Women’s races were in the morning. Racing began 8.13am with Yvonne in WN 1x who spent ample time preparing on the warm-up lake, and cheered on by her children at home watching mummy race on livestream. She missed 2nd place by 0.7 seconds and achieved 3rd with a good baseline time of 4:54. Ken and Cecile are very proud of her result on the back of their coaching and mentoring. Special thanks to Cecile who is undertaking the Rowing NSW Coach Her Way program and her level 2 coaching certification. (A training session together at SIRC shown at right.)
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50 min later our Head Coach Steve was on the water as BRO and greeted Rosemary, Yvonne, Catherine and Adriana in the WD 4x as they neared the start line. He sent them off in time with a youthful war cry of BRUNO MARS to the glee of young Adriana in Stroke seat who held evening concert tickets! Complimentary racing feedback was received on the efforts of the crew who placed 3rd. Quick observations shared by coach Charles highlighted a Negative Split (3 secs faster in second half), credible time against competitive master’s crews and a good base to build on.
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Over the next two hours was a series of Double events; Catherine and Adriana in WN 2x placing 5th, followed by Petra and Janine in WD 2x placing 6th and then Rosemary and Yvonne in WD 2x placing 3rd. All crews rowed consistently and recorded the negative splits that Steve likes to see. With the women done it was time for a well-earned lunch, a bit of merchandise shopping at the stalls, and for the men to start their racing.
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JB Sharpe Regatta 1 - Glebe 5 June 2022There was excitement and a touch of apprehension in the air as our three newest competitors took to the water for their first race. Adrianna, Catherine and Yvonne and a large group of supporters were at Blackwattle Bay for the first of this year’s JB Sharpe series. Conditions were challenging with an incoming tide and a blustery nor-wester pushing all boats to bow side. The first event is the sprint race of the series over a 450m course. It was expected to be a learning experience for our rowers and that is how it turned out. The first lesson learnt was that races are started with a hooter rather than a gruff, bearded coach growling ‘Go!’.
First on the water was Adrianna who because of her illustrious schoolgirl rowing career was ineligible for the novice single. She entered the handicap race against some very handy rowers. She settled into a good rhythm only to have the cross wind push her into one of the course buoys. Adrianna managed to disentangle herself where a less composed rower would have gone for a swim. She completed the race in fine style. Yvonne and Catherine were on the water 40 minutes later. Getting to the start line was challenging with squally winds, luxury cruisers and dragon boats churning up the bay. Both rowers had a slow start (What was that hooter for?) but soon settled into their work. Yvonne turned the power on and soon made up lost ground on the Leichhardt rower. By half way she was in front and held her form for a good win. Catherine negotiated the tricky southern lane, keeping a good line and finished in third place. Well done to all rowers and coaches. Next event is in a fortnight on the UTS course in Iron Cove. (MH) |
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The 2022 NSW Masters Rowing Regatta returned to Taree for the first time since 2007, principally because recent widespread flooding made both SIRC and the Nepean river course unusable. As all Masters events are held over 1000m, it was possible to start near the bridge with the finish at the Manning River club-house, a course that nearly everybody prefers to the standard Taree layout running in the opposite direction. Races were held over Saturday and Sunday, and our early arrival on Friday meant that we could set up our tents overlooking the main launching beach, with the boats very close to a convenient small inlet from which boats could come and go easily.
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Day 1: Saturday 30th April
Racing began on Saturday morning with very little wind and the tide running against the boats (high tide about 10am). First off were Lillian and Petra in the WMH 2x. The one J crew was combined with this race, so the three H crews had to wait for 40 seconds: our crew recovered 20 seconds of that, and finished third in their race. The next event for us had Andrew combining with Drummoyne RC rowers (some ex-ARC) to finish two seconds off the gold in the MMF 4x. At 9.25am, the MMH 4- crew of Bob, Neil, Russ and Mike put in a good effort in a 2-crew event, eventually finishing not too far behind a very strong UNSW/SRC crew featuring the super-sub Ken Ambler (of whom more later). |
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Soon after this Janine and Suzie featured in the two heats of the WMF 1x. In Janine's race only four of the five rowers showed up, so the BRO informed everyone that only the first three would progress; Janine missed out by two seconds, but was surprised, after the event, to find herself listed as competing in the final - very confusing. Suzie in the next heat was up against strong competition, and also missed progressing to the final by just two seconds.
