a strong challenge from a Sydney rival.
Thanks for MLC School for taking taking the boats on their trailer (and the success they enjoyed) but enough of these youngsters - bring on Masters! (RJ)
While there was no visit to the podium we had the pleasure of watching Ed Trickett's great grandson and his sister waddle down to present medals to the deserving few.
Steve and Richard both rowed strategic heats to qualify for MD1x semi finals. Andrew did the same to grab a place in a very hot MC 1x final. Joe joined the single guys for a crack at Quad glory. A nice row but not fast enough to stop SS being put back on the trailer. Steve and Richard were head to head in the MD 1x semi final 2 posting slightly slower times than their heats of 4:22 and 4:14 respectively and filling the last 2 positions. The MC 1x final saw Andrew thinking it was a Sprints event being in a strong position after 500m then going into training mode and looking very coach like crossing the line with no one to beat.
Sunday saw another picture perfect day with early fog lifting to allow the early risers watch Carolyn win her WD 1x heat, Steve and Richard headed down the M4 again for the MD 2x. A top three place was needed to make the final and while their 3:49would have been good enough in heat 1 it wasn't in heat 2 - another boat on the trailer. Carolyn drew lane 4 for her final and looked very good finishing 5th holding off a strong challenge from a Sydney rival.
Thanks for MLC School for taking taking the boats on their trailer (and the success they enjoyed) but enough of these youngsters - bring on Masters! (RJ)
Drummoyne MASTERS Regatta- 26 March
What a difference a week makes. After the murk and wind of last week, Drummoyne Masters was presented in perfect conditions, seemingly in respect of the much more senior brand of rower attending.
Attracted by warmth and flat water, 23 rowers was the largest turn-out this season. Those 23 competed in 32 races across all boat classes and returned 5 wins, 9 seconds and 3 thirds on the straight dogleg course. A beautiful spot on the LRC shoreline lent a nice view of racing if not being totally sure of outcomes until racers returned. Joe and Mike provided the dramatic relief of the day by bravely withstanding a North Shore bowball fired across their forward canvas, deftly introducing it to a solid backstay, all but sinking those scurvy dogs. Deservedly, methinks.
Winners on the day were : Steve in the ME1x, Rowena in the WE1x, Andrew in the MD1x, Doug+Rowena in the Mx2x and Doug+Andrew in the ME2x. Seconds : Janine WE1x, Carolyn+Marcela WD2x, Rosemary+Enza+Judy+Lillian WG4-, Steve+Glebe+Doug+Andrew ME4x, Andrew MC1x, Marcela+Rowena+SRC+SRC WE4x, Carolyn WD1x, Janine+Suzie+Carolyn+Marcela WD4x, Rowena+Marcela+Doug+Andrew Mx4x. Thirds : Petra WE1x, Rowena+Alba+Sue+Marcela WD4-, Terry+Charlie WG2x.
And well done to Alba for completing her first multi-race regatta day and politely accepting all the policies, protocols and procedures (official or not) that accompanies the day. (AP)
Attracted by warmth and flat water, 23 rowers was the largest turn-out this season. Those 23 competed in 32 races across all boat classes and returned 5 wins, 9 seconds and 3 thirds on the straight dogleg course. A beautiful spot on the LRC shoreline lent a nice view of racing if not being totally sure of outcomes until racers returned. Joe and Mike provided the dramatic relief of the day by bravely withstanding a North Shore bowball fired across their forward canvas, deftly introducing it to a solid backstay, all but sinking those scurvy dogs. Deservedly, methinks.
Winners on the day were : Steve in the ME1x, Rowena in the WE1x, Andrew in the MD1x, Doug+Rowena in the Mx2x and Doug+Andrew in the ME2x. Seconds : Janine WE1x, Carolyn+Marcela WD2x, Rosemary+Enza+Judy+Lillian WG4-, Steve+Glebe+Doug+Andrew ME4x, Andrew MC1x, Marcela+Rowena+SRC+SRC WE4x, Carolyn WD1x, Janine+Suzie+Carolyn+Marcela WD4x, Rowena+Marcela+Doug+Andrew Mx4x. Thirds : Petra WE1x, Rowena+Alba+Sue+Marcela WD4-, Terry+Charlie WG2x.
And well done to Alba for completing her first multi-race regatta day and politely accepting all the policies, protocols and procedures (official or not) that accompanies the day. (AP)
Drummoyne Grade Regatta - 19 March
The scene as we drove down to Leichhardt Rowing Club suggested that there would be no rowing today. The council had closed road access to the water and the milling figures didn't seem determined in their boat unloading as winds whipped through the car park. There was not a dry blade of grass anywhere. Yet, the regatta went ahead and as the last boats were hoisted up onto the remaining trailers at the regatta's end, the sun peeked through the clouds. By the time we were washing boats and putting them away, there was not a cloud in the sky! What the??!
