POOLE REGATTA. Saturday, 2nd September 2023.

Crews & Scullers from Ryde Rowing Club competed in the last Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association Regatta of the season at Hamworthy Park, Poole, on Saturday (2nd September 2023).

The Wightlink sponsored Club had five fours, two double Sculls, three coxless pairs and six single scullers competing.

The hi-light for the Ryde Club was a winning performance from their Men’s Coastal Junior Four of Charlie Watts, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall and Paddy Kearney with Mai Mackay coxing who finished 2nd in their heat and went on to win the final convincingly. They were joined in the Final by the Clubs B Crew of Matt Chamberlain, Lars Groothuis, Dan Sanderson, and Alfie Scott with Lottie Roland coxing who finished 3rd in their heat to qualify for the final where the finished in 6th place.

The Club also had a Junior-Senior Crew competing of Matt Chamberlain, Paddy Kearney, Will Hall, Ben Sanderson with Mai Mackay coxing once again – who, racing at a higher status, did well to finish in 2nd place in their final.

The Men’s Novice Four of Lukas Georgiou, Yogi Ashworth, Joe Bird, Matthew Groothuis, with Lottie Roland Coxing finished 4th in their heat – just failing to make the final – and this crew raced again, with two changes – Charlie Watts for Lukas Georgiou and Lars Groothuis for Matthew Groothuis – in the Boys J16 Quad who raced well to finish 3rd in their final.

In the men’s Coastal Junior Pairs, the Clubs A Crew of Will Hall and Paddy Kearney finished 3rd in their final – the B Crew of Dan Sanderson and Matthew Groothuis finishing 4th and the Coastal Junior Ladies Pair of Chloe Hughes and Stella Baisley finished a disappointing 5th in their final – although they do have a share in the Hants & Dorset ARA Championship where a row-off will be required.

There were impressive performances for the Boys and Girls J14 Doubles, racing for the first time for the Club at a Hants & Dorset ARA Regatta – the Boys double of Charlie Watts and Joe Bird finishing 2nd - a performance matched by the Girls double of Lottie Roland and Mia Mackay.  

Ben Sanderson finished 4th in the Final of the Men’s Coastal Junior Sculls. Ryde’s Men’s Novice Scullers raced well – Will Hall finishing 2nd in his heat and Paddy Kearney 3rd in his heat both making the final where Will finished in 5th with Paddy just behind in 6th. Alfie Scott – competing for the first time in a Coastal Scull - finished 6th in his heat. Another Ryde Oarsman making his competitive debut in a sculling race was Lars Groothuis in the Boys J16 single sculls where he finished 6th in the final. Finally – Stella Baisley – competing in the Ladies Novice Sculling event finished 3rd in her heat qualifying for the final where she finished in 5th place.

Steve Bull.

Ryde Rowing Club.

WOOLSTON (SOUTHAMPTON) REGATTA, Saturday, 19thAugust 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. WOOLSTON (SOUTHAMPTON) REGATTA, Saturday, 19th August 2023.

After over a month when Ryde Rowing Club crews and scullers were unable to compete in the Hants & Dorset ARA regatta program as a result of a number of events being cancelled or postponed due to the weather the Club finally returned to competitive action on Saturday at Woolston Regatta, at Western Shore, Southampton, hosted by Southampton Rowing Club – although the conditions were far from ideal and this Regatta very nearly suffered the same fate as others in July and August.

The Wightlink sponsored Club had a slightly depleted squad due to holidays but were able to boat a coxed four, a coxless pair and six single scullers – although the two J16 Scullers – Charlie Watts and Isaac Gibson were prevented from sculling when their race was abandoned before their start because of the prevailing conditions.

The hi-light of the Regatta for the Ryde Club was the performance of their Coastal Junior Four of Charlie Watts, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall, Paddy Kearney with Mai Mackay Coxing – who finished 2nd in the final to the Hants & Dorset ARA Champions from Southampton. Their two wins and several second places has led to them being selected to represent the Association in the Coastal Junior Fours event at the South Coast Championship Regatta at Folkestone on the 16th of September – the forty-third time the Club has been asked to provide a representative crew for the Association – where the have gone on to win nineteen South Coast Championships.

There was another fine performance by Stella Baisley, finishing 2nd in the Ladies Novice Sculls event in very challenging conditions.

The Clubs three men’s Novice Scullers had mixed fortunes – the A Sculler – Paddy Kearney, finishing 3rd in his heat to claim a place in the finals were 6th. The Novice B Sculler – Will Hall suffered a capsize soon after the start of his race forcing him to withdraw – but there was an excellent performance from the Novice C Sculler – Isaac Gibson – in his first competitive sculling race where he finished in 5th place out of nine in his heat.

The Men’s Coastal Junior Pair of Will Hall and Paddy Kearney finished 4th in their final.

The Club also had a young Novice Oarsman - Lucas Georgiou – making his competitive debut for the Club – racing in a composite crew with three oarsmen for Poole Rowing Club – who finished 5th in their final.