The last event before the morning break saw Cecile and Ken Major (Glebe Rowing Club) continuing their good form through the season and missing first place by just 0.4 seconds in their Mix A-C 2x division. Cecile was most aggrieved to learn that there were no medals for 2nd/3rd places in mixed races; if possible more so, when she found out that if they had indeed won they would have got mugs, not medals (hard to hang a mug around your neck!). |
Two events later saw the three Mix G-M 2x crews on the water. The first division had Janine and Joe competing with Suzie and Terry. All was going as expected until half-way when a spectacular squall came through. The rowers possibly had the best of it: those on shore battled to hold the tents down and/or to save the boats from damage.
Ignoring the conditions, Joe and Janine scored a strong third, with Suzie and Terry just six seconds behind in a very closely contested race. |
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After a long wait, with concern that the rest of the day's racing might be cancelled, the wind dropped and the rain went away, and the final ARC crews got ready. The WMG 4- of Rosemary, Lillian, Suzie and Janine rowed well in difficult conditions for third place.
In the next event the the MMH 4x lined up against five crews, with strong competition from Manning River and Port Macquarie. Terry, Russ, Joe and Mike started very strongly and only surrendered the lead half-way through the race - they eventually finished with an excellent fourth, probably their best row for the season. |
The cold and wind, to say nothing of the early dusk, meant that dinner was held under cover at the motel, after pre-dinner cocktails at Neil's - good chicken (not raw nor in a curry), great salads and desserts, and much appreciated guests (Wendy Zammit, Ken Ambler and Dave Rosenfeld), before an early finish.
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Day 2: Sunday 1st May
Sunday morning began with rigging the eight and the two men's doubles, while five women prepared for the WMG 4x, Suzie, Petra, Rosemary and Janine in the ARC crew, and Lillian subbing in the Newcastle boat. ARC finished just ahead of Newcastle, in 4th and 5th places respectively. The next event, the MMH 2x, saw Joe and Mike battling with Port Macquarie for 4th place in a fast race, but Bob and Russ on the near side of the course had other ideas, and came through to steal 4th on the line. |
The Mix G-M 8+ had Neil, Terry, Russ and Mike join all the women from the G quads, with Petra coxing, but the very experienced older H crews proved too strong. The Mix D-F 2x followed, with Cecile and coach Ken M. just missing the mug (again!) in a very fast time. In division two Andrew combined with ex-ARCer Jodie for 3rd in a fast time.
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An hour or so later brought one of the big events for ARC. Missing regulars Denis and Charlie, our coach Andrew stepped up. Inspired texting by Mike brought in super-sub Ken Ambler, who is not only an ace rower but is suitably old enough to let the crew scrape into H grade. But there was no scraping in the MMH 8+ event. Bob, Terry, Russ, Neil, Joe and Mike combined with the two subs and cox & coach Ken Major to see off St George and finish less than ten seconds behind gold medallists North Shore. A great silver medal, one enjoyed by all. Soon after this Rosemary and Suzie rowed nicely in the WMF 2x to qualify for the final.
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In the next race, Cecile finished first in her heat of the WMD 2x. She improved her time by 12s in the final, but it was not quite enough and she finished with a hard-fought 5th place. Next up Andrew got another third in a composite Drummoyne mixed crew. But a surprise was yet to come: Bob was clearly not satisfied with silver in the men's eight and managed to find a Mosman crew needing a sub and desperate to show him how to win gold in the MMI-M 8+. So, silver and gold within two hours!
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(CNow to the last three ARC events. Petra and Janine rowed a very strong race in the WMG 2x, but could not quite catch 4th place in the last 100m. Three events later Terry lined up for the MMH 1x. He was rowing well on the far side of the course, and a strong lift near the end got him over the line in 4th place, a second ahead of the next competitor. Finally, Andrew in a composite crew scored another 4th in the MME 4x.