With such atrocious conditions, we should be very pleased that we managed to earn 16 points towards our grade competition score. Rowena won our only medal in the D1x. Second place getters comprised of, Steve (D1x), Andrew (A/A1x), Doug and Andrew (D2x) and Steve and Richard (D2x). We gathered thirds in Richard's A/B single and in two quads - men's D4x (Richard, Steve, Doug and Andrew) and women's D4x (Enza, Suzie, Judith and Rowena) |
Leichhardt Grade Regatta - 5 March
With four firsts, four seconds and six thirds it appears the regatta was all sunshine but the reality was something else. Luckily we had a tarp on such a windy and wet day. Janine took an easy win in her single; Steve and Richard hung on for victory in their exciting D2x finish; Carolyn and Marcela has a cruisy win in their D2x; and Doug, Steve, Andrew and Richard completed our win sheet with a commanding first in the Men's 4x. While the weather was rotten, the commentary took quite a different tack from the normal Barry style, as we were recognised for our good performance at this regatta. How things have changed! We are also speculating that the club must surely have broken last year's premiership points tally. However, NSW Rowing is yet to up date the scores since Taree. (RS)
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Balmain Grade Regatta - 5 February
If the Balmain regatta was small in numbers it provided strong competition and while we claimed a few minor placings, it was Carolyn who grabbed a medal with a rousing win in the D1x. After a blistering start, Carolyn weaved down the course allowing her Mosman opponent to close to within less than a second on the line. But that was enough to claim, what seemed to be our only medal for the day. But with the new dawn came new hope. Leichhardt had made a substitution in the men’s D4x which had re-assigned their boat to be C-grade so, despite Leichhardt being first across the line, our crew (Mike, Steve, Doug, Richard) were belatedly named as official winners. The medals are on their way. Elsewhere we had a swag of seconds recorded by Steve (D1x), the women’s 8+ (Judith, Sally, Judy, Marcela, Janine, Petra, Lil, and Sue), Marcela (D1x), Rowena (C1x), Marcela and Carolyn (D2x) and Richard and Doug (D2x). Third places were also popular with Petra (D1x), Janine and Petra (D2x), Rowena and Sue (D2x) and Charlie and Steve (D2x) all battling younger crews to score points for the club. All that was achieved in hellishly hot conditions where health and hydration were the biggest prize. Lillian feared for the worst straight after the regatta when she immersed her head under the Leichhardt Club shower and opened her eyes to discover she had badly blurred vision. A flash of panic was replaced by blushing embarrassment as she realised she still had her glasses on – very wet glasses. More good news - our first regatta on Iron Cove this season confirmed that the Aquatic Centre is still serving raspberry crumble muffins. Phew! (DS)
NSW Small Boats Regatta - 28th January
Sweltering conditions - hot, humid and still - coupled with quality competition made for a hard morning of racing. Our small contingent - Marcela, Rowena, Steve, Richard, Doug and Andrew - gave it their best and came away with one second (Rowena 1x), two thirds (Doug & Andrew 2x and Richard & Steve, also 2x) and a couple of PBs were recorded. (RS)
Taree Summer Regatta - 13th, 14th & 15th January 2017
Friday
Friday afternoon was very hot and very humid. Yet even with the mercury continuing to rise, this first day of racing proved to be one of the best starts at Taree in SWRC's history. With the tide ripping out and a stiff nor-easterly, Doug and Andrew collected our first medal of the regatta (MD2x). Charlie and Terry nabbed a solid third a few divisions later. The club’s second medal was won by Petra and Janine (WD2x), who rowed away from the field in the last 250m, held a good course and cruised over the finish. While Marcela and Carolyn powered into second behind the impressive Mosman combo, it was the new gals on the block – Skye and Sally – who got the biggest cheer of the afternoon as they steamed down the bumpy course snapping up an exciting second in a full field. In the mixed quads the combo of Andrew, Doug, Marcela and Rowena lifted and lifted to squeeze out a talented Manning River crew for first place. Sydney had to be satisfied with their third place and history was made with a bemused but smiling Ken Ambler commenting, “I’ve never been beaten by a Sydney Women’s Crew….and I don’t like it!”.
We reflected on our stunning start and began to look forward to the next two days races as the sun set offering a display of pinks and oranges across the sky. Enza’s Italian, secret-chicken-recipe was delicious, complimented by salads and desserts from our multi-skilled members. However, the cool river breeze did not fool us….we knew Saturday was going to test our resilience and it was going to be HOT! (RS)
Saturday
Saturday greeted rowers with a pleasant 28 degrees but little sunshine to speak of at 3am. When the sunshine did arrive, rowers contended with 38 degrees and humidity++ for most of the day. The order of the day was litres of water and no need for toilet stops.
The men’s day started with MM1x. Andrew snared a medal, Doug met Mr Quitzau, while Charlie and Terry battled to the line in the MM1x. Mike was sensible and cooled off at the 250m mark before completing the course. Mike and Joe reunited for a pair. Mike, Neil, Doug and Andrew did well for third in MD4x. The MM2x crews were third, fourth and fifth – not quite in the hunt for medals.
The ladies started with WM4- crews placing third and DNS (for many reasons). Rowena, Marcela, Carolyn and their Mosman guest Jane did nicely for second in the WM4x where Petra, Rosemary, Lillian and Enza scored a third. The WD8+ and Carolyn in the WC1x picked up more points. No matter what had happened to that point, the tent of spectators were on their feet as the WD4x crews arrived and upstaged all before. Rosemary, Carolyn, Lillian and Janine had many youngsters to contend with but Skye and Sally effectively carried Rowena and Marcela down the course to secure their first ever MEDALS!! They held their nerve with a fleet of boats on their tail and saluted the judge. Pretty shiny medals on colourful ribbons offset the loss of Novice status – all good !
