It was a fantastic weekend for Dover Rowing club with 6 wins across Dover and Folkestone’s regattas. This was Dover’s largest weekend haul for several years. The J14 crew of Sebastian Steele, James Hale, Jasper Mallet, George Burrows coxed by Tony Burrows were in their first race in a straight sprint on Saturday. The youngsters pulled into an early lead which they maintained to the finish. At Folkestone over a longer course the crew completed well coming home in 3rd place.

Men’s Novice Fours, at Dover, featuring Cameron Mackintosh, Matt Barnett, Nathan Peach, John Cook coxed by Rebecca Stothart eased clear of the pack on the outward leg. A good turn allowed them to push forward and extend their lead securing the crew’s first win. At Folkestone George Newman switched in for Cook. A reduced field saw Dover’s crew win comfortably but prevented Dover’s counting towards promotion.

A frustrating Men’s Junior Pairs saw Christopher Hall and Tom Stothart’s race end in Dover, when a rival crew holed their boat leading to a restart. The Dover boys were unable to compete due to the lack of a boat. Refocused the boys were determined to demonstrate their abilities on Sunday. In an exciting race the boys were neck and neck with Herne Bay through the whole course but held off their opponents to secure the win.

The Men’s Junior Sculls race saw Hall, Peach and Chris Price compete at Dover. A good race saw several boats in contention at the turns including Hall and Peach. A better turn saw Hall in a three way battle with Bexhill and Southsea with Hall narrowly missing 2nd at the line. Peach came home 4th and Price 9th. The heavier conditions at Folkestone saw Price fall in the heats whilst Hall and Peach progressed. In the final Hall entered the turns in 5th but exited in 1st followed by Peach. Hall extended his lead managing to hold off Herne Bay’s late charge, Peach in 3rd was left to rue his less direct line on the return leg.

The Men’s Novice Sculls saw T. Stothart win his heat at Dover with Paul Scrivener, Newman and Macintosh missing out. T. Stothart was narrowly leading the final as he entered the turns but missed his buoy forcing him to row up to the next turn to avoid disqualification. Clearing the turn he had dropped to 5th. Although he put in a storming performance row through three opponents he ran out of water at the line finishing 2nd. At Folkestone T. Stothart again won his heat with Macintosh and Newman again missing out on the final. A strong start saw T. Stothart pull away and he was leading at the turn. He was able to hold off some late pressure to secure his second Novice win and promotion to Junior status.

Dover’s Ladies Junior Fours achieved their preseason target of a top two finish after a history of 3rd and 4th places. The crew of Jen Jordan, Chrissy Purvis, Maria West-Burrows, Kate Smith coxed by Jo Johnston were quickly in a battle for 2nd as the Worthing crew pulled clear of the field. A good turn and a determined push saw them hold off Bexhill to secure 2nd place at Dover. At Folkestone the crew could not repeat the performance dropping to 4th place on the longer course.

J16 Ladies Quad Sculls of Chantel Mayes, Ella Day, Emma Oliver, SJ Bamfield coxed by Johnston secured 2nd place on home water and 3rd in Folkestone. J16 Men’s Quad Sculls of Mallet, Hale, Peach, Newman coxed by Oliver finished in 3rd place at both regattas.
In a patched up boat Purvis and Jordan produced an excellent 3rd place in the Ladies Junior Pairs at Dover.
Ladies Novice Fours saw E. Day, Brogan Day, Kate Day and Smith coxed by Burrows came home 4th at Dover and Folkestone. Hannah Power, Rosie Thorp, Izzy Godden, R. Stothart coxed by P Scrivener took 6th at Dover. Mayes, Claire Beaumont, Oliver, Bamfield coxed by Johnston came 7th at Dover. At Folkestone Thorp replaced Beaumont with the crew finishing 5th.
In Ladies Double Sculls Johnston and R. Stothart came 4th, Smith and E. Day 7th and West-Burrows and Thorp 8th at Dover. The following day Johnston and Thorp came 5th and West-Burrows and R. Stothart 6th.
Johnston competed in the Ladies Single Scull on both days coming 4th and 6th respectively.

The Masters Fours 40+ of P. Scrivener, Barnett, Nick Bailey, Neil Scrivener coxed by Hale came 5th at Dover. Bailey also rowed in a composite crew in the Masters 50+ coxed by Hale which came 4th at Folkestone.

An all Scrivener family crew of Jacob, Toby, Ollie, Tim coxed by Paul took 5th place at Dover in the Men’s Junior Four. A second mostly Scrivener crew of Paul, Neil, Tim, C. Mackintosh coxed by Ollie came in 6th in the Junior Senior men’s Fours.

Johnston and West-Burrows competed in the Senior Ladies Pairs finishing 7th and 8th at the two Regattas.