After washing and loading boats, most of the ARC contingent met up at the Taree golf club for a much-appreciated dinner, featuring a surprise birthday cake for one of the older rowers. (CM, Photos: LH & RNSW) |
The Drummoyne Masters Regatta turned out to be a pretty good one, both in terms of results and rowing conditions.
Though some of us got rained on at some stage, it never last for long with water and wind conditions overall much better than forecast. Above all, our ARC contingent did pretty well that day, both flying the club colours and in partnership with other clubs (Glebe and Drummoyne Rowing Clubs), coming 1st, 2nd or 3rd in all 14 events competed in but two! |
The highlight of the day was undeniably our composite ARC/GRC Men's 8+ crew who were first off on the water and went on to win their race against another three crews, crossing the finish line under 4mins! (@3.58.65). We were thankful to our GRC friends Tim and Richard for filling in on that day and to our very own Bob who worked his magic (again) in making this (and the win) happen. Not surprisingly, our men also got to win the prize for the best "grinning" photos of the day as they proudly showed off their metal off the water at every opportunity - and so they should!
Our efforts were no less impressive in the Men's E 4x event as Andrew and Doug (ex-ARC) came first in an ARC/DRC composite, leading by just over 11 seconds over another 2 competing crews. |
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A lot of small boat action ensued, first with our Women's squad (Lil, Judith, Suzie and Cecile) competing in the WM 2x and WM 1x events and each placing 3rd in their respective age group and division. Composite ARC/DRC and ARC/GRC crews in the MME 2x and MixM 2x events saw Andrew placing 2nd and Cecile & Ken placing 3rd. Mike and Joe did well in the MM F-M 2x event, not only placing second but also beating Neil and Denis to it! Meanwhile, Andrew and Doug (DRC, ex-ARC) also finished 3rd in their division of the same event.
Rounding up the 3rd's for the day was the final event, the MixM 4x event, which saw Ken, Cecile, Belyndy (GRC) and Mark (GRC) finish 3rd in spite of a 27 second handicap, ahead of one other crew and narrowly missing the 2nd place to a (much!) younger B crew. |
On Friday 18th March, a smallish team of Abbotsford competitors headed north for a weekend of fun at the postponed Taree Summer Regatta.
The UTE ran really well with no sign of overheating. Recent rains and flooding had left the grass area in a soggy state, so we were allowed to back our trailers onto the grass from the car park. North Shore had two trailers parked near ours while other clubs parked in the street behind the new Manning River clubhouse. |
The afternoon saw a slight change in the weather. That is if you can call torrential rain and violent wind gusts slight.
The main recipients of this were the men’s 4- of Mike, Russ, Charlie and Terry. While marshalling for the start they were hit with a shower that left 15mm of water in the footwells. Hats, hands and shoes were used to get some of the water out but when racing started there was a fair amount of sloshing around our ankles. The crew finished a credible 4th . |
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The final races were doubles events conducted into a strong headwind. In the MD2x Russ and Mike were sitting in second place behind a couple of kids from Manning River until the 100m mark. They were passed by the Kemps (father and son). However a big push over the last 20 strokes saw Abbotsford beat Newcastle by 0.25 seconds. (Never in doubt!) Charlie and Terry were not too far behind in 5th place. Two women’s crews contested the WM2x. Suzie and Rosemary rowed well in the difficult conditions to come third in a heat of F grade rowers. Petra and Janine drew a hot heat of G and H rowers and also performed well to get 4th .
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The next day, to our delight we all woke up to drier and sunnier weather though wind and water conditions remained difficult in true Taree-style. Our Mixed 4x's were first off, with our composite ARC/GRC crew (Ken, Cecile, Belyndy and Mark) placing 2nd behind a faster and younger Port Macquarie/Manning River crew, and Petra, Lil, Russ and Bob placing 5th having to race younger crews without the benefit of handicaps, arguably making it a particular tough race. The Men's Masters Quad event followed with Mike, Charlie, Bob and Terry finishing 4th against a strong field and beating arch-rival LRC by 10 seconds!