That night Enza hit the BBQ brilliantly with steaks, Charlie hit Neil’s cocktail cabinet until late and the all of us hit the pillows pretty hard. (AP).
Sunday
Somewhere between the third and fourth fire-water cocktail in Neil’s room strange things start to happen. Pillows levitate, walls breathe and overturned glasses move by themselves. Deftly sliding a Ouija board under one of those mobile glasses it turns out it’s Banjo getting in touch from the other side. He presents this offering…
There is movement on the Manning, for the word has passed around
That Croker from Oxley Island is gunna pay.
First bow-ball across the finish line is worth a cool thousand,
So all the eights have gathered to the fray.
One hundred and more oar blades, jostle in the tricky cross chop;
They muster at the bridge – what a sight.
These rowers love tight racing and as the starting flag does drop,
Their battle charge fills the river bank with delight.
What are the two things you remember most about Sunday? First, you opened your motel door to rejoice that the oven had been switched off. And then there was the armada of 14 eights thrashing and splashing; stretched from one side of the river to the other. As the crews charged towards the club house, some focused on UTS nailing Nepean just before the line but we bided our time and most vividly recalled the No1 marble being drawn as the winner of the lucky entrant competition – a $500 voucher from Mr Croker no less.
In other action, Rowena ensured the club collected a medal on each of the three days when she streeted her rivals in the single scull. Carolyn and Petra raced hard to collect close second placings in other divisions of the singles. Then Rowena combined with Janine, and Petra with Lillian to claim seconds in their doubles. Andrew, Doug and Terry savoured a rare delight when Glebe’s Brad Smith joined them in the quad. Smith’s 44-years-young horse power helped them finish just behind a crack Sydney crew and in front of a host of quality combinations.
Five of our other crews finished third which meant by the time the trailer was packed we had started in 49 races for an outstanding return of six wins, nine seconds and 13 thirds with everyone contributing to a swag of club points. Petra, Marcela and Rowena also displayed impressive versatility competing in all six classes of boat – single, double, quad, pair, four and eight. (DS)
Friday afternoon was very hot and very humid. Yet even with the mercury continuing to rise, this first day of racing proved to be one of the best starts at Taree in SWRC's history. With the tide ripping out and a stiff nor-easterly, Doug and Andrew collected our first medal of the regatta (MD2x). Charlie and Terry nabbed a solid third a few divisions later. The club’s second medal was won by Petra and Janine (WD2x), who rowed away from the field in the last 250m, held a good course and cruised over the finish. While Marcela and Carolyn powered into second behind the impressive Mosman combo, it was the new gals on the block – Skye and Sally – who got the biggest cheer of the afternoon as they steamed down the bumpy course snapping up an exciting second in a full field. In the mixed quads the combo of Andrew, Doug, Marcela and Rowena lifted and lifted to squeeze out a talented Manning River crew for first place. Sydney had to be satisfied with their third place and history was made with a bemused but smiling Ken Ambler commenting, “I’ve never been beaten by a Sydney Women’s Crew….and I don’t like it!”.
We reflected on our stunning start and began to look forward to the next two days races as the sun set offering a display of pinks and oranges across the sky. Enza’s Italian, secret-chicken-recipe was delicious, complimented by salads and desserts from our multi-skilled members. However, the cool river breeze did not fool us….we knew Saturday was going to test our resilience and it was going to be HOT! (RS)
Saturday
Saturday greeted rowers with a pleasant 28 degrees but little sunshine to speak of at 3am. When the sunshine did arrive, rowers contended with 38 degrees and humidity++ for most of the day. The order of the day was litres of water and no need for toilet stops.
The men’s day started with MM1x. Andrew snared a medal, Doug met Mr Quitzau, while Charlie and Terry battled to the line in the MM1x. Mike was sensible and cooled off at the 250m mark before completing the course. Mike and Joe reunited for a pair. Mike, Neil, Doug and Andrew did well for third in MD4x. The MM2x crews were third, fourth and fifth – not quite in the hunt for medals.
The ladies started with WM4- crews placing third and DNS (for many reasons). Rowena, Marcela, Carolyn and their Mosman guest Jane did nicely for second in the WM4x where Petra, Rosemary, Lillian and Enza scored a third. The WD8+ and Carolyn in the WC1x picked up more points. No matter what had happened to that point, the tent of spectators were on their feet as the WD4x crews arrived and upstaged all before. Rosemary, Carolyn, Lillian and Janine had many youngsters to contend with but Skye and Sally effectively carried Rowena and Marcela down the course to secure their first ever MEDALS!! They held their nerve with a fleet of boats on their tail and saluted the judge. Pretty shiny medals on colourful ribbons offset the loss of Novice status – all good !
That night Enza hit the BBQ brilliantly with steaks, Charlie hit Neil’s cocktail cabinet until late and the all of us hit the pillows pretty hard. (AP).
