Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s annual Boxing Day Scratch Regatta took place early on Thursday morning and over eighty members managed to leave their beds to come down to the river. The crews were supported by friends and relatives who came down to watch the spectacle and cheer.
Competitors, also including former members and visiting rowers, took part with a mix of mature and younger members from all sections of the Club. Some of the athletes had been rowing for less than a year. Multiple crews raced in a knock out competition: the final had to be re-run to get a clear result after a dead heat! The conditions were mild with little wind or current and the crews were supported by Club volunteers driving the safety launch and acting as scorers.
J17/J18 coach Dr Graham Collier, race organiser said, “All races were over a short sprint course from the Ferry to the Club grounds on the Town stretch of the River Avon.” The racing provided great interest to early morning sightseers and visitors watching from the Recreation Ground, The Royal Shakespeare Theatre Terrace, Bancroft Gardens and The Tramway Bridge. Said Dawson Curnock, Chairman for Stratford Boat Club, “The scratch regatta caught the imagination of all that came down to the river and this year’s racing included many more juniors and members of our ever growing adaptive squad.”
Commenting, Steve Wellstead, Junior Co-ordinator and start umpire for the racing said, “It was great to have such a mix of members competing and especially some of the weekday rowers who we often don’t see during the weekend sessions. Their participation in the running of the Club has been a great bonus as they bring management and organizational skills to the Club as well as offering their time and effort volunteering and carrying out maintenance and other jobs.”
Stratford upon Avon Boat Club will be back on the river this weekend and after the New Year training hard for the 2020 head season and our own regatta in June.
For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online http://www.stratford-herald.com/104676-stratford-boat-club-gears-2020.html and page fifteen.
For more great pictures of the Boxing Day Scratch Regatta, see Kathy Baines’ excellent selection https://1drv.ms/f/s!AgY7EiDB2lCOg6ZWOj-VQR1erO43pg