Photo. Young Ryde Novice Sculler Isaac Gibson who finished 5th in his heat in his first ever competitive sculling event.

Steve Bull.

Southsea Regatta, 15th July.

Members of the Ryde Rowing Club were disappointed on Saturday, 15th July when the Southsea Regatta - the largest one day rowing regatta in the country - had to be postponed because of the high winds.

The Wightlink sponsored Club had one of their biggest entries of the season to date entered with four fours crews, three coxless pairs, a double scull and three single scullers due to compete.

A further attenpt to stage the Regatta will now take place on Saturday, 12th August.

Wightlink "Meet & Greet".

A group of Junior Rowers and their coaches attended the Wightlink “Meet and Greet” at the Quay Arts Centre, Newport, on Thursday 13th July

The event is an opportunity for the Wightlink sponsored Club to meet the Wightlink sponsorship team and their Chief Executive, Keith Greenfield, and to tell them about our recent successes along with future events and commitments for the year, and chat with our PR experts over tea and cake - with photos taken of the group.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. SWANAGE REGATTA, Saturday, 1st July 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. SWANAGE REGATTA, Saturday, 1st July 2023.

Ryde Rowing Club, sponsored by Wightlink, took its largest group of Competitors so far this season to Swanage Regatta on Saturday (1st July 2023) with four fours crews, three coxless pairs and four scullers competing.

Once again Swanage proved to be one of the most popular events in the Hants & Dorset ARA fixture list with a near record entry of 168 crews and scullers. The regatta is staged over a 1500m course, with a racing turn, in Swanage Bay. With no Hants & Dorset ARA Club in Swanage the Regatta is organised by volunteers from the Associations Clubs with Ryde playing their part by providing all the packed lunches for the Race Officials and safety boat crews as well as the Regatta coordinator Steve Bull and a Race Official - Mick Jenner.

The Club had two Coastal Junior Fours racing – the A Crew of Matt Chalmers, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall and Paddy Kearney and coxed by Mai Mackay finishing 2nd in their heat to qualify for the final where they finished a slightly disappointing 4th.  The B Crew of Bradley Whiting, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, and Lars Groothuis with Lottie Rowland coxing finished 3rd in their heat just failing to make the final.

For the first time this season the club boated a Men’s Novice Four of Joe Bird, Yogi Ashworth, Matthew Groothuis, and Gulley Roughen with Lottie Rowland coxing – and they performed really well to finish 3rd in their heat – and make the final where they finished in 4th place.

The young J16 Coxed Quad of Joe Bird, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, and Lars Groothuis with Harry Watts coxing raced really well against some strong opposition in their straight final finishing in 2nd place.

In the Men’s Coastal Junior Pairs, the A Crew Will Hall and Paddy Kearney finished 2nd in their heat to reach the final where they finished a slightly disappointing 3rd. The B Crew of Dan Sanderson and Matthew Groothuis finished 3rd in their heat failing to make the final.

There was also slight disappointment for the Ladies Coastal Junior Pair of Stella Baisley and Chloe Hughes who impressively won their heat but could only manage 4th place in the final.

The hi-light of the day for Ryde was the performance of their Club Captain, Ben Sanderson, in the Men’s Novice Sculls, who won his heat and went on to win the final with a very impressive scull. This win promotes him to  Coastal Junior Sculler. His younger brother Dan also competed in the Coastal Junior Sculls finishing 4th his heat and failing to make the final and a third Ryde Novice Sculler – Bradley Whiting – was winning his heat when he unfortunately crashed into a moored boat and although able to get clear of the boat and complete the course, he to failed to make the final.

Ryde’s final competitor of the day was Stella Baisley in the Novice Ladies Sculls who raced well in her heat to finish 2nd and make the final where she finished in 4th place.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. BTC (SOUTHAMPTON) REGATTA, Saturday, 17th June 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. BTC (SOUTHAMPTON) REGATTA, Saturday, 17th June 2023.

Ryde Rowing Club Crews and Scullers competed at the BTC (Southampton) Regatta on Saturday (17th June 2023) staged at Weston Shore, Southampton with the Club having a fairly successful day.

The hi-light for the Wightlink sponsored Club was the performance of their Coastal Junior A Crew of Matt Chalmers, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall and Paddy Kearney and coxed by Mia Mackay who convincingly won their final to record their second Hants & Dorset Championship win of the season. The Clubs young Coastal Junior B Crew of Matthew Groothuis, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, and Lars Groothuis with Lottie Rowland coxing also rowed well to finish in 5th place.

Isaac, Charlie, and Lars were then joined by Joe Bird and Harry Watts, coxing, to compete in the J16 Coxed Quad where they sculled really well to finish in 2nd place.

The Ryde Club has two Men’s Coastal Junior Pairs competing – the A crew of Will Hall and Paddy Kearney – who finished 2nd and the B Crew of Dan Sanderson and Matthew Groothuis who finished in 6th place and there was a third place for the Ladies Coastal Junior Pairs crew of Stella Baisley and Chloe Hughes.

