Our inaugural event I woke up on the morning of the event to find the most perfect sea conditions. The forecast had predicted the hottest day of the year so far, Stepping outside to head down to the regatta this was definitely true!
The nerves started to kick in. On a personal note, along with Oli, this would be my first time coxing in a race. On top of that it was clear that rowing in this heat would be a task in itself. I picked up Pippa on the way through and we gave each other words of encouragement and support, so typical of our club.
On arrival, it was obvious how well organised this event had been. We had eight clubs in total, three of which were local, including ourselves, Lewes PGC and Newhaven PGC. Others had travelled some distance, including Langstone, Eastney, Tudor (Portsmouth), Rowhedge (Essex) and London Cornish.
Once registered, we collected our green bands and looked at the course in front of us, marked with four buoys, the first 800 metres into the distance.
We had a mix of crews competing, culminating in a Challenge row. This took up much of the day with a presentation wrapping up the formalities.
The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed with food and drink available. The coxes meeting took place at 10:30am. The crews were given half an hour’s notice to gather at ‘munster point’. It worked seamlessly well from beginning to end.
I jumped into the opening race which was our Men’s B. I have never experienced such tough conditions to row in. Even with a slight southerly breeze, it was so humid and to everyone who competed it was a testament to their determination to compete. We finished in 4th followed by Women’s B in 2nd, Men’s A in 2nd, Women’s A in 1st, Mixed B in 1st and 2nd in the Challenge race.
From a coxing point of view, I have never felt such a buzz in a boat. I coxed two races and in each one, no one could have worked harder. I also found a new found love of coxing. Racing brings a different dimension to being in a gig and feels slightly contagious! Each cox should be rightly proud of themselves for stepping in, because it takes courage to do so. That can also be said for the rowers who rowed in the heat throughout the day. However, whatever role you had on the day, the smiling (slightly exhausted!) faces said it all.
The results of the races left us second overall by one point. An amazing achievement for our small club and we should all be immensely proud of ourselves.
The event was a huge success and our thanks goes to all of the organisers, along with the port authorities. We look forward to the same event next year.
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