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For our Women's squad, the WM 1x and WD 1x single scull events were arguably the toughest races but also those that delivered some of our strongest results in spite of deteriorating conditions. Janine, Rosemary and Suzie battled it out in the WM 1x event as they raced each other mercilessly, respectively placing 2nd, 3rd and 4th, with Janine overcoming an impressive 10 seconds handicap! Meanwhile, in the WD 1x event, Cecile finished second, ahead of 3 other scullers and missing out on the 1st place by just under 7 seconds, as she battled white caps, gusty winds and stronger currents in the (now infamous) Lane 1 where the river widens in the last 500m.
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The day wrapped up with more small boat fun for both our Women's and Men's squads, with Suzie & Janine, Petra & Rosemary racing the WD 2x event (each crew placing 5th in their respective division), and Russ & Bob winning the inter-club competition over Terry & Charlie in the MM 2x event.
The racing action was followed by a much-deserved picnic on the river bank before boat loading. And as we all went back home later that day or the next day, reminiscing the weekend that was with wild weather and all, unbeknown to us then was that we would soon be back for more Manning River fun. This time for the NSW Masters State Championships. (CF, Photos: LH) |
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Margaret told us the story of the Wangal clan of the Eora Nation calling the land around Hen and Chicken Bay Wareemba. This area was a major meeting place of clans from the Sydney region and is considered to this day an area of major indigenous significance. Calling our boat Wareemba is in essence a tribute to the original inhabitants and the importance of the area traditionally, as well as being an easily recognizable part of our current local community (where most of us have coffee on Mondays). She further explained that the name meant "where sweet waters meet", a reference to where salt water (the harbour waters) and fresh water (Parramatta River) meet.
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Meanwhile, Allons-y!'s origin is anchored in Operation Buffalo, an ABC comedy-drama and work of historical fiction (though some of the events recounted actually happened). Filmed in South Australia in 2019, the series tells the story of an eclectic crew's attempt to keep a British nuclear testing base running. As paranoia runs high and shocking events unfold, in one defining scene, British military-lifer and francophile General the Lord Harrington Crankford (played by American actor James Cromwell) turns to face the camera and says with an inviting smile "Allons-y!" ("Let's go, let's do this!"). Quite a fitting call to action for rowing and racing! And so, just like that, Allons-y! (the boat) was born.
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Amazingly, on D-day, both weather and on-water conditions were (thankfully) nothing like those forecast. On the contrary. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a breeze and a near-mirror-like Iron Cove. Against all expectations, the promised stormy weather and gusty winds never came and all of us got to race in good conditions across all boat classes.
First off, were Cécile, Janine and Suzie in their WD 1x event, each competing in consecutive divisions. All three put up a good fight, with Cécile placing 3rd and leaving another three competitors trailing behind, Janine making her single sculling comeback and together with Suzie having to contend with younger competition (UNSW). |
Our Men's 8+ was next, placing 5th and beating one of the Leichhardt crews on their own turf to our great satisfaction. The WD 4x events followed, with both Ladies' crews faced with tough competition and Janine, Cécile, Enza and Petra taking Wareemba (our new racy lightweight Women's quad) out for her first ever race for ARC and placing 3rd hot on the heels of a Leichhardt crew. |
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The MD 2x was a great opportunity for our men's crews to outdo each other as three crews ended up racing in the same division, with Mike and Joe leading the ARC pack in 4th place, narrowly beating Charlie and Terry by 1.12sec, followed by Russ and Bob making their double scull début. The WD 2x were next, with Janine and Petra placing 3rd in their division (only 7 seconds behind a UNSW crew, no mean feat!), Suzie and Rosemary placing 4th, and the Cécile/Enza duo only just making it to the finish line after running into unexpected issues: a crab after a strong start followed by close BRO tinnie wash made it impossible to save their race - but that's also rowing sometimes!