Brothers Ben and Dan Sanderson then competed in the Men’s Novice Sculls event with Ben finishing 2nd in his heat to qualify for the final where he finished 4th and Dan finishing 5th in his heat. Ladies Novice Sculler Stella Baisley raced really well to finish 2nd in her final.

Ryde’s Joe Bird also competed in a Ryde/Poole composite crew finishing in 4th place.

Finally, the club competed in the Arthur Shergold Memorial Race for Mixed Fours – consisting of two men and two women of different Status – with the Ryde crew of Chloe Hughes, Matthew Groothuis, Matt Chalmers, and Stella Baisley with Joe Bird coxing finishing 6th while Ben Sanderson competed in a Ryde/Poole composite crew which finished in 4th place.

FOLKESTONE REGATTA, Sunday, 11th June 2023.

On the Sunday (11th June 2023) a small contingent from the Club travelled to Folkestone Regatta, partly in preparation for the South Coast Rowing Championships which is taking place in Folkestone in September and promoted by the Coast Amateur Rowing Association.

The Club crews competed in borrowed boats with the Men’s Coastal Junior Four Crew of Dan Sanderson, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall and Paddy Kearney with Bryony Reeve coxing winning their event by a length and a half.

The Men’s Coastal Junior Pair of Will Hall and Paddy Kearney suffered from some equipment and boat issues and could only manage 5th place – however the Clubs Men’s Novice Sculler, and Club Captain, Ben Sanderson had an excellent scull in his final winning the race by three lengths.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. COALPORTERS REGATTA, Saturday, 10th June.

Ryde Rowing Club, sponsored by Wightlink IW Ferries, competed at the Southampton Coalporters Regatta, on the river Itchen, on Saturday (10th June 2023) over a 1500 metre course, with a racing turn and with a maximum of three boat racing so most events involved heats, semi-finals and a final.

The Men’s Coastal Junior Four A Crew of Matt Chalmers, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall and Paddy Kearney with Mia Mackay coxing won their heat with comparative ease but unfortunately came up against the current H&D Championship Leaders from Southampton and a very good Christchurch crew in the semi-final and could only manage 3rd place in a close race – with the times of all three crews faster than the crews in the second semi-final. The Men’s Coastal Junior Four B Crew of Joe Bird, Matt Groothuis, Charlie Watts, Dan Sanderson, and Mia Mackay coxing once again finished 3rd in their heat. Due to crew absences, they had two Novice Oarsman rowing – Matthew and Joe - who was competing in his first sweep oared fours race.

The Men’s Coastal Junior Pair crew of Dan Sanderson, Matthew Groothuis finished 3rd in their semi-final in another close race.

However, the hi-light of the day for the Ryde Club came in the Ladies Coastal Junior Pairs where Stella Baisley and Chloe Hughes rowed excellently to win their event and claim their second Hants & Dorset ARA Point of the season – and promotion to Ladies Senior status for next season – even more impressive when you consider that Chloe was a Novice Oarswomen.

Ryde Regatta 2023 – a Thank-you.

On behalf of the Officers, Committee and Regatta Committee can I thank you for your help at the recent Ryde Club Regatta – the first Regatta we have successfully completed since 2019 following two years of loss due to Covid and the abandonment of the 2022 event, due to the conditions after just two events.

Without the help of many of our members and supporters with the tasks required over the regatta weekend and the generous donation of a stunning array of cakes - we would clearly struggle to run such a successful and popular event.  I am sure you will be pleased to hear that the Regatta was a great success both on and off the water and that several Clubs commented on how much they enjoyed the Ryde event and how they feel that it is the best Regatta in the Hants & Dorset Calendar.

The Regatta has also been a financial success and some hi-lights are indicated below for your interest.

Again, my thanks for your help and I hope we can rely on you again next year.

Steve Bull,

Regatta Secretary.

REGATTA FACTS:

The Regatta, including late entries, had an entry of 95 crews and scullers – although we lost one race – the J16 Quad Fours due to the receding tide and had to refund four entry fees. Conditions were difficult although always rowable – we did have seven capsizes in the small boat events – all well handled by the safety boats with no issues.

The regatta itself, less Bar & Catering, has made a samall profit.

The Bar take over the weekend of the Regatta was up on last year’s event.

The BBQ, Teas & Coffees, Cakes, Pims, Raffle and Breakfasts on Sunday was also up on last year!    

RYDE ROWING CLUB. ROUND THE ISLAND REUNION. Friday, 2nd June 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. ROUND THE ISLAND REUNION. Friday, 2nd June 2023.

On Friday, 2nd June (2023) Ryde Rowing Club held a reunion at their Appley Park Clubhouse for the present and past members of their Club who had rowed around the Isle of Wight. Shanklin Rowing Club were also represented.

The 55.2mile row has been completed by Ryde Crews and Scullers fifteen times since the first time in 1880 and while other local Rowing Clubs have completed the row – including Shanklin, Southsea, Southampton Coalporters, Jersey and Lymington Rowing Clubs it is believed that no other Clubs have completed the row as many times as the Ryde Club.

