CDRA Sprints - Newcastle Regatta 12th december, 2021

The Newcastle regatta was originally scheduled to be conducted on 7th November but that date fell foul of covid restrictions and the regatta was deferred for 5 weeks. At least we got to race, eventually. 

The temperature was pleasant and the rain kept away, despite showers being predicted, but the wind was not as cooperative. The regatta was divided into 3 sessions with the southerly blowing in for the second and third sessions, the strong head wind creating disturbed water. 

At this point I have recycled a comment from the 2018 Newcastle regatta report
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         “The only hiccup was the BRO imported from Sydney who didn’t know how to use his red flag.”

The same bloke did it again to the same crew in the same event. In 2018, the Endeavour mens masters four carrying a coxn was rammed by an out-of-control Lake Macquarie four without a coxn within the first one hundred metres. Instead of raising the red flag to stop the race, the BRO did nothing, allowing the third crew in the race to continue to the finish unopposed. In 2021, exactly the same thing happened. The Endeavour mens masters coxed four was rammed by an out-of-control coxless four, although this time the culprits were from Newcastle. Again, the BRO did nothing, allowing the third crew in the race to continue to the finish unopposed.

​After only ten Endeavour members attended the first regatta of the 2021/22 season at Taree and nine competed in the State Sprints at SIRC, a full racing squad of twenty four entered the CDRA Sprint Championships at Carrington. In 25 starts our squad had 4 wins, 14 seconds and 3 thirds. Lindy Nibett won all 3 of her starts with Rosie Furness winning 2 and Digby Rayward, Di McShane and Kerry Blatchley winning one each. Fourteen second placings showed that we were in with a chance in many events, but suffered from a lack of on-water training due to extended flooding on the Hunter, a problem not experienced by most of our opponents.


Championship Winners:
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Champion Womens Masters [G-H] Single Sculls: Lindy Nisbett.
Champion Mens Masters [G-I] Single Sculls: Digby Rayward.
Champion Womens Masters [E] Double Sculls: Rosie Furness, Lindy Nisbett.
Champion Womens Masters [E-H] Quad Sculls: Lindy Nisbett, Kerry Blatchley, Rosie Furness, Di McShane.

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