North Berwick sent a young team with some level headed [Ed: “old”] mentors down to Maiden’s in Ayrshire.The event was planned to be a two day one, with a junior regatta on the Sunday. However before the teams were recruited the ambition was reduced to a one day event with the excisman’s chase (an 8km time trial out and back along the coast) in the morning and a junior sprint in the afternoon.
Blackadder got to meet six skiffs for the clyde. She found herself lining up against skiffs from Troon, Royal West, Girvan, Cumbrae, Firth of Clyde and host club Carrick.
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The outward leg of the Exciseman’s saw Cameron Robertson join the senior collegues Robbie, Claire and Issy with coxain Rachael. Conditions were fairly three dimensional. Crews set off at roughly two minute intervals, with one crew member (usually the youngest one) running from race control with a contraband token. The crew then raced along the coast trying to keep the breaking waves to starboard, and the Isle of Arran to port. Cox Rachel picked out the change over beach, which was just to the North of Stunning Culzean Castle. Starting second the NB crew quickly overhauled Girvan, and left the rest of the fleet fairly far behind.
Time for finding contraband. Cameron took his token and was issued with a bottle of whisky (surely against some licensing law somewhere). He brought it down to the boat as crew members swapped round. Robbie moved to cox, Rachel to a rowing thwart, Issy changed seats but kept rowing, Steve and Mel jumped aboard and we were off again into a sharp breaking sea. As we got further along the coast, passing the incoming crews, the waves were massive. Really huge. But the crew were heroic, and Blackadder looked after us. We surfed down the last section into the harbour, then powered through the now flat water before running up the beach, and sending Mel up with the whisky to stop the clock. About one hour and thirteen minutes rowing. Now to wait the return of the other clubs, and check out there times, keeping our fingers crossed. Oh so close, but the all male crew from Royal West beat us by a gnats baw hair [Ed: “small margin”]. Oh well, second was an honorable result and we accepted it with grace.
After lunch we had the sprints. Juniors first and a first race for Christy, Adam and Eliza, who were joined by our experience 12 year old Connor. Who could beat such a fabby foursome. No one without a North Berwick rep in their crew it would seem. Six boats lined up for the start (largest ever entry for a junior race?). Our North Berwick youngsters were second, beaten by Skiffy McNish, crewed by Cameron and Mel, with rowers from Royal West and Troon. All exciting stuff and an excellent start to racing for our new Juniors.
Finally we had a scary mixed bag sprint with a couple of Trooners joining Blackadder, who came in second to Chippy for the third time in the day. Again the consolation was that Chippy had a red shirt in him again, this time our Issy.
So well done rowers and coxes, enjoying the challenging conditions and enjoying the chance to row with Clyde crews.
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