Sunday
Somewhere between the third and fourth fire-water cocktail in Neil’s room strange things start to happen. Pillows levitate, walls breathe and overturned glasses move by themselves. Deftly sliding a Ouija board under one of those mobile glasses it turns out it’s Banjo getting in touch from the other side. He presents this offering…
There is movement on the Manning, for the word has passed around
That Croker from Oxley Island is gunna pay.
First bow-ball across the finish line is worth a cool thousand,
So all the eights have gathered to the fray.
One hundred and more oar blades, jostle in the tricky cross chop;
They muster at the bridge – what a sight.
These rowers love tight racing and as the starting flag does drop,
Their battle charge fills the river bank with delight.
What are the two things you remember most about Sunday? First, you opened your motel door to rejoice that the oven had been switched off. And then there was the armada of 14 eights thrashing and splashing; stretched from one side of the river to the other. As the crews charged towards the club house, some focused on UTS nailing Nepean just before the line but we bided our time and most vividly recalled the No1 marble being drawn as the winner of the lucky entrant competition – a $500 voucher from Mr Croker no less.
In other action, Rowena ensured the club collected a medal on each of the three days when she streeted her rivals in the single scull. Carolyn and Petra raced hard to collect close second placings in other divisions of the singles. Then Rowena combined with Janine, and Petra with Lillian to claim seconds in their doubles. Andrew, Doug and Terry savoured a rare delight when Glebe’s Brad Smith joined them in the quad. Smith’s 44-years-young horse power helped them finish just behind a crack Sydney crew and in front of a host of quality combinations.
Five of our other crews finished third which meant by the time the trailer was packed we had started in 49 races for an outstanding return of six wins, nine seconds and 13 thirds with everyone contributing to a swag of club points. Petra, Marcela and Rowena also displayed impressive versatility competing in all six classes of boat – single, double, quad, pair, four and eight. (DS)
NSW Sprints - 4th December
Another nail-biting finish for our sole Sprints contender. Backing up after last years win, Andrew took on the fast and furious 500 metre dash with the knowledge that anything can happen in 60 strokes (or less). The photo finish placed Andrew third in a super speedy 1:47.90....fractions of a second behind Nepean and St George entrants. Andrew was happy with his "quite tidy" row. Well done to him for heading back out to SIRC the day after the Reindeer and coming third in a Championship event! Nice one! (RS)
NSW Reindeer Regatta - 3rd December
SIRC felt fast! While conditions in the morning were near to perfect, if not a bit too warm, it was the times that had everyone scratching their heads and trying to reason out why the Reindeer times seemed fast and the NSW State Champs seemed slow. Lack of rain, mystifying currents......ummm??
Marcela and Carolyn, while in the initial stages of the race caught a crab and tussled with a buoy, came second in a nail biting finish, just being pipped at the line for first place. The quad of Andrew, Steve, Richard and Old Ignatians rower Mike Perry were very impressive in their race to come a well-earned second to the ever-slick Glebe. While first place continues to be difficult for our crews to snare, there was no amount of determination on the day. Terry and Charlie went sub 4.20 for the first time with a neat 4 minutes 11 seconds in their Masters double. Richard and Steve had a super row in their double crumbling their previous best with a 3 minute, 35 second time. The mixed quad set a new record for the club with their time of 3:36.71. And Rowena logged in a new PB, beating her old one by 6 seconds. Both Richard and Rowena came third in their singles races and Joe and Mike took a relaxed third in their pair. The concertina system again played well for us with points. Two women's crews collected thirds yet finished out of the top three. It looks like our position of 'first' on the Masters' Leader board will be usurped after the Reindeer. Sydney seemed to haul those first places in!! Not to worry, our first half of the season was sensational. Well done everyone!! Onward and upward!! (RS) |
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Head of the Yarra - 26th November
What a race! By the time we got to the bridge at Hawthorn, we were all exhausted but happy with a great sense of achievement at coming second in our division, posting our best time to date (38:55.81) and recording a faster absolute time than 19 other crews including some male, mixed and younger women’s crews. Our “take no prisoners” coxon (Sarah from Melbourne Uni) kept us focussed and working hard the whole way. We kept ahead of Riverside (SA), gradually pulling away from them whilst in hot pursuit of Toowong (Qld) who beat us last year. After some slick turns and pushes, Sarah had them in her sights. After ignoring two calls from Sarah to make way for a passing crew, we powered past Toowong in a manner worthy of Ben Hur. They seemed to lose their composure completely after that and ran into the river bank! Sarah didn’t let us slack off for a moment and we raced to the finish making sure to rate a little higher and look good for the spectators in the last 500m, coming in second behind Canberra. Sarah had to get back to the start to cox the Melb Uni Women’s Open crew (that included Kim Brennan). We obviously gave Sarah a good warm up - they won their division very comfortably and in wonderful style.
