While several of our club squads were racing at Totnes, the sculling Masters squad were headed to Nottingham for the Club and Masters Regatta, in the hope that the previous year’s wind and breaking waves would remain a distant memory.
Sunday morning at Nottingham… eerie….. Calm water and sun – race plans to be adjusted! Dave Byrnes was first off and won the Mas D 1x against Thomas of Marlow and Lunel of Stratford.
Helen Ellison was next in the W Mas B 1x and won a well judged race against Carboo and Shepherd of Putney Town and Hook, Peterborough.
The Mx Mas D 2x saw Dave Byrnes (rejuvenated by beetroot juice) and Eleanor Burke in a close race with a Star/Bedford crew. Side by side for 750m the Exeter crew then pushed past and away to win a really good race.
The final win of the day was the W Mas C 4x a composite including Exeter members Helen Ellison, Lisa Cocks, Eleanor Burke.
A good collection of hip flasks won to start the regatta season.
And as a footnote, the W Mas E 4x saw Kirstie Ffrench Constant, Anne Marie Allison, Jane Silver, Di Parish come second in an exciting race, four abreast nearly to the line, just losing to Cantabrigian and just ahead of Star and Walbrook.
