Bridge to Bridge rowing race goes ahead despite difficult conditions

Head of the River winner, UBC's Pat Carroll, with Philippa Baker-Hogan and Peter Smith.

Whanganui Rowing Association held a successful Bridge to Bridge (B2B) eights race and small boat Head of the River race last Saturday, despite tricky conditions on the day.

Both races started at the Ūpokongaro Cycle Bridge and finished adjacent to the Treadwell Gordon Building in Taupō Quay, a distance of 10,500 metres.

The finish was shortened from a route which included the Town Bridge due to river conditions.

Race director Gus Scott had to make a tough call regarding whether it was safe to race, with the river running higher and faster and debris in the river.

He eventually decided it was safe to race at 7am, to the pleasure of local rowers, as well as visitors from Auckland (North Shore and Auckland’s ‘Michelin Men’, as well as some Wellington and Nelson rowers).

The Head of the River race got away about 9.45am, with 11 crews - all quadruple sculls, except for race winner Pat Carroll, Union Boat Club (UBC), who raced a single scull.

Pat won in 33 minutes, 14.68 seconds, with UBC Women’s Intermediate Coxed Quad Scull of Rose Hurlimann, Pip Scanlan, Summit Storr, Emma Aspinall and coxswain Charlie O’Hagen taking silver, and Whanganui Collegiate School’s Boys Under 18 Coxed Quad of Zac Burke, Matt Poulton, Jaden Allen, Thomas Fraser and coxswain Jack Walker taking the bronze.

The main event, the B2B, started at 10am, with seven Coxed Eights and one Octuple entered.

The winner was first across the line, which was the North Shore Women’s Masters E 8+ crew in 31 minutes, 39.25 seconds.

Silver went to Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club’s Intermediate Women’s Octuple, while Wellington/UBC/Nelson Rowing Clubs’ Masters A Women’s 8+ won the bronze.

The prognostic time is the fastest possible theoretical gold medal time that a boat can race two kilometres for their age group/grade (the standard Olympic rowing distance).

Due to the Whanganui River flowing very fast for the race, a number of crews exceeded 100 per cent prognostic.

It was a slow row home, though.

Upcoming pre-Christmas regattas for the Whanganui Rowing region are the Johns Trophy Regatta in Waitara on Saturday, November 26 and the Jury Cup Regatta on the Whanganui 2km Aramoho course, set for Saturday, December 3.