Everyone in the eight did a great job – it was a real team effort across all departments (rowing, boat transport, loading and unloading, rigging and de-rigging, etc). Special thanks to: Sue for not only stroking but also for all of her efforts in organising the eight and keeping it going; Virginia from North Shore for her contribution to the crew; and Mick for being chief roadie. It was great to see our newest member (Skye) have such a great time on both the rowing and social fronts. I expect there will be a lot of enthusiasm to have another go next year (hopefully, with Sarah).(PM) |
Iron Cove Classic #3 - 13 November
The women's 8+ finished the third Iron Cove Classic with their fastest time of the three races (raw time: 31m 53s - handicap adjusted 29:33). The crew has also made steady time improvements against the faster boats; this week they were 6mins behind on raw time compared to 7min and 9min margins in previous outings. Our human abacus, Judith, gave us the good news that we had taken nearly 60 less strokes this week to complete the course. Similarly, the men took advantage of the favourable conditions to register a raw time of 28:21 - more than two minutes faster than their other two attempts over the course. And just like the women's 8+, our men narrowed the gap to the winning Leichhardt crew which had bettered our men by well over 4m in Classics 1 and 2. That margin was narrowed to just over 3m in Classic 3.
Next.....the Yarra!(RS)
Next.....the Yarra!(RS)
Head of the Parramatta - 5th November
The Head of the Parramatta represented our best turnout of competition members for quite some time. In all, 24 members (plus one cox) raced (and shouted) over the 4.5km head race - two eights and two quads.
With a firm tail wind and lumpy water to contend with, all boats made it home unscathed having given the race a damn fine effort. Our quad girls - Marcela, Janine, Suzie and Rowena - were first home and fastest on handicap times against six other masters quads. Marcela and Rowena were particularly pleased as they were defending champions in this event and they do like the Sydney medals - THE prettiest you'll every see!! The men's quad came second - just behind the Newington/Drummoyne combo after a mid-race joust with an annoyingly persistent Leichhardt crew. Our men's and women's eights both had good rows, guided by their quality coxes and featuring a race debut from Bruce in the male crew. |
Iron Cove Classic #2 - 30th October
Good weather again for our second time trial around Cockatoo Island. Unfortunately the head wind on the way up to Cockatoo Island didn’t translate to a tail wind home. Again, the Women's 8 cox, Judi, rounded the Island in excellent form. Soon she will be able to do this with her eyes closed.
Whilst the women's 8 elapsed time was a little slower than ICC1, the new stern pairing of Sue in Stroke and Enza in 7 seat, asked for a focus on rhythm and length. The crew responded well to all that was asked of them by the cox and the row was definitely a step up from the day before down the Parramatta River. However, we did maintain our placing in the very hot Women’s Masters field from the first classic race which was very pleasing. The men's 8, fielding a younger crew this time (F), enjoyed their row despite finishing in the tail of the field. A great song and dance routine at the club house by the chorus line topped off an excellent morning! Looking forward to our next outing on the Parramatta River on Guy Fawkes Day. (SC) |
Iron Cove Classic #1 - 16th October
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On the Women’s 8+:
A much fairer weather day greeted us to undertake the first of three Iron Cove time trials. No issues on Sunday 16th for towing safely there and back. Great teamwork by our boat drivers, macramé experts, ballasteers, oar carriers and those who took on the ubiquitous admin job of collecting and returning the paperwork and bow numbers. Congratulations in particular to our cox Judi who was complimented by the race marshalls as we emerged from around the island on her turning skills (and we know they don’t hand out compliments willy nilly). A light breeze to get us off and running on the upward leg to Cockatoo Island kept us ahead of two of the three mixed eights. The usual washing machine conditions around Cockatoo Island kept us honest with the bow side expertly guiding us around in three short stints of heavy on bow. It was pleasing to maintain our margin on the mixed Balmain crew for most of the race and to extend our margin on the mixed St George crew from start to finish. A great rhythm was set up by stroke Enza and the crew responded really well to Judi’s enthusiasm and strategic pushes and calls for focus. We improved on last year’s Iron Cove 1 time by 1 minute which was very pleasing. (SC) |
On the Mens 8+ :
The M8+ should be pretty pleased with their first distance hit-out. Iron Cove Classic 1 served up a fair test for all rowers with a small headwind and chop on the way out, a wash or two around Cockatoo and a nice tailwind to come back. After graciously allowing a ladies B-category eight to pass before the bridge, the men settled into a decent rhythm and handled conditions well. Only another young Masters W8 went past as the crew of the F.A.Kirkham made some nice pushes and minimised bad strokes. The effort from Birkenhead to the finish with another boat looming on the stern was really pleasing. The M8+ (G category) finished in 30:53 (raw time) which was waaay better than 2015’s 36:22, 33:21 and 35:26 as an F-category. The secret to better times is get older and have a heavier cox – straight out of Rowing 101. (AP)
The M8+ should be pretty pleased with their first distance hit-out. Iron Cove Classic 1 served up a fair test for all rowers with a small headwind and chop on the way out, a wash or two around Cockatoo and a nice tailwind to come back. After graciously allowing a ladies B-category eight to pass before the bridge, the men settled into a decent rhythm and handled conditions well. Only another young Masters W8 went past as the crew of the F.A.Kirkham made some nice pushes and minimised bad strokes. The effort from Birkenhead to the finish with another boat looming on the stern was really pleasing. The M8+ (G category) finished in 30:53 (raw time) which was waaay better than 2015’s 36:22, 33:21 and 35:26 as an F-category. The secret to better times is get older and have a heavier cox – straight out of Rowing 101. (AP)