Two non-CARA league races were held in Dover for Ladies and Men’s Quad Sculls. The Ladies crew of R. Stothart, E. Day, Johnston, West-Burrows coxed by Oliver came home second and the Men’s squad of Newman, Mackintosh, Peach, Cook coxed by Hale were 5th.

Dover Rowing Club wish to thank the following organisations and individuals:

A&S Self Storage Ltd, Mr N.J. Bailey, Barney, Best Godmother Ever, The Boars Head, B.S.J. Roofing, Burgashell, Mr N.J. Cooke, Mr W Darlington, Designed Interiors, Dover Express, Dover Harbour Board, Dover Lifeguards, Dover Sea Sports Centre, Dover Water Sports Centre, East Kent Mercury, Emma Dunne Ltd, Glow Galaxy Art, Health and Safety South East Ltd, K.R. Gavin Removals, Mrs J. Hall, Kent Stonemason, Mariner III – Malcolm, Mr D. Newman, Mr & Mrs Oliver, Parkers Design and Print, Serena’s Events, Sharp & Enright Ships Chandlers, Mrs M. Squibb, Mr K. Thorp, Mr C. Townley.

It was a case of late entries and borrowed boats for Dover at Southsea Regatta, the annual coming together of the CARA and Hants and Dorset divisions. Club Secretary Jacky Silk had to work hard to secure entries for the late returning university contingent. Chris Hall and Tom Stothart were the beneficiaries in the Men’s Junior Pairs facing off against a strong Herne Bay crew. The pair got a decent start and were battling Shoreham as they approached halfway where the Dover crew had to stop to let their opponents complete their turn. After exiting the turn in 5th place they pushed hard to move up the field gaining the lead with around 250m to go, before being chased down by Herne Bay on their inside at the line, leaving them frustratingly in 2nd place for the second year running.

Jo Johnston qualified for the Ladies Novice Sculls final with a safe 4th place. In the final Johnston was in mid field at the turn before moving up into 3rd with 500m to go. In the later stages she closed down the 2nd placed sculler but was unable to catch her before the line.

The men’s Novice Sculls saw T Stothart qualify in 3rd in the first heat whilst Cameron Mackintosh made it through in 4th in the second heat. In the final T Stothart got the better start and was in the leading group at the turn, whilst Mackintosh, who suffered cramp on the outward leg, turned last. T Stothart dropped down to third on the return run whilst Mackintosh secured CARA points in 8th.
Mackintosh rowed in the Men’s Novice Fours with Worthing, a comfortable heat performance saw them finish 1st. In the final they were neck and neck for 2nd over the last quarter of the race only to miss out in 3rd.

The Men’s Junior Sculls saw Nathan Peach and Hall compete. Peach who gained promotion to Junior last weekend got a better start in the inside lane whilst Hall found it harder going on the outside in his first scull of the season. Peach had moved outside by the turn and chased down the cluster of leading boats battling hard he moved to 3rd and was catching second with 200m to go. He was rowed down in a late sprint by a former Olympian, dropping to a very creditable 4th place. Hall came home in 8th taking CARA points.
The Ladies Double Sculls had Rebecca Stothart and Johnston competing. A good start saw the crew among the leaders on the outward leg before falling back on the return leg. A late surge saw them move up to 5th where they tried to close down Herne Bay in 4th but ran out of water at the line. Their 5th place secured 3rd place points for the CARA league standings.

An experimental crew of Novice and Junior oarsmen went out in the Men’s Junior Fours. Peach, Mackintosh, Hall, T Stothart coxed in the heats by Johnston. A comfortable 4th place took them through to the final. R Stothart took on the coxing duties in the final. A slow start saw the Junior’s trailing down the outward leg. Unable to close the gap at the turn the crew tried to close down the field but were force to settle for 8th at the line and 4th among the CARA representatives.
Dover Rowing Club would like to thank Bexhill, Deal and Herne Bay Rowing Clubs for the use of their boats at Southsea.

Dover Rowers conquered rough conditions at Shoreham and Brighton Regattas this weekend where Nathan Peach gained promotion from Novice to Junior Sculler. In the heats Peach easily qualified in 1st place at Shoreham with Cameron Mackintosh just missing out in 5th. In the final Peach started strongly easing out to a lead of a length at the turn and extended his lead to 3 lengths on the run home making two wins in a row and progression to the Junior ranks. Peach’s first Junior outing ended in disqualification after a wave unseated him as he turned, leaving him disappointed after finishing 2nd. Mackintosh qualified for the final in Brighton in 4th place but regretted changes boats for the final where he came home 8th.

The Novice Men’s Fours saw the new combination of Sebastian Steele in his first races, Mackintosh, Peach, George Newman coxed by Emma Oliver. A determined effort at Shoreham saw the crew battle for the leading positions at the turn before entering a neck and neck race for 1st through the last 500 m missing out by a canvas on the line. At Brighton the same crew had a similar run this time fighting for 2nd on the return leg securing their second runners up spot.

