The Summer Series opened at Chelmsford on 23rd April. There were 39 entries in the key events: the 500m and 200m heats. Apart from a few sunny intervals the day was largely chilly but even a short icy shower did not seem to dampen the paddlers' enthusiasm. A few extra paddlers joined in to make up crews for the K2 200m races. The racing finished with a 3000m K1 time trial. The results can be found on the Summer Series Results page. The next Summer Series Regatta will take place at Herts Young Mariners Base on 15th May. Series points from each race will be cumulated across the four races of the season, and series trophies will be awarded at the last race.
One hundred and twenty six paddlers representing 10 different clubs turned out for the final race of the series and were rewarded with some fine, crisp weather. There was a photo-finish in class 1 when Sophie Parker & Peter Wilkes (CLM) won the senior K2 race by a second ahead of Leanne Brown & Aaron Jordan (BAD). There was a similarly tight result in Men's GP where Jack Eagles (BAD) finished just ahead of Tim Chamberlin (CLM). James Russell, Caitlin Field O'Hanlon & Danielle Clifford, and Katy Dixon each completed their 6th successive win. See the full results for the Leaside Winter Series race. David and Penny Glover have put a video of the race on You-Tube.
Below, videos of start/finishes by Chris (BSCC) and from K2 camera by David & Penny (Cambridge CC)
A number of perpetual trophies are already in the bag for some high-performers. Leanne Brown & Aaron Jordan (Senior K2), Keith Moule (Mens K1), Danny Beazley (Vet Mens K1), James Russell (u18 Mens K1), Melissa Johnson (u18 Ladies K1), Caitlin Field O'Hanlon & Danielle Clifford (u16 K2), and Katy Dixon (12 Girls K1) have each managed to win all five of their races so far, and are therefore unassailable. In most other cases though, the winners of the class trophies (engraved glasses for first, second and third place) and the perpetual trophies hang on the outcome of the last race. Check how you are doing in the series results so far. Please remember that it is your best 5 results only that count, and each paddler/crew must have entered at least three races to be eligible. The series trophies will be presented at the final race - Leaside on 6th March.
It was a cold day - but not unreasonable given that it is January after all! There was no repeat of yesterday's rain and we even had wintery sunshine. In total there were 107 entries. The new courses (2, 4 or 6 laps) meant that those on the longest course did not need to go out so far into the estuary, and thus avoided the issues with tankers which bedevilled last year's event. It also made a much better race for the spectators who got to see a lot more of the action. The organisers were careful to check that all boats had buoyancy (note well for next year!) but got everyone onto the water with great efficiency. It was a later than usual start for the race due to the tide, but the nature of the new courses enabled many of the classes to start simultaneously and prevented much waiting around.
There were 114 competitors at the race on 6th December, hosted by HYM-COPS at Herts Young Mariners Base, Cheshunt - a slightly lower turnout than usual, probably due to the blowy conditions. Choppy water caused a couple of capsizes at the start, but the course was well-manned with rescue crews.
The series will continue after Christmas with a race at Barking on 10th January.
Mild and sunny weather on the day of the race (15 November) came as a relief after the cold and wet conditions in the preceding days. One hundred and fifty four competitors turned out to enjoy the surprisingly pleasant conditions. Even the stiff breeze was not without benefit as it helped to dry out the field before the race sufficiently to allow parking.
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.
We will have a few T-shirts (adult sizes) at Cambridge and some lucky people will be able to buy those on the day. (Although there is overlap between the chest sizes for adult and junior sizes, they differ in the body length.) Support the Winter Series - buy a T-shirt!
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:
There was a good turnout of 59 entries for the Sprint Regatta at Stortford, and the day stayed fine and dry. After the usual 500m and 200m heats there were some 500m and 2000m K2 races. It was particularly pleasing to see that so many people stayed for the prizegiving. Stortford Mayor Daniel Abbott was unfortunately called into work at the last minute and was only able to stop by the event briefly, but Deputy Mayor Councillor Colin Woodward gamely stepped into the breach and presented the awards.
See the results from the Stortford regatta and also the 2015 Summer Series class trophy results. |
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