NSW Spring Regatta - 15th October
As always the first SIRC regatta of the season had a daunting mix of quality rowers - both young and old. Although there were less competitors and easy parking - due to NSW Rowing changing the date - that didn't make racing any easier. Andrew, Doug, Richard and Steve performed fantastically, grabbing second in their quad in the snappy time of 3.25:81; hard on the heals of a youthful St George crew. Doug took third in a compact finish of his singles event. Those three hard-earned premiership points edged the club past 100 for the season. Then Andrew and Doug picked up a sneaky extra point in their double because, although they were fourth, two of the crews that finished ahead of them were from the same club. Sally had her first singles race at SIRC and navigated the buoys to post a time on the board that she can target at her next SIRC meet. Carolyn sacrificed her hammy to complete a new combination in the girl's quad and Janine, Rowena, Sally and Carolyn were pleasantly surprised with their effort and time. While there were no PBs, the day was rewarding, yet relaxed. Our small contingent celebrated a challenging regatta under the shade of the Battersea fig with a carefully chosen selection of beers and cider. (RS & DS)
Lane Cove Head - 8th October
Enthusiastic Lane Cove rowers with roadies in tow launched Mert Lloyd onto a glassy river for her journey to the North Shore rowing shed. Like the Owl and the Pussy cat Michael and Charlie set off in the tinnie (not a pea green boat) towing the ballasted eight under the Gladesville Bridge to the glassy harbour. The cortege rounded Woolwich Point onto the glassy waters of the Lane Cove River. Oars and stands awaited their arrival and soon the crewed eight headed up river to the start. 15 minutes later a southerly hit, the waters were no longer glassy. During the race the crew negotiated the set course thanks to the skillful strategic guidance of cox Judith. Weather conditions deteriorated as the race progressed, an invigorating initiation into eight racing for Skye and Sally, the latter who along with Judy and Rosemary, had a foreboding sense of déjà vu. The roadies (Geoff & Mike G) were spotted in the bushes cameras at the ready.
A vicious head wind did not deter our eight rowers, Stroke Sue maintained a good rhythm partnered by Petra in 7 seat, Bow Enza whispered calming words and the engine room powered on, good form and dignity were maintained to the end. Well you may ask how did the Owl and the Pussy cat fare in the challenging conditions on their return. Towing the boat was aborted when a Leichhardt men’s four warned of the perils on the harbour, twice swamped at Woolwich point those strapping lads returned to the shelter of North Shore. Well enough rambling, great team work in getting the eight back to the shed by land. A good time was had by all, well apart from Charlie something about colonic lavages on the high seas. Apologies to Edward Lear. (LH & MH) |
North Shore Head - 1st October
“We (Terry & Charlie) started from the back of the field after some equipment problems. The 30km/hr following wind ensured good progress until somewhere past the bridge. Then, however, the rolling waves breaking over the bow submerged the boat (Miss P.) remarkably quickly, and the ensuing strategic withdrawal led to a DNF. [Moral: start bailing while you still can.]” Charlie
“I must say that this was the first time that I have ever been in a boat that was effectively submerged in water save for not sinking courtesy of the built in buoyancy capsules." Terry
“My plan was to make the very most of the somewhat sheltered conditions up to fig tree bridge and then just row as hard as possible to the finish. So I started as if it was a 1 K race and stayed in touch with the two ahead of me. After fig tree all hell broke loose, my boat was full of water the whole way to the finish, lots of moments where it could have been all over….I think rowing in stormy conditions in Adelaide a couple of years ago helped. Pleased with the win.” Steve
“Looks like the BROs and I are picking up our relationship where we left off at the end of last season. “You need to go around the buoy!” the official screamed above the howling wind and choppy seas in his tinny carrying an upturned single, oars and several passengers. Swamped and struggling I could see the buoy parallel to me 50 metres off my bow so I used my friendly diplomatic voice to indicated where he could park his over-laden tinny!” Rowena
Judy and my second doubles race together was thrill seeking to say the least. The calm waters at Burns Bay Reserve boat ramp was a complete 1800 to the sea state at the end of the race. Happy to say, we finished the race and were very relieved when that siren went off to say we had crossed the finish line. After battling the wind, to try to get back to North Shore we ended up being blown into a yacht. With Judy gripping the edge of the deck and myself holding onto the anchor rope. We sat and watched helplessly as our boat got swamped and filled with water. It was a sight to behold when two men in a tinnie came zooming towards us and rescued us. Sally
“Given the conditions, we (Rosemary & Suzie) were happy to finish the race, upright and in one piece! To be the second ladies E double, 5th overall in the doubles and ahead of all the singles was a bonus. From our perspective, we were glad that everyone was safe whatever choice they made and that people from all clubs really pulled together at the make-do exit points.” Suzie
“I must say that this was the first time that I have ever been in a boat that was effectively submerged in water save for not sinking courtesy of the built in buoyancy capsules." Terry
“My plan was to make the very most of the somewhat sheltered conditions up to fig tree bridge and then just row as hard as possible to the finish. So I started as if it was a 1 K race and stayed in touch with the two ahead of me. After fig tree all hell broke loose, my boat was full of water the whole way to the finish, lots of moments where it could have been all over….I think rowing in stormy conditions in Adelaide a couple of years ago helped. Pleased with the win.” Steve
“Looks like the BROs and I are picking up our relationship where we left off at the end of last season. “You need to go around the buoy!” the official screamed above the howling wind and choppy seas in his tinny carrying an upturned single, oars and several passengers. Swamped and struggling I could see the buoy parallel to me 50 metres off my bow so I used my friendly diplomatic voice to indicated where he could park his over-laden tinny!” Rowena