Peach and Newman were joined by Jasper Mallet and James Hale both making their club debuts, they were coxed by Mackintosh at Shoreham and Oliver at Brighton in the J16 Men’s Quad. The young crew secured 3rd places on both days against strong, established crews. The Ladies J16 of Chantel Mayes, Emma Spanton, Emma Oliver, SJ Bamfield, coxed by Jo Johnston carried on with their good form finishing in 2nd in both races as they unable to row down their nemesis, the Herne Bay crew.

Ladies Novices saw Dover enter two crews, the J16’s and Hannah Power, Rosie Thorp, Morgan Evans, Izzy Godden coxed by Burrows. The J16’s crew maintained the upper hand of the two crews securing 3rd and 4th places respectively with their teammates taking 7th on both days. Rebecca Stothart rowed with Southsea at Brighton coming home in 3rd place.

There were also two crews in the Ladies Double Sculls with Johnston and Stothart competing against Maria West-Burrows and Thorp. Johnston / Stothart narrowly missed out on a top two finish at Shoreham coming in 3rd, whilst West-Burrows and Thorp gained points in 6th. At Brighton the crews switched with Johnston / Thorp took 4th and West-Burrows / Stothart were 6th. Johnston continued to battle much younger opponents in the Ladies Single Sculls event, taking creditable 4th and 5th places over the two days

In a competitive Senior ladies pairs field, Johnston and West-Burrows struggled to make the desired impact, finishing outside the points in 7th and 9th.

Dover Captain Tony Burrows, presently competing in an Eastbourne crew, won the Men’s Junior Senior Fours race at Brighton.

Dover Rowing Club took a small youthful group to Eastbourne Regatta this weekend. The regatta saw Nathan Peach record his first win with an outstanding performance in the Men’s Novice Sculls. Peach dominated his heat establishing an early lead and maintaining a comfortable margin to finish first. In the final the conditions had become more challenging, Peach took the early advantage leading after 300m. Working hard he maintained a good line to the buoy turns coming out ahead of the field before working inshore for better water. Herne Bay’s Marques in lane one had edged ahead as Peach straightened and began the sprint for the line with 400m to go. Gradually Peach overhauled his opponent pushing himself to a lengths lead before a late charge from Marques narrowed Peach’s winning margin to a half a boat. Peach also took 3rd place in a composite crew with Worthing and Eastbourne rowers in the Novice 4’s.

The J16 Ladies Quad crew of Chantel Mayes, Emma Spanton, Emma Oliver, SJ Bamfield, coxed by Jo Johnston got off to a good start and were once again battling Herne Bay for first place. With Herne Bay moving well the Dover crew dropped into the pursuit trying to close the gap, but despite their best efforts they had to settle for 2nd at the line.

The Double Sculls saw Johnston and Rebecca Stothart facing a field including two strong Shoreham crews. The Dover crew struggled a little with their line on the outbound leg before moving inshore on the return run. Slotting into 3rd place they realised Shoreham’s 2nd place crew were struggling. The Dover crew gave their all closing rapidly but ran out of water at the line. Johnston competed in the Open Ladies Sculls race acquitting herself well against her much younger opponents, gradually moving through the field to take 4th place.

Novice Ladies 4’s had Maisy Saunders (Shoreham), Rosie Thorp, Morgan Evans, Stothart coxed by Tony Burrows. Dover’s crew found themselves in midfield of the start, slowly moving up to 4th place after the turn. They were unable to pull in the 3rd placed crew on the run home leaving them with a good points finish.

Dover Rowing Club had an excellent start to the season at Hastings and Bexhill Regattas. Ladies J16 quad crew of Chantel Mayes, Emma Oliver, SJ Bamfield, Emma Spanton coxed by Jo Johnston dueled with Herne Bay from start to finish at Hastings. With the lead changing several times Dover finished 2nd by a narrow margin. The young crew worked hard in Bexhill to reverse the position and took their maiden league win by a canvas over Worthing.

Ladies Novice 4’s saw Dover enter three crews at Hastings, the J16’s as Dover ‘A’, Ella Day, Brogan Day, Kate Day, Kate Smith coxed by Tony Burrows as Dover ‘C’, Rosie Thorp, Izzy Godden, Hannah Power, Rebecca Stothart coxed by Chris Price as Dover ‘B’. Dover ‘C’ had the better start and were in the leading three boats at the turn where they fought Folkestone around the second buoy. They were neck and neck for 2nd before pushing clear and in the last quarter rowing through Shoreham to take a fantastic win. Dover ‘A’ acquitted themselves well in their first sweep race coming home 4th with Dover ‘B’ just missing out on points in 7th. At Bexhill only Dover ‘A’ and ‘B’ completed with the ‘A’ crew repeating their performance from Hasting coming in 4th, and the ‘B’ crew improving to a points finish in 6th.

