Dartmouth, Gloucester and Ross Regattas

 
Dart-Totnes rowing club had a busy August Bank Holiday weekend with three regattas in four days. Starting with Dartmouth Royal on the Thursday there were wins for the junior 18, veteran D and womens novice coxed fours crews with the womens open double scull crew of Laura Hutchinson and Lucy Obolensky adding to the trophy count.
 
Championship leaders of mens junior 18 coxed four extended their lead with another fine win. The crew of Henry Wallace, Nick Lovering, Peter Kerswell-Jensen, Owen Small and coxed by Steve Grimes stamped their authority on the Championship with only one more West of England regatta to go in the series. Womens novices Naomi Osborne, Kathy Lovering, Amanda Flemming, Laura Hutchinson and coxed by Gill Pedrick justified a hard seasons training by also winning in the choppy estuary waters. Misfortune, though, for the womens senior C crew who found themselves in a line up of eight crews with only room for six across. After several attempts over twenty five minutes, the organisers eventually split the event into two heats of four, alas with no success for Totnes.
 
Easiest win of the day went to the Totnes veteran D crew of Ian Andrews, John Harris, Ray Davis, Pete Atkinson and coxed by Louis van Digelle who qualified for a massive sixteen second start in the age handicapped veteran race of just 1000 metres against two veteran B and one veteran C crew. They hardly needed the start and cruised across the finish line in style.
 
Gloucester regatta this year was held on the Ross-on-Wye course due to extensive engineering work being carried out on Gloucester Canal. The 750 metre course features a significant bend with deceptive staggers at start and finish to compensate. Again there were convincing wins for Totnes veterans and juniors with James Lovering winning junior 13 single sculls easily, Louise Hawkyard winning womens J12 singles and Pete Atkinson doubling up and taking both veteran C and D single sculls trophies. A good days racing for Totnes with most competitors getting through their first round races and only being beaten by the eventual event winners.
 
Ross Veterans and Juniors regatta was held the following day on exactly the same course and most crews camped near the rowing club site. There were good wins for the J15 coxed quad of Tim Whittet, Matt Vincent, Stuart Cock, Louis van Digelle, coxed by Claire Gardner and the veteran D coxed four of Nick Price, Mick Rolley, Alan Langmaid, Steve Lamkin, coxed by Steve Grimes who had an easy win over Worcester. The vets did not have it so easy at veteran C level having the closest finish of the day against friendly rivals Stourport by just six inches in the semi final and losing the final by three quarters of a length to a very young Worcester/Bewdley crew.
 
There was racing drama for James Lovering in the final of his J13 single scull event when his rival from Gloucester rowed up the bank and ultimately up a tree during a very close race leaving James with an easy win. There was a well deserved win for Sophie Glenn-Cox and Rose Willoughby in the womens J16 double sculls and Louise Hawkyard continued her winning streak with a comfortable win in her final of womens J12 singles after a very close race in the semis. Pete Atkinson again won easily at both veteran C and D single sculls, gaining valuable race practice before competing in the World Masters in New York later this year. Hugh Tubbs also upheld the veteran winning tradition with an easy win at vet F against Warwick.
 
Last race of the day saw the mixed veteran crew of Emily Palmer, Jess Carter, Nick Price, Mick Rolley and coxed by Steve Grimes complete the clubs success with a comfortable win against Warrington despite the ladies having rowed in consecutive races and the men still recovering from their vet D final.
 
 
Alan Langmaid, vice-chairman and PR, Dart-Totnes ARC.