Judy and my second doubles race together was thrill seeking to say the least. The calm waters at Burns Bay Reserve boat ramp was a complete 1800 to the sea state at the end of the race. Happy to say, we finished the race and were very relieved when that siren went off to say we had crossed the finish line. After battling the wind, to try to get back to North Shore we ended up being blown into a yacht. With Judy gripping the edge of the deck and myself holding onto the anchor rope. We sat and watched helplessly as our boat got swamped and filled with water. It was a sight to behold when two men in a tinnie came zooming towards us and rescued us. Sally
“Given the conditions, we (Rosemary & Suzie) were happy to finish the race, upright and in one piece! To be the second ladies E double, 5th overall in the doubles and ahead of all the singles was a bonus. From our perspective, we were glad that everyone was safe whatever choice they made and that people from all clubs really pulled together at the make-do exit points.” Suzie
Nepean Rowing Club - 24 September
The Nepean Rowing Club turned on perfect weather and put in some fine team work to create a good day for all attendees. The fun day of racing was highlighted by an interesting course setting, some very amazing time keeping results on the NSW Rowing web-site and the very famous cake quality of the Nepean Rowing Club bakers.
The race course had a number of us flummoxed as the start angle and the finish angle seemed to highly favour the club-side lanes (eastern shore). It was a well-debated topic for many clubs. Regardless, we raced and enjoyed the challenge of the finish line - getting better with the angles on each row. Janine and Rowena were our only medal winners in their pair. We took out three 2nds and five 3rd places. The results pages provided some very surprising reading for those in the know. Some of the 'recorded' times are competing with J.J.R Tolkien in the Fantasy stakes! It might be better to employ the old, 'NTT' (No Time Taken) rather than record times in some races. Mind you, the Endeavour times were even more head-scratching than these Nepean ones!! Again, Nepean's cakes were ......outstanding! The butterfly cupcakes were snapped up by our SWRC rowers, bringing back fond childhood memories. The snags got the thumbs-up all round, too! And, Neil - the sell off at the end of the day was brill! You'd have loved it! (RS) (14 club points) |
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Shoalhaven Head & Sprints - 17th September
For the first time since 2009. Sydney Women's fronted up at 6am at the Shoalhaven river for the 7km time trial. Three crews, a men's and a women's E-grade masters quad and a mixed quad (G grade but no handicaps alas for mixed!), headed off up the river, revelling in the beautiful scenery, the great weather and the easy going with the tide coming in, and noting the various obstacles that lay in wait for the intrepid racer on the return run (green posts, red posts, little buoys with flags, random fishermen ...). With 30 crews competing (fastest categories first), racing was underway on time at 8am. The men's quad, Andrew, Doug, Richard, ably bowed by Terry, recorded seventh fastest outright, only about three minutes slower than the Glebe men's open eight. Notably, they beat the Leichhardt F quad featuring Dean Patterson by three seconds on absolute times, but a 45 second age handicap meant that they were beaten into second place in their event. The women's quad of Rowena, Janine, Suzie and Judith set off at a strong pace, but at around 2km in they encountered a submerged log that slowed progress to the extent that they were forced to stop and take stock before continuing. Eventually, the strong UNSW and Leichhardt women's masters crews proved too strong in their event. The mixed quad (Mike, Charlie, Lillian with Petra in bow), had a good start and a succession of minor victories, using strategic pushes to hold off other crews as they attempted to storm past. In the end, however, this was not enough to match the two younger mixed crews in their event.
We are nothing if not suckers for punishment and by 11am were ready for the 400m sprints. By this time the tide had peaked, so that the current that had earlier slowed the time trial progressively slowed the sprints, run in the opposite direction, as the day went on. With a maximum of four competitors in any race, the club achieved 3 firsts, 9 seconds and 5 third places in 19 races. The second-placed WM4x (Rowena, Petra, Suzie, Judith) did well to stay within ten seconds of the stacked B grade UTS/Leichhardt composite. The MM4x (Andrew, Doug, Richard, Terry) showed a clean pair of heels to the Leichhardt C men, but were 4 seconds off the pace against the Leichhardt E oldies. A little earlier Doug and Terry had combined with Mike and Charlie in the men's quad to be shown by the Nepean number 1 youngsters that a rating of 31/32 is no match for one closer to 40 (official data gleaned from Sydney Women's spectators after the race). Nepean 1 AND 2 repeated the dose later in the day in the C grade quad, but the Penrith young rowers were not so adept, allowing a third place to our crew. In the absence of any masters doubles, 5 crews raced in the C grade doubles. Two second places were recorded by Andrew and Doug and Janine and Suzie respectively. The three first places (gold, gold, gold!) were all taken by singles rowers. The first of these was in a very fast race early in the day, where Andrew in the C grade single recorded a time only 0.01 seconds slower than the MM4x quad: Richard's race was impacted by the fifteen motor boats that came by (he'll tell you the make) and almost capsized the winner. By the time the Masters singles began 4 hours later, the tide was running strongly against the rowers, and a nasty but admittedly following wind had come up, with whitecaps beyond the bridge. So Rowena and Petra both had to struggle for their wins, closely followed by Suzie and Judith respectively. Doug was second to Glebe's Ken Major, and then Mike reached back 40 (50?) years to his surfboat rowing skills to record a strong second place in his single in our last race of the day. (CM) |
(16 Masters 28 grade/open - 44 championship points.
