After a few weekends where weather has caused racing to be postponed, Lyme Regis Gig Rowing Club travelled to North Devon to compete in the Ilfracombe Regatta and continued where they left off.
Lyme Regis, the only club from Dorset at this competition, competed with clubs from across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset. The cloudless sky, glorious sunshine and no swell or wind to speak of, gave excellent racing conditions for the 11 clubs taking part.
The first race was the Ladies’ A team, who finished third after a good start, where Lyme Regis tussled with Torridge and Boscastle in the race to the first turn, Ilfracombe having already streaked ahead. Next up was Mens’ A, who had a great start and solid row to finish second behind Ilfracombe. The Ladies’ B team had a crowded race to finish 7th.
Lyme Men’s B team featured junior rower and Woodroffe Student William Vernon, who again set the timing for the boat. Starting out wide in a tactical decision by cox Mark Vanstone to gain clear water, they took an early lead in the race to the first turn, increasing the lead throughout to finish a clear 10-15 lengths ahead of Boscastle.
The Super-Vets (over 50s) races saw Lyme Ladies finish 2nd to Torridge in a close fought race. Lyme’s Men’s Super-Vet’s Team dominated their race from start to finish
Lyme students William Vernon and Autumn McConnell, both competed in a mixed Ilfracombe and Lyme youth team to win their race, in Autumn’s first race of the year. Both the Men’s and Ladies Veterans Teams (Over 40’s) had solid races, both finishing 4th in their races respectively and the Mixed team finished 6th.
With consistent rowing across all teams, Lyme finished second overall behind Ilfracombe, who hosted an enjoyable day for all.
Lyme Regis will be hosting its own regatta on Saturday, August 13 as part of Lyme’s Regatta Week. They will also be competing most weekends in regattas across the South West and continue to build on successful results in the World Championships, held on the Isles of Scilly in May.
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