The day finished with more ARC vs ARC racing fun in the MD 4x event, with Russ, Neil, Mike and Bob beating Denis, Joe, Charlie and Terry by just under 6 seconds. |
Regatta action aside, the major highlight of the day was the naming of a new Leichhardt RC boat after Bob's name - a testament to how respected and loved Bob is by his LRC peers and a reminder to us all of how lucky we are to have him and Russ as ARC Club members! (CF, Photos: LH, NMcC)
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Andrew had four rows, a forgettable 1x, two mixed crews and a Seeded 1000m M4x (but only four entries so the 'seeding' was irrelevant) where Andrew and ex-ARC Richard combined with two other DRC rowers for a hard-fought win. Tough day overall. (AP)
The next day, Andrew was joined by one other club member, Cecile, who ventured to Berry Park for the first time, in order to compete in the Endeavour Rowing Club Regatta. Cecile was accompanied by two ARC friends and Glebe RC rowers, Ken (ARC coach) and Belyndy. All three had come for the day with the firm intention to make the most of it i.e., race hard (with no less than 9 races planned between them) but most of all have FUN. Our small yet enthusiastic contingent was not disappointed. |
Cecile was first off the rank, placing a close second to Lake Macquarie in her WM 1x @3:53.33 and beating another 4 competitors. Andrew and Ken were next in the MM 1x event, with Andrew placing a close third to Lake Macquarie @4:02.40 and Ken winning the race. Cecile and Belyndy ended up down to the wire in the WD 1x, with Cecile placing 2nd to Lake Macquarie @5:04.26 and changing tidal currents extending racing times for all.
More small boat racing fun followed with Cecile and Belyndy racing the WM 2x against some tough competition, narrowly missing the 3rd place by under 3 seconds after hitting a buoy and being distracted by gesticulating BRO's (we now know why). |
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The day finished as it started, on a high, with a win from Cecile & Ken in the MixM 2x @4:06.18, leading by just over 20 seconds over Endeavour.
All went back home satisfied with their weekend's efforts and results, having raced some of the finest metropolitan and regional competitors, and for some not before stopping for a cheeky celebratory tipple on the way! (CF) |
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On the morning of 6th February, a fearless group of us made our way to Iron Cove, where challenging weather conditions awaited us for our first Grade regatta of the 2021/2022 season.
Indeed, this was no ordinary regatta for our club as it was also Chris's big racing debut in our Men's 8+! Though, in truth, Chris's regatta initiation had started the morning before, when he joined our boat loading routine and marvelled at how we expertly (yet somewhat randomly) loaded boats, riggers and oars at once and at speed into the trailer. A ritual perhaps best described as, erm, a ballet - as he kindly put it! |
24 hours later, undeterred by the weather forecast (or younger competitors in attendance, in revealing zooties and trendy oakleys), we got to our destination bright and early to grab one of the most enviable spots facing the course and set up camp there for the day ahead. Just not without knocking out Miss Battersea's fin on our way through the trees first...! This however did nothing to dampen our spirits. Soon after unloading, a small army of boat fairies led by Mike and Bob worked their magic on our finless quad and in no time, Miss B was taped up and ready again to kick some goals on the water.
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The MD 8+ race was followed by the WDx1 event across 4 divisions, which by mid morning proved a rather epic race for our lady scullers (Petra, Rosemary, Suzie and Cécile), having to contend with unpleasant gusty winds at the start line and in the last 300m or so of the course. Rosemary did us proud by placing 3rd, with all deserving a medal just for staying afloat and making it to the finish.
One of our MD4x crews (Andrew, Mke, Joe and Bob) was not so lucky however: they did not finish after colliding with an "oarless" women's pair in distress in the transit line, having to hold on to their boat until help came. After all, it is hard to balance a pair... with one oar! |
As the day progressed and windy conditions got worse... we performed better! Snatching a few 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in no less than 5 consecutive events. By midday, our WDx2 crews (Enza & Cecile, Rosemary & Suzie) went on to win metal (and arguably one of the best looking medals ever in honor of BRC's 140th anniversary) in their respective divisions, followed by Mike & Joe placing 2nd in their MD2x race and our WD4+ (Lil, Judy, Sue and Judith) and WD4x (Rosemary, Sue, Enza and Petra) crews each placing 3rd. |
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And so, as always, in true Iron Cove-style, there was drama and laughter on and off the water. With unpredictable weather making the taste of victory (and the celebratory tipple on our return) even sweeter! (CF, Photos: LH)
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