Head of the Ouse Regatta from Affinity Rowing Club

At The Head of the Ouse Regatta this year Lewes Rowing Club, Lewes Pilot Gig Club and Affinity Rowing Club competed and raised money for 2 Charities (Limbpower and Invictus Foundation).

Matt summarises the day:

 

As a club it was our first “Head of the Ouse” and I don’t think our crew knew really what to expect with the 10km+ row, other than this was going to be an epic experience.

We watched the others start and a few nerves started creeping into our boat as we crossed the start line.  Then … we were off, in our first race together.

This is where our Cox, Nikki, came into her own. You could tell the concentration was there from the moment she was lining us up to start. You could also see the determination and racing sparkle, just bubbling below the surface that would see us through to the end.

About a third of the way through, I fixed a glance behind me, and I could see we were gaining on the other boats who started ahead. My competitive hat was on as I realised, with this crew, we might have a chance. We were getting closer, a few boat lengths now, closer again… then we had to wait to pass underneath Southease Bridge.

With supporters cheering us on, we started to push through to the finish.  Nikki got us to dig deep, to get back into rhythm, and she showed what could be achieved with a calm and relaxed coxing demeanour, as we slipped into first place.

But to guarantee a win, we need to hold our lead – “One more bend” became our mantra, as we snaked our way to the finish line at Lewes, and … before we knew it … we’d finished. And we think we’d won!

When the final results were announced, I celebrated with my friends the only way I could at that time of night… with a raised glass of rum.

The welcome from our friends at Lewes Rowing Club was awesome – with cheering and cakes after an epic row.

As much as the row was an amazing experience and the win was truly epic, it was the coming together of an amazing group of people. It’s this Rowing community and the event organising crew, that got us all to the start line today.

 

Results Ladies’

 

1^st Grace O’Malley (ARC)

2^nd Betty (LRC)

3^rd Billy Pritchard (LPGC)

4^th Lily (LRC)

 

Results Mens’

 

1^st Betty (LRC)

2^nd Billy Pritchard (LPGC)

3^rd Grace O’Malley (ARC)

4^th Betty (LRC)

 

Interested in knowing more? Check out the local rowing clubs

 

Lewes Rowing Club – www.lewesrowingclub.co.uk

Newhaven Gig Rowing Club – www.ngrc.co.uk

Lewes Pilot Gig Club – www.lewespilotgigclub.co.uk

Affinity Rowing Club – www.affinityrowingclub.co.uk

 

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