South Coast Rowing Championships Regatta. Plymouth.

Friday 5th September – Junior & Small Boats Regatta.

Saturday 6th September – Open and Championships Regatta.

Ryde Rowing Club competed at the South Coast Rowing Championships Regatta on Friday (5th September and Saturday (6th September) which was hosted by Plymouth Rowing Club, Devon, on behalf of the West of England Amateur Rowing Association over a straight 1000m course with a 1500m for the Championship Races on the Saturday - on the River Plym.

The South Coast Rowing Championships brings together the Champions of the Hants & Dorset ARA, the Coast ARA, and the West of England ARA for the seven Championship events, the open events and the Junior Regatta and is the culmination of a long season for the competing clubs. The Championship regatta is staged in a three years cycle of the three South Coast Rowing Associations and this year it was the turn of the West of England Rowing Amateur Rowing Association to host the event.

An event held in the west country is usually staged in River Boats as opposed to the Coastal Boats used by the Clubs from the Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association and Coast Amateur Rowing Association – but this year the weather forecast, a few days before the regatta was due to take place was severe enough to force the organisers to take the brave decision to switch to Coastal Fours for the Junior Fours events on the Friday and for all racing on the Saturday.

Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club had ten crews and scullers competing over the two days with two fours and two scullers competing on the Friday and six fours on the Saturday including two crews selected to represent the Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association in the Championship events.

The hi-light for the Club on the Friday was the performance of their Boys J16 single sculler – Charlie Watts – who finished 2nd in his heat and won the final convincingly. A second sculler – Stella Baisley – competed in the Women’s Novice Sculls finishing in 5th place.

The Club also had two J18 Fours competing – a Men’s Four consisting of Ben Robotham, Joe Bird, Yogi Ashworth and Isaac Gibson with Harry Watts Coxing who finished 4th in their Final and a Women’s Four of Eva Gordon, Demi Cranham-Ede, Alexis Owen and Emily Kellerman with Mai Read coxing who finished 6th in their Final.

On the Saturday the Clubs Two representative crews competed in the Championship events over the longer course and it was a frustrating day for the Club’s Women’s Junior Four of Abi Locke, Fiona Owen, Alexis Owen, and Emily Kellerman with Ruby Read coxing who rowed exceptionally well to finish in 2nd place – loosening out on a win by the narrowest of margins - just three feet in the closest race of the day.

The Clubs second representative crew – the Men’s Junior Senior Four of Charlie Watts, Will Hall, Joe Roberts and Paddy Kearney with Mai Read coxing also raced well to finish in 4th place.

In the Open events, over the shorter course the Club had four crews competing.

A Women’s Open Senior 4+ of Eva Gordon, Maggie Sanderson, Lisa Murphy and Stella Baisley, with Ruby Read coxing raced well to finish 3rd in their Final a performance equalled by the Men’s Open Junior-Senior 4+ of Ben Robotham, Joe Bird, Yogi Ashworth and Isaac Gibson with Harry Watts coxing who also raced well to finish in 3rd place.

The Club also had two Novice Fours competing – a Men’s Open Novice 4+ of Harry Crofts, Cameron D’Arcy, Lucus Georgiou and Max Locke with Dexter Robson coxing who raced really well to finish in 2nd in their final and a Women’s Novice 4+ of Abby Bird, Carla Jenkins, Demi Cranham Ede and Nieve Murphy with Mai Read coxing who finished 5th in their Heat.