The Clubs Rowing Captain – Paddy Kearney – welcomed all the past round the Island Rowers and their partners who were able to attend, to the Club – and the Club President – Steve Cook- then introduced those in attendance who shared their experiences of their rows. This included Jim Webber from the 1964 crew and Roy Terry who joined Jim for the 1965 row which broke the record for rowing round the Island. Also present were Bob Haward, Paul Young, Steve Bull and Graham Reeve from the 1979 crew – the first crew to complete the row in a sliding seat coastal a four. The 1995 crew was represented by Steve Dear, Steve Cook and Helen Dear, the cox, which broke – and still holds – the record for a coxed four.

In 1999 an all-Ladies crew from the Club of Jo Hanks, Tanzie Hersey-Page, Cathy West, Nikki Orchard and Sarah Elson with Steph Hickman coxing completed the row – believed to be the only all Ladies crew who have completed the row - and the whole crew was in attendance at the reunion together with Ina Lennie who provided their Safety cover in his boat. In 2003 the youngest Ryde crew – all under twenty – completed the row – and Ollie Bottrell and Stu Johnson representing the crew at the reunion. In 2005 a Ryde Member – also in attendance at the reunion – Nick Pike - achieved a remarkable feat in completing the row in a single scull – and he joined Ian Hayden, Mick Jenner and Russell Page – all also in attendance – who completed the row in a coxless quad in 2008 to claim the record.

Also present at the reunion was Dave and Nigel Fountaine, the sons of Roy Fountaine who had completed the row in 1949 and Richard Broadhead and Ian Thomas from Shanklin Rowing Club who had also completed the row as members of the two crews from their Club who completed the row in 1974.

Ryde Rowing Club has not completed around the Island Row since 2008 – so it must be time for another attempt!

RYDE ROWING CLUB. RYDE & SHANKLIN REGATTA’S. Saturday, 20th, and Sunday 21st May 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. RYDE & SHANKLIN REGATTA’S. Saturday, 20th, and Sunday 21st May 2023.

Last weekend (Saturday, 20th, and Sunday 21st May 2023) saw the "Island double header" of Ryde and Shanklin Regattas with Ryde on the Saturday and Shanklin on the Sunday.  

Saturday saw Ryde Rowing Club host their home Regatta under a beautiful blue sky but a gusty North Easterly wind which had the Wightlink sponsored Club concerned that once again, as last year and following two years lost to Covid, the Regatta would succumb to the weather. However, although the conditions remained a challenge and there were a few capsizes in the small boat events the Regatta was completed with just the loss of the J16 Quad Fours – as the tide ran out.

The men’s Coastal Junior Fours was the race the whole Ryde club had been looking forward to after last week's mishap where the crew collided with Christchurch and our A crew were looking to show what they are capable of. The crew of Matt Chalmers, Ben Sanderson, Will Hunt and Paddy Kearney with Mai Mackay coxing started as favourites for the race with Southampton crew not available and they did not disappoint winning comfortably by four lengths.

Behind them Ryde’s B crew of Lars Groothuis, Charlie Watts, Isaac Gibson, and Alf Scott coxed by Joe Bird had an excellent battle with good crews from Coalies and BTC. All 3 were neck and neck for most of the race but in the final push to the line BTC gained a 2nd place by 2ft from Ryde’s B crew with Coalporters about a length down.

In the Junior Pairs race Ryde’s, A crew of Paddy Kearney and Will Hunt managed a 2nd place behind Southampton in a close race. The Ryde Clubs B crew of Matt Groothuis and Dan Sanderson got off to a good start, but equipment failure meant they were unable to finish the race.

In the Ladies Junior Pairs Chloe Hughes and Stella Baisley had a collision on the buoys with another crew and unfortunately turned over ending their race. In the Ladies Novice sculls Stella, having a first race on the sea, started well but fell off her seat and capsized in the difficult conditions and was unable to finish her race.

In the Men's Coastal Junior sculls Ben Sanderson had a good start and was in contention when he was caught by a wave which capsized him. There was better news in the Novice sculls race where Ryde was represented by Bradley Whiting and Dan Sanderson. After a somewhat nervous start both completed the course with Bradley coming a respectable 3rd and Dan 5th out of 12 crews entered.

Our J16'S crew was unable to race as the tide had sadly dropped too much for the race to be completed.

Sunday, at Shanklin for the part 2 of the "Island " weekend a blustery wind saw conditions very difficult to get off the shore and after six races it was decided that conditions were not getting any better and so the Regatta was sadly cancelled. The only person to get afloat was club captain Ben who put yesterday's disappointment behind him to get a good 2nd place in the Junior Sculls event.

Ryde Regatta Results –

Men's Senior Fours. 1st BTC, 2nd Coalporters, 3rd Christchurch.

Men's Coastal Junior Fours. 1st Ryde, 2nd BTC, 3rd Ryde.