Men’s Novice 4’s crew George Newman, Matt Barnett, Nathan Peach, Michael Ripault, coxed by Oliver got a good start in lane 6. The crew featured young and mature rowers drawing a comment from a rival crew. First time cox Oliver said to herself ‘I am not having that’ and drove the crew hard from the turn. They eased past the offending crew, but were unable chase down the lead boat, coming home in a comfortable 2nd place.

Peach had to fight through heats in the Novice Sculls comfortably qualifying for the finals both days. At Hastings he got a great start and was initially leading before turning in third. He closed down on the second place sculler and they were swapping positions with each stroke in the last 100m. He lost out on 2nd at the line by the smallest possible margin. At Bexhill Peach came home in the points in 5th place.

Ladies Junior 4 of Jen Jordan, Chrissy Purvis, Maria West-Burrows, Smith coxed by Johnston got a good start and reached the turn in 2nd just ahead of Herne Bay. The run home saw the Dover crew lose the battle for 2nd in the last 50m leaving them frustrated after a strong performance.

The Ladies Double Sculls had 2 Dover crews West-Burrows and Stothart as Dover ‘A’ and Johnston and Ella Day as Dover ‘B’. The Johnston / Day partnership had the better race maintaining pressure on Shoreham’s leading crews coming home 3rd whilst West-Burrows / Stothart took points in 5th. At Bexhill West-Burrows doubled with Thorp in her first sculling event as Dover ‘A’ with Johnston and Stothart as Dover ‘B’. Dover ‘B’ had the better race coming in 5th whilst there was a creditable 7th for Dover ‘A’.

Johnston competed in the Ladies Sculls on both days taking 6th place in Hastings and 7th in Bexhill. In the Men’s Junior Sculls Price came home in 6th in Hastings. Johnston and West-Burrows had a tough time in the Ladies Senior Pairs coming home 9th in Hastings and 7th in Bexhill.

Dover Rowing Club’s hard working Honorary Secretary and Treasurer Jacky Silk has taken over the Presidency of the Coast Amateur Rowing Association for the 2019/20 season from Deal’s Steve Duncan at CARA’s AGM this weekend.

Dover Rowing Club preseason got off to a winning start as Dover rowers took three wins at the Adur Head, Shoreham. The event is run as a time trial with boats being released at regular intervals to race the 3.5 km course.

There was a maiden win for the Ladies J16 age group crew of Sarah Jane Bamfield, Emma Oliver, Emma Spanton, Chantal Mayes coxed by Jo Johnston who were the first crew to start in their event. Rowing with the current, the crew headed off for the Railway Bridge. the first of three bridges to negotiate on the course. By the Norfolk Road Bridge Dover had gained time on the pursuing crews, which they continued to extend through the footbridge, to carry them home with a 44 sec winning margin, in a time of 16 mins 10 sec.

Chris Price competed in the Junior Men’s sculls event where he started as the second boat in the event. He set off in pursuit of the Bexhill sculler, steadily closing on his opponent. By the Norfolk Road Bridge, Price had closed down the lead boat before passing him by the footbridge. He eased out to finish with an impressive winning margin of 1 min 45 sec, in a time of 14 min 31 sec.

Nathan Peach also had his maiden win in a composite Folkestone / Dover Men’s Novice Four boat. Rowing against the tide the crew, rowing together for the first time, delivered an impressive win in 17 min 30 sec nearly 2 min up on their nearest opponents. Peach also rowed in the Novice Sculls, among a strong field, coming home 7th, in time of 15 min 1 sec.

Dover had 2 crews in the Ladies Novice 4’s event. Dover A crew Hannah Powers, Rosie Thorp, Rebecca Stothart, Jade Jordon coxed by Tony Burrows and Dover B, the ‘Day Family crew’ of Brogan Day, Ella Day, Denise Day, Kate Day coxed by Paul Scrivener. Dover A were first on the course and tried to put some distance between their rivals, the Day crew were unleashed to pursue their teammates a minute later. Both crews were passed during the middle stages by faster opponents. It was a close run finish on times between the local crew and Dover B who were separated by 3 seconds coming home 3rd in a time of 16 min 35 sec with Dover A coming home 4th in a time of 16 min 59 secs.
Jo Johnston, competing in the Ladies Sculls event, started in pursuit of the younger Eastbourne Sculler. Pushing to close the gap between the Rail Bridge and the Norfolk Road Bridge Johnston tried put pressure on the leading Sculler, but her opponent proved too strong leading her through the finishing line. Johnston secured second place in a time of 20 min 41 sec. Captain Tony Burrows, competing for Eastbourne, finished 2nd in the Veteran 50 race.