Great success on the Cleddau!
April 11th saw Aberystwyth Sea Rowing Club take part in their first race of the season – and what a start they had.
Following great success in 2014 where Aberystwyth Rowing Club were crowned Welsh Champions in no less than 8 Categories (Welsh Joint Club Champions, Southern Club Champions Welsh Mens Veterans Joint Champions, North and South and Under 16 girls Wales, Northern and Southern League) they started off the season with the traditional Return of the Cleddau Race. A race of 13 miles, starting in Haverfordwest and finishing at Neyland yacht Club in Pembrokeshire.
Aberystwyth took 4 teams to the race – the senior men, veteran men, ladies crew and a mixed university crew. The sun was shining, but a strong blustery wind made conditions quite challenging at times. The race was a timed race, with over 30 crews setting off at approximately 30 second intervals. The ladies set off first, followed closely by the mixed crews and both mens crews set off at the back of the field.
The ladies set off first setting a good pace and from the off started overtaking boats in the narrow upper stretches of the River Cleddau. By the time the mens crews set off the regatta was stretched out for nearly a mile and a half. Nevertheless, all crews did well in the early stages with each boat overtaking their share of slower boats.
Half way through the race, the wind picked up and as the boats neared the Cleddau sea state became far more challenging – rowing against the wind was like rowing in toffee!
At results time, it was clear that the winter training had paid off.
The senior mens team came in as overall winners with a clear lead of 2.5 minutes over the nearest boat. The veteran men carried their form across from last year, finishing 3rd overall and winning their category. The ladies crew came in 3rd in their category. Special mention must go to the mixed student crew. For the majority of crew members this was their first race, so to come in 12th in a very strong field augurs well for the rest of the season.
For any budding rowers out there we are running junior and novice sessions starting at 5.30 every Friday evening outside the boat club. Rowing is a sport suitable for all – so if you are looking at a new perspective on seeing the Welsh coastline or want to row for one of the most successful rowing clubs in wales please come along on Fridays and give it a go. For further information please browse through the website, facebook page or twitter feed.