Men's Novice Fours. 1st Shanklin, 2nd Poole/Ryde Composite, 3rd Southsea.

Ladies Senior Fours. 1st Shanklin, 2nd BTC, 3rd Coalporters.

Ladies Junior Fours. 1st Southsea, 2nd Lymington, 3rd Shanklin.

Ladies Novice Fours. 1st Coalporters, 2ne Christchurch, 3rd Southsea.

Master’s 40/A Fours. 1st BTC, 2nd Southampton, 3rd Poole.

Master’s 50/B Fours. 1st Poole, 2nd Southsea.

Ladies’ master’s 40/A Fours. 1stPoole, 2nd Coalporters, 3rd BTC.

Men's Senior Pairs. 1st Poole, 2nd BTC, 3rd Southsea.

Men's Coastal Junior Pairs. 1st Southampton, 2nd Ryde, 3rd Southsea.

Ladies Senior Pairs. 1st Shanklin, 2nd Poole, Southsea.

Ladies Junior Pairs. 1st Southsea, 2nd Shanklin, 3rd Southsea.

Men's Senior Sculls. 1st Gibbs of Poole. 2nd Barnes of Lymington.

Men's Coastal Junior Sculls. 1st Chivers of Itchen, 2nd Hoyland of Poole.

Men's Novice Sculls. 1st Chivers of Itchen. 2nd Hoyland of Poole. 3rd. Whiting of Ryde.

Ladies Senior Sculls. 1st Faithfull of Shanklin, Merritt-Smith of Southsea.

Ladies Junior Sculls. 1st Mann of Southsea, 2nd Florence of Southampton.

Ladies Novice Sculls. 1st Reeve of Southsea, Peny of Southsea.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. ITCHEN IMPERIAL ROWING CLUB REGATTA. Saturday, 27th May 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB. ITCHEN IMPERIAL ROWING CLUB REGATTA. Saturday, 27th May 2023.

Ryde Rowing Club made the short trip to Southampton for the Itchen Imperial Rowing Club Regatta on Saturday (27th May 2023) held over a 1400 metre course on the river Itchen where crews and scullers compete in three boat races usually involving heats and a final for each event type.

The Wightlink sponsored club had some reasonable performances from their crews and scullers – although the results were slightly disappointing.

In the Men's Coastal Junior Four the A Crew of Bradley Whiting, Ben Sanderson, Will Hunt and Paddy Kearney with a borrowed Poole Coxswain, were unfortunate enough to come up against the current championship leaders from Southampton in their heat whom they just lost to in a very close race. The Coastal Junior B Crew of Matt Chambers, Charlie Watts, Isaac Gibson, and Dan Sanderson coxed by Joe Bird also rowed well to finish 2nd in their heat.

The Men's Coastal Junior Pair A Crew of Will Hunt and Paddy Kearney rowed well to win their heat but could only manage a 2nd in their final. The Mens Coastal Junior Pair B Crew of Dan Sanderson & Charlie Watts could only manage 3rd place in their heat in a close race and the Mens Coastal Double of Isaac Gibson & Charlie Watts narrowly missed out on the final finishing 2nd in their heat

The Smith brothers – Joel and Austin – where Joel now competes for Poole Rowing Club where he now lives, raced in a Poole/Ryde Composite boat – and also finished 2nd in their heat.

The Ladies Coastal Junior Pair of Chloe Hughes and Stella Baisley will be disappointed with their performance finishing 3rd in their heat.

In the Mens Coastal Junior Single Sculls Ben Sanderson could also only manage a 3rd place in another close race while Men's Novice Sculler Dan Sanderson finished 2nd in his heat the same result that Stella Baisley achieved in her Novice Ladies Sculling race.

A Reminder - 4th 100+ Club Talks and Fish & Chip Supper. Thursday 25th May – Damon Corr – History of the Islands fire services.

The 4th 100+ Club Talks and Fish & Chip Suppers is taking place on -

 Thursday 25th May – Damon Corr – History of the Islands fire services.

Covid-19 Precautions and Restrictions will be in place - see below - and we may have to limit numbers on a first come first serve basis.

ALSO – MONTHLY “100+ CLUB” CASH DRAW AND RAFFLE.

All Club & 100+ Club Members plus family and friends welcome subject to limit on numbers attending.

The FISH & CHIP SUPPER will cost £12 - the same as last year and should be paid on the night.

ALL FOOD ORDERS TO STEPH HICKMAN PLEASE, BY MONDAY 22nd MAY AT THE LATEST. 

TEL: IW 613077 OR EMAIL : steph.hickman1944@gmail.com

NB. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE MEALS IF ORDERS ARE PLACED AFTER THE DEADLINE.

It is planned to continue the talks/Fish & Chip Supper monthly - on the last Thursday of the month - until November when we will take a short break over Christmas and the New Year. Talks planned to date are - 

Thursday 29th June – Stuart Bennett – Ethiopian Southern Trails.

