Southsea Regatta, Saturday 28th June 2025.
/Southsea Regatta. Saturday, 28th June 2025.
Eleven Crews and Scullers from Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club competed at the largest one day regatta in the country – Southsea Regatta - on Saturday (28th June) in blustery conditions that severally tested all the crews and scullers competing. The Ryde Club had six fours’ crews, two coxless pairs, two single scullers and a double scull competing – one of their largest entries of the season to date.
Southsea Regatta is the only Regatta in the Hants & Dorset ARA Season where crews and Scullers from both the Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association and the Coast ARA (Kent and Sussex) meet each other before the South Coast Rowing Championships held in September each year and scheduled to be hosted by Plymouth Rowing Club in 2025.
In the Open Junior Senior Fours, the Ryde crew of Will Hall, Paddy Kearney, Joe Roberts, Charlie Watts with Mai Read coxing rowed well finishing 2nd in Final to an Itchen crew who had the advantage of an inside draw.
In the Open Men’s Coastal Junior Fours, the Ryde Crew of Ben Robotham, Lucas Georgiou, Yogi Ashworth and Lars Groothuis with Harry Watts coxing finished 5Th in their heat failing to make the final and the Open Novice Four of Cameron D’Arcy, Lucas Georgiou, Reuben Rook and Max Locke with Harry Watts coxing once again rowed exceptionally well in their heat to finish in 1st place but found the going in the final a little tougher – finishing in 4th place.
The Club had two Women’s Coastal Junior Fours competing the B crew of Demi Cranham Ede, Maggie Sanderson, Eva Gordon and Lorna Worthington, with Harry Watts coxing once again found the going quite difficult finishing 10th in their heat. The Clubs A Crew of Abi Locke, Fiona Owen, Alexis Owen and Emily Kellerman with Ruby Read coxing finished 2nd in the heat gaining a place in the final where they finished 2nd to the Coast Club Shoreham – but gained the Hants & Dorset ARA Championship point as the first Association Club to finish adding to the two points, they have already won this season.
The final Ryde Fours crew was a Boys J16 Coxed Quad of Max Locke, Charlie Watts, Cameron D’Arcy and Reuben Rook with Mai Read coxing who raced really well to finish in 2nd place.
Isaac Gibson & Ben Robotham competed in the Open Double Sculls event finishing 11th in the Final and Isaac went on to compete in the Open Novice Sculls where he sculled really well to finish 2nd in his heat to gain a place in the final where he finished in a very creditable 3rd place.
The Ladies Senior Pair of Lisa Murphy and Stella Baisley finished 5th in their final – Stella going on to compete in the Women’s Novice Sculls event finishing in 4th.
There was a bit of a disaster for the Open Coastal Junior coxless Pairs race where the Ryde crew of Lars Groothuis and Yogi Ashworth capsized after the turn in the rough conditions and failed to finish the race.