Bohemia - ?) |
Henley on Hunter - 11th September
Berry Park may be a converted cow paddock to some but it proved to be El Dorado for our club in the opening regatta of the season. Gold dripped and clinked from our necks as we packed the trailer for home, armed with tales to make an archivist blush.
On any ordinary day, Charlie’s win in the men’s Endeavour quad would have stolen the show as he collected the first medal of his redoubtable career. But as loudly as we cheered him home, then celebrated his success with a cupcake or two (and later with beer and champers! (thanks Charlie and Petra)), he could only share the headlines with our debutante, Sally. Showing no fear (well, almost none), her first paddle in competition was in a single, where she came home neat and dry. She then combined with Judy to finish third in their double and Sally capped an epic outing by snaring a medal in the mixed Endeavour eight making us wonder what she plans for an encore. Overall it was an outstanding Sunday on the banks of the Hunter. As well as our participation in the Endeavour events – where Suzie (eight) and Marcela (quad) also tasted success - we had 13 rowers enter 19 races. Pushed along by a brisk tail breeze and an outgoing tide, we collected 5 wins, 4 seconds, 4 thirds and a broken footplate. |
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Included in that haul were two historic victories in Open events – Rowena in the single and Richard and Doug in the double. But wait … in the endearing tradition of all steak-knife advertisements; that’s not all! Richard combined with Steve to win a memorable Masters double where Sydney Women’s finished first, to Doug and Andrew's second and Charlie and Terry's third at the front of a full field. That completed a treble for Richard having also been part of the triumphant men’s quad. Another quad member, Andrew, notched a double with a strong finish to take out his single.
In the patience stakes, Judith was brilliant. Being short on rows, and big in support, she was somewhat rewarded when she combined with Judy, Marcela and Rowena to row through the field to take second in the women's quad.
Endeavour put on a wonderful day which we all enjoyed and provided a healthy start to the point score tallies!
(22 points Masters/ 16 points Open) (DS & RS)
In the patience stakes, Judith was brilliant. Being short on rows, and big in support, she was somewhat rewarded when she combined with Judy, Marcela and Rowena to row through the field to take second in the women's quad.
Endeavour put on a wonderful day which we all enjoyed and provided a healthy start to the point score tallies!
(22 points Masters/ 16 points Open) (DS & RS)
Three Rivers Marathon - 28th August
Sunshine, hardly a breath of wind and an out-going tide made for ideal conditions for our three crews in the Port Macquarie Rowing Club's annual Three Rivers Marathon. Setting a new marathon record, our men's double - Richard and Doug - rowed the 25km course in 1 hour, 42 minutes and 52 seconds beating the previous best time for a M2x of 1 hour 44 minutes which had stood since 2007. Rarely getting below 4 metres-per-second they wound their way along the course to arrive first home only to be beaten, overall, by 90 seconds by a Brisbane Waters men's quad. Footplate woes didn't stop Marcela and Carolyn from also setting a new record of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 10 seconds in their W2x category. And, not to be out-done, the women's quad of Lillian, Sue, Judy and Rowena also broke the existing W4x record finishing in 2 hours and 13 seconds but couldn't claim victory in their category due to the girls from Brisbane Waters, who beat our team by 7 minutes.
There is no doubt the race is gruelling. Blistered hands were on show as a badge of courage and determination. Richard's fight with the flu and his magnificent handling of the trailer had us in admiration. While it is a tough gig, we couldn't have been prouder of our times as we sipped celebratory drinks on the river bank to the sounds of a jazz ensemble. Will we do it again? ...... August 20, 2017; lock it in Eddie. Photos: Deb Murrell, Mardeb Productions
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Nepean Head - 20th August
124 singles rowers made their way in a conga-line to the start of the Nepean Head, 5 km up river. From the top of the hill to the far distance the procession was a sight to behold.
At 15 second intervals each competitor turned for home. With 28 starters in the men's masters, Richard, Doug and Steve came 6th, 7th and 19th respectively. Rowena came in 4th against a much smaller women's masters competitor base of 10 starters. No Bohemia points.....but great fight'n spirit!
At 15 second intervals each competitor turned for home. With 28 starters in the men's masters, Richard, Doug and Steve came 6th, 7th and 19th respectively. Rowena came in 4th against a much smaller women's masters competitor base of 10 starters. No Bohemia points.....but great fight'n spirit!