Thursday 27th July – Tracy Dove (Zoologica Conservation Consultant) – Tiger – ‘Lord of the Forest’.

Thursday 31st August – Kevin Shaw – An Historical Introduction to the Isle of Wight – Interesting Aspects of its past presented.

Thursday 28th September – Jessica Danson – Isle of Wight Distillery.

Thursday 19th October – Alan Jenkins – The Radar Wizards - How the ‘magic’ of RADAR affects our lives today and why it played such a vital role in the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Thursday 30th November – Tales of Wihtlore – Ghost Ships – Smugglers & Monsters of the Isle of Wight.All provisional and subject to change.

Covid-19 Precautions and Restrictions will be in place - see below - and we may have to limit numbers on a first come first serve basis.

The Covid-19 Bar Opening Restrictions we have to have inforce are listed below - 

Before entering the Lounge it is recommended that you use the Hand Sanitizer provided.

We will impose the following conditions -

1) The Bar will be open from 7.30pm to 11.00pm. 

2) It is recommended that Hand sanitisers still be used on entry to the lounge.

3) Preferably payment by Credit card or smart phone although cash will be accepted.

4) Alcohol will be served in a glass but only from bottles or cans - no draught beer.

5) Attending members are welcome to wear masks until they are seated and if they leave their table but this is no longer compulsory.

6) No one who feels ill or has Covid-19 symptoms should attempt to enter the Clubhouse. 

RYDE R. C. REGATTA, Saturday, 20th May 2023.

RYDE R. C. REGATTA, Saturday, 20th May 2023.

Ryde Rowing Club will host the fourth Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association Championship Regatta of the season this Saturday (20th May) with Shanklin's Championship Regatta taking place the following day (Sunday, 21st May).

This year’s Regatta marks the 44th Anniversary of a Hants and Dorset ARA Championships Regatta being held off Appley Beach, at Ryde.  The first was held in June 1977 – as part of the Clubs Centenary Celebrations and following the successful introduction of a Hants & Dorset Championship Regatta organized jointly by Shanklin and Ryde Rowing Clubs which was first held at Yaverland, near Sandown in 1972. The joint organizing committee and the Hants & Dorset ARA agreed to stage the 1977 Regatta at Ryde in what was expected to be a one-off change of venue in recognition of the Clubs centenary. But such was the success of the event that these two Island Rowing Clubs and the Association agreed that the Island should host two Championship Regatta’s each year – one at Ryde and one at Shanklin – and so the Isle of Wight Rowing Weekend was established with both Clubs staging their own Regatta’s since 1978 – which have both proved to be very popular – which in part led to the introduction on the 3rd H&D ARA Regatta on the Island run by Newport Rowing Club.  

The Ryde Regatta has received of 95 crews and scullers – slightly up on last year. The Regatta will require a packed Programme of 19 races to be completed in just over four and a half hours over an 1820m course from Appley Beach, near to the Ryde R. C. Headquarters in Appley Park - towards Ryde Pier and return after a buoy turn. Races are taking place for Senior, Junior and Novice men in coxed fours, Senior and junior men in coxless pairs, and Senior, Junior, and Novice Men in Single Sculls. For Ladies there is Senior, Junior and Novice coxed fours, Senior and Junior Ladies Pairs and Ladies Senior, Junior, and Novice sculling events. There is also Masters - formally known as Veteran - Fours event for mixed 40+ and Ladies and one for master’s 50 crews. The Regatta is scheduled to start at 10.15am – due to the tides - with a race every 10 to 15 minutes and the prize giving by the Club President at the Clubhouse, in Appley Park, at around 3.00pm.

In addition to TLM Laser as main sponsors the Regatta has received further support from a number of local businesses –Harwoods, the Appley Manor Hotel, Ward House Mortgages & Life, DIGS Michael Jenner, Neaves Rowing Fittings, Spinlock, Ryde Harriers, Tommey Clark Landscaping  and Isle Scaffold Ltd., Further support comes from Wightlink, I.W. Ferries - who are the Clubs main sponsors – and Steve Cook, Club President, Matt and Jo Smith, Club Vice Presidents as well as the Clubs’ 100+ Club.  

The Club is also grateful for the help of Ryde Inshore Rescue and Seaview Yacht Club, who provide safety cover and Invictus Medical services who provide the first aid cover. The Club also acknowledges the support and cooperation of Ryde Police and the Isle of Wight County Council as well as the Ryde Town Council.

Some very close racing is expected, and the general public are most welcome to view this free event - the best vantage point being from the sea wall by the Canoe Lake.

Steve Bull. RRC Regatta Secretary, May 2023

RYDE ROWING CLUB CHRISTCHURCH REGATTA. Saturday, 13th May 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB CHRISTCHURCH REGATTA. Saturday, 13th May 2023.

Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club competed at Christchurch Regatta, on the river Stour, on Saturday (13th May 2023).

The two-boat racing format of this Regatta meant that crews had to fight their way through several rounds of competition and with it limited to coxed fours only – with no small boats – so the Ryde entry was restricted to just their two Mens Coastal Junior Crews.

