 Whoever was in charge of ordering the weather definitely let us down for this race, with a persistent icy rain that began just as the race was getting under way and did not let up until just after prizegiving. Nevertheless, 105 paddlers turned up on the day and braved the conditions.
Chelmsford were the overall winners, with Cambridge second and Stortford third. Cambridge won the most Dick Grieve points (based on performance of juniors Div 9 or below). The full club results are included on the end of the main results.
There was another good turnout of 135 competitors for the Cambridge Winter Series race, with the senior doubles class being, as usual, the largest with 24 boats - it was lovely to see five MC2s amongst these. The Vet MK1s were also out in typical force, but more surprisingly their number (14) was equalled by the Open K1 class.
 Ten teams took part. Chelmsford CC were the overall winners at Cambridge (236 points), with Cambridge CC second (122), followed by Norwich CC (95). In the competition for the Dick Grieve Trophy (based on the performance of novice juniors only) Chelmsford CC were again in the lead (43 points) while Bishops Stortford CC and Leighton Buzzard CC tied for second place with 32 points each. This means that with, two more races to go, four clubs (Cambridge, Stortford, Buzzard, and Norwich) all have exactly the same number of series points. There is also a tie for first place in the Dick Grieve competition between Chelmsford and Stortford (with Leighton Buzzard close behind). Even the Bob Porter Trophy (for the club with most participating u12s across the series) is currently tied between Leighton Buzzard, Bishops Stortford and Chelmsford! See
The next race will be at Chelmsford on 15th January.
After an early promise of some sunshine the day proved cold and rather damp. There were still some punts about to add an extra challenge to the proceedings as the race wound its way through the historic backs.  As usual almost a quarter of the competitors had come to take part in the doubles race, which this time had a sufficient number of MC2s participating to justify a separate start.  
 It was a bright but chilly day for the Cambridge marathon and the race proved as popular as ever, with pre-entries at one point approaching 180 competitors. A few were unable to make it on the day leaving 154 participants - still a very high turnout.
The home team were able to muster a large team themselves and secured a very well-deserved second place overall, behind the inevitable winners Chelmsford CC.
The full race results are on the Winter Series results page. There are also a few photos of the race on Flickr and also a time-lapse video shot from one of the K2s (Sze & Panrucker) is on You-Tube.
The next race will be at Herts Young Mariners Base on 15th December.
It was good to bring the Winter Series back to Cambridge after a year's break. The race was particularly well-supported, with a total of 146 competitors drawn from 13 different clubs, as well as several independents.  The size of the senior K2 class, which has been increasing steadily over the last ten years, reached a record 25 boats at this race. Numbers of Canadian canoe entries were particularly good thanks to the welcome return of the Paddlesport Racers Association and Hemel CC.
Full results can be found on the results page, where you can also see your series points total for the race so far, for paddlers/crews and by club. The race was won overall by Chelmsford CC, with hosts Cambridge CC second and Leighton Buzzard CC third. In the Dick Grieve league table (based on performance by novice juniors only), Chelmsford CC were again first, but with Cambridge CC second and Leighton Buzzard third.  The next race in the series will be on 9th December at Herts Young Mariner's Base, Cheshunt.
 141 paddlers took part in the third race of the series at Cambridge. The weather was sunny and mild.
The full results of the day's race can be seen on the WS results page, where series results to date can also be found. The next race will take place at Cheshunt from Herts Young Mariners Base.
An earlier than usual race start, coupled with slick and efficient operation by Donna and her organising team at Cambridge made it possible to have an excellent days racing and finish the prize-giving with time to spare. Race results can be found on the WS Results page.
The Winter Series is starting slightly earlier than usual this year, and at a different venue! The first race will be at Cambridge on Sunday 25th October. Booking in for this race will be open from 9:00-10:15 for an 11:00am race start - but please remember that this is the day that the clocks change to GMT. There will be a running race taking place in Cambridge - see the race page for advice.
Paddlers, please find out from your club who your Team Leader is and let them know in advance that you intend to race. Team Leaders, please register with the FRA Secretary as soon as possible using the Team Leader Registration Form. A poster showing all the dates and the race classes can be downloaded here: WS Poster 2015. The seat fee remains £5 per person. The classes and rules are largely the same as last year (see them on the Winter Series page), but the notable changes for 2015/16 are:
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