The newly promoted Ryde B Crew of Dan Sanderson, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts and Lars Groothuis coxed by Joe Bird held a slight lead over their first-round opponents at the turn, but the crew had an issue at the turn and fell behind and were not able to recover their lead before the race finished on this short course.

The A Crew of Matt Chalmers, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall and Paddy Kearney and coxed by Mai Mackay faced a much larger problem – while warming up for their semi-final they unfortunately collided with a Christchurch Ladies Junior Coastal Four causing the Christchurch boat to capsize and causing injuries in boat boats although their was no damage to the Ryde boat – however the Ryde bowman suffered from bruised ribs forcing the crews withdrawal from the event.

4th 100+ Club Talks and Fish & Chip Supper. Thursday 25th May – Damon Corr – History of the Islands fire services.

The 4th 100+ Club Talks and Fish & Chip Suppers is taking place on -

 Thursday 25th May – Damon Corr – History of the Islands fire services.

Covid-19 Precautions and Restrictions will be in place - see below - and we may have to limit numbers on a first come first serve basis.

ALSO – MONTHLY “100+ CLUB” CASH DRAW AND RAFFLE.

All Club & 100+ Club Members plus family and friends welcome subject to limit on numbers attending.

The FISH & CHIP SUPPER will cost £12 - the same as last year and should be paid on the night.

ALL FOOD ORDERS TO STEPH HICKMAN PLEASE, BY MONDAY 22nd MAY AT THE LATEST. 

TEL: IW 613077 OR EMAIL : steph.hickman1944@gmail.com

NB. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE MEALS IF ORDERS ARE PLACED AFTER THE DEADLINE.

It is planned to continue the talks/Fish & Chip Supper monthly - on the last Thursday of the month - until November when we will take a short break over Christmas and the New Year. Talks planned to date are - 

Thursday 29th June – Stuart Bennett – Ethiopian Southern Trails.

Thursday 27th July – Tracy Dove (Zoologica Conservation Consultant) – Tiger – ‘Lord of the Forest’.

Thursday 31st August – Kevin Shaw – An Historical Introduction to the Isle of Wight – Interesting Aspects of its past presented.

Thursday 28th September – Jessica Danson – Isle of Wight Distillery.

Thursday 19th October – Alan Jenkins – The Radar Wizards - How the ‘magic’ of RADAR affects our lives today and why it played such a vital role in the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Thursday 30th November – Tales of Wihtlore – Ghost Ships – Smugglers & Monsters of the Isle of Wight.All provisional and subject to change.

Covid-19 Precautions and Restrictions will be in place - see below - and we may have to limit numbers on a first come first serve basis.

The Covid-19 Bar Opening Restrictions we have to have inforce are listed below - 

Before entering the Lounge it is recommended that you use the Hand Sanitizer provided.

We will impose the following conditions -

1) The Bar will be open from 7.30pm to 11.00pm. 

2) It is recommended that Hand sanitisers still be used on entry to the lounge.

3) Preferably payment by Credit card or smart phone although cash will be accepted.

4) Alcohol will be served in a glass but only from bottles or cans - no draught beer.

5) Attending members are welcome to wear masks until they are seated and if they leave their table but this is no longer compulsory.

6) No one who feels ill or has Covid-19 symptoms should attempt to enter the Clubhouse. 

Steve Bull

RRC Bar Committee. 

RYDE ROWING CLUB – NEWPORT FOURS and SMALL BOATS AND JUNIOR REGATTA – Saturday, 6th May and Sunday, 7th May 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB – NEWPORT FOURS and SMALL BOATS AND JUNIOR REGATTA – Saturday, 6th May and Sunday, 7th May 2023.

Ryde Rowing Club competed in the first Hants & Dorset Championship Regattas to be held on the Island this season last weekend – the Newport Fours Regatta held on Saturday the 6th May and the Small Boats and Junior Regatta on Sunday, 7th May. The racing was over a straight 1500m course – without the usual Racing turn – on the river Medina starting near the Vestas building and finishing at the Newport R. C. Clubhouse.

The Fours Regatta on the Saturday proved to be a frustrating one for the Wightlink sponsored Ryde Club.

The Coastal Junior B Crew of Dan Sanderson, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, Lars Groothius coxed by Joe Bird – racing for the first time at this status after gaining promotion the previous week at Lymington following their win in the Men's Novice Fours - were unfortunate to draw the current Championship leader from Southampton in their heat but acquitted themselves really well.

The Coastal Junior A Crew of Bradley Whiting, Ben Sanderson, Will Hall and Paddy Kearney coxed by Mai Mackay comfortably won their heat to face the Southampton Crew in the final where they lost by the narrowest of margins – just two feet – in the best race of the day.

Things improved for the Ryde Club in the Small Boats and Junior Regatta on the Sunday.

Both the Men's Coastal Junior Pairs crew – the A crew of Paddy Kearney and Will Hall and the B Crew of Dan Sanderson and Matthew Groothius failed to make the final

The Club had four Novice Scullers competing with three of them – Ben Sanderson, Paddy Kearney and Will Hall winning their heats to progress through to the semi-final – with only Dan Sanderson missing out – although unfortunately all three failed to make the final.

Ben Sanderson in the Men's Coastal Sculls finished 2nd in his Final.

Stella Baisley racing in the Ladies Novice Sculls won her heat finishing 3rd in the final – but went on to race in the Ladies Junior Pair with Chloe Hughes where they avenged their narrow defeat at Lymington the previous week to comfortably secure their first win and Hants & Dorset point.

In the J16 Coxed Quads a composite crew between Ryde and Southsea consisting of Lottie Rowland and Mai Mackay of Ryde with Tom Stone & Wil Wreford from Southsea and coxed by Joel Smith finished 3rd in the Final – all the more impressive as this was a J14 Crew rowing-up. The race was won in fine style by the Ryde Clubs J16 Boys Quad of Joe Bird, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, Lars Groothius and coxed by young Harry Watts – his first win for the Club – and a first win for “Darrell” the Clubs Newest boat – just two weeks after she was launched.

RYDE ROWING CLUB at MILFORD-ON-SEA REGATTA, 29th APRIL 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB at MILFORD-ON-SEA REGATTA, 29th APRIL 2023.

Ryde Rowing Club competed in the first Hants & Dorset Championship Regatta of the season on Saturday (29th April 2023) at Milford-on-Sea and organised by Lymington Rowing Club and it was a very successful day for the Wightlink sponsored Club.

First afloat for the Club was the J16 Coxed Quad consisting of Joe Bird, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, Lars Groothuis and Harry Watts coxing and this was racing debut for Joe Bird and the young, eleven-year-old cox, Harry Watts. The crew performed really well to finish a very close 2nd finishing just a canvas behind the winners.

Next afloat was the clubs mixed J14 Coxed Quad in a composite crew with Southsea consisting of Ryde’s Mai MacKay, Lottie Roland and Joe Bird with a Southsea Junior and coxed by the experienced Joel Smith. This was the first race for Mai and Lottie, and they did really well to finish in 3rd place.

They were followed afloat by the Clubs Ladies Coastal Junior Pair of Chloe Hughes & Stella Baisley who were leading at the turn, but a mix-up allowed Poole to get ahead – but they still finished in a very credible 2nd place.

The Clubs Coastal Junior Coxed Four of Matt Chalmers, Bradley Whiting, Will Hunt and Paddy Kearney with Mai MacKay coxing will be slightly disappointed with their 3rd place in the final - but Will and Paddy then went on to convincingly win the Men’s Coastal Junior Pairs event.

Finally, there was a fine performance by the young Mens’ Novice Four of Dan Sanderson, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, Lars Groothuis with Joe Bird coxing who, after finishing second in their heat to gain a place in the final, which they won with comparative ease after a fine racing turn by cox Joe Bird.

Steve Bull.

Ryde Rowing Club.

RYDE ROWING CLUB – NAMING & LAUNCHING CEREMONY FOR NEW BOAT. SUNDAY, 23rd APRIL 2023.

RYDE ROWING CLUB – NAMING & LAUNCHING CEREMONY FOR NEW BOAT. SUNDAY, 23rd APRIL 2023.

Following on from the successful Coastal Four Boat building project started by the Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club in 2019 the Club named and launched a new boat on Sunday (23rd April 2023) from their Appley Park Clubhouse. The boat, built by AB Composites from Cowes, is a Coastal Coxed Four/Quad and is the sixth boat to be produced from the Ryde Rowing Club owned mould, so it is a boat designed and built on the Island by Islanders.

This version is an in-line boat so it can be sweep oared or sculled and is therefore ideal for Juniors – and makes the boat far more versatile. It is the third in-line four/quad produced. Of the six boats produced from the Ryde mould – two have gone to Ryde, two to Southampton Coalporters and one each to Southsea and Christchurch Rowing Club.

The boat was named “Darrell” following the Club tradition of giving new Coastal Fours female names and launched by the Club Secretary – Mrs Darrell Reeve – who the boat was named after - in recognition of her long service to the Club.

The Club would like to acknowledge the financial support they received from several former and existing Club Members – as well as the IW Sports Foundation, Wight Aid, the Rowing Foundation and Southern Water.

New Boat Naming Ceremony & Launching. on Sunday, 23rd April, 2023 at 12.45pm. at our Clubhouse, Appley Park, Ryde, Isle of Wight.

Reminder - New Boat Naming Ceremony & Launching. on Sunday, 23rd April, 2023 at 12.45pm. at our Clubhouse, Appley Park, Ryde, Isle of Wight.

Ryde Rowing Club will be holding an informal naming and launching ceremony for their new in-line Coastal Coxed Four/Quad this Sunday, 23rd April at 12.45pm.

All members & guests are welcome. 

The Bar will be open