Tyne United

Most of the club has decamped to Talkin Tarn for the regatta today. This is the last major regatta of the season with only a few athletes going to the Nat. Champs later this month and Bradford in September before the Head season.

09:00
The first race for the club (and first of the regatta) was Sam and Pat in their J15 double. Their account of the race is that they were distracted by a lorry that ploughed into the Tarn and their heroic efforts to save the driver and tow the lorry out delayed them but this doesn’t really match the observations of those on the shore. A more realistic account might be that they fought hard against strong opposition to lose by only a length.

09:12
Second up was Josh in novice singles. Josh has only just started racing in a single in the middle of this season and this was his first event in open water without lanes. He got a good start but his more experienced opposition managed to pull away in the more choppy middle part of the course, eventually winning by two lengths.

09:30
Paul A racing in the Masters’ 1x event against a much younger sculler from Talkin Tarn was unable to take a win in the first of his three races.

09:51
Hannah H in her first ‘open water’ race was more concerned about staying upright and on course than anything else. She managed both of these but unfortunately wasn’t able to pull through to win, losing by a few lengths.

09:57
Jonny and Adam in the IM2 pair were behind at the start but caught their opposition well down the course. Unfortunately their opponents steering wasn’t the best and pushed the TURC pair well of line meaning they had no chance to row through. They lost by only a narrow margin in the end.

10:09
The Masters’ 8+ were in a three lane event. They took off well and apart from a slight wobble half way down down the course were rowing strongly. An unfortunate crab near the finish made them a 7+ near the finish and relegated them to third position in the end.

11:18
After waiting for their opposition the Masters’ B/C 4x+ (David, Richard, Paul D, PaulA and Brian at cox) boated and wobbled up to the start requiring only one warning from a safety boat. An argument about the exact nature of the start followed but when the actual event got going everyone (not least the crew) was astonished that they got going ‘smoothly’, indeed they managed to maintain their 4 second head start for the first half of the race. In the choppier middle the boat became a bit more unstable as did some of the crew. It was as well that none of the juniors were coxing as the expletives came in a steady torrent. Right up to the last few lengths the TURC crew were ahead but two crabs and an abandoned pair of oars allowed the Tyne crew to take the win within a length of the finish. In the shallow water of the finish area Richard voted with his feet and abandoned ship but eventually, with the whole crew back aboard, the boat was delivered to the impatient Senior men’s crew to be rigged for their 4+ event.

12:24

Ben, Jonny, Craig, Adam & Lizzie (cox)

The men’s 4+ were racing in the Elite category against a genuinely elite crew. With little practice in the boat and one novice the TURC crew was only in this category due to Jonny’s collection of points. That being said the crew acquitted themselves well staying within a length of their opposition for most of the course and ultimately only losing by just under two lengths.

12:36
Luke in the J16 1x was in a nose to nose race along the length of the course losing out by just half a length only right at the very end.

13:39

Tom, Pat, Finn, Sam & Caitlin (cox) - Talkin Tarn 2010

Next up were Sam, Pat, Tom & Finn coxed by Caitlin in the J15 4x+. They were racing a Tarn/Nithsdale composite crew. Showing a nice clean style for most of the course (keeping to club form there was a crab in the middle of the course) they won by several lengths. This was the first win of the day but only a heat leading to a three lane final later in the day.

14:00

Hannah H & Bianca - Talkin Tarn 2010

Hannah H and Bianca in the J15 2x were determined to maintain the club standard for catching crabs in the middle of the course. They didn’t give up though and kept pushing but to no avail, the slightly more creative course they took perhaps not helping.

14:12

Lizzie, Jo, Jonny, Adam & Mike (cox) - Talkin Tarn 2010

And so to the first ‘proper’ win of the day with Jonny and Adam back in a boat, this time with Jo and Lizzie in the Mixed 4+ with Mike in the cox seat. After a close start the TURC boat began to pull way in the first ten strokes and managed to maintain clear water between them and their opposition for the rest of the race.

14:42

Chris & Barbara - Talkin Tarn 2010

Barbara and Chris in a mixed double had an incredibly close race in a three lane event that at the finishing line had all three crews overlapping. Unfortunately they were on the wrong end of the overlap

15:00

Tom, Pat, Finn, Sam & Caitlin (cox) - Talkin Tarn 2010

The Boys’ J15 4x+ headed out again for the final, this time a three lane affair. The other two crews go the better start and at the midpoint of the course the lads were down on the opposition but they (and more importantly their cox) weren’t willing to give up and rowed through to take the club’s second win.

15:30

Luke & Mike - Talkin Tarn 2010

Luke and Michael were next up in the J18 2x racing in a three lane event. It was a close fought event, but they eventually lost out by half a length. What was most infuriating for Luke however was that they lost to a Cambois crew with Luke’s brother.

15:33

Finn with Josh helping - Talkin Tarn 2010

Straight off the water from the J15 4x+ Finn had to literally abandon his peers to get straight into his single for the J15A 1x against a Tees rower. Finn barely had got to the start when it was time to row. Despite the fatigue from his immediately preceding race in the boys’ quad Finn won the race by just over 2 lengths for the club’s third win.

15:54

Jo & Sarah - Talkin Tarn 2010

In the first of the Women’s IM3 2x heats Jo and Sarah had a good race in a three lane event against a Tees and a Sunderland City/University crew and won by two clear lengths.

15:57

Josh - Talkin Tarn 2010

Josh was back up again for the heat of the J16B 1x and powered to a clear win against the St Leonard’s sculler.

16:06

Caitlin, Claire, Hannah H, Bianca & Finn (cox) - Talkin Tarn 2010

Just off the water after his single victory Finn had a quick run to get weighed in to head back out, this time as a cox with the Girls’ J15 4x+ crew of Bianca, Claire, Caitlin and Hannah H. Despite fierce competition by the girls Finn wasn’t up for a hat trick of pots today and the crew was edged out by the end.

16:15

Les, Andrew, Jim & Martin - Talkin Tarn 2010

The Masters’ 4x- of Jim, Andrew, Les and Martin had a good race against a Tees crew but without a win.

16:54
Jo and Sarah headed out for the final of their 2x event, another close event, but this time they didn’t manage to pull off a win.

17:12

Molly & Josh - Talkin Tarn 2010

Molly, denied her usual partnership with Hannah D, competed with Josh in a J16 Mixed 2x. They didn’t have the best of starts but reduced the deficit that this caused to remain not far off the winning crew. Most importantly Molly came off the water saying that, unlike when she and Hannah lose, she was still friends with Josh. A minor victory in itself!

17:39
It was supposed to be our last race of the day but unlike the Masters, Josh was on time to the start area and back out in his single for the final of the J16 1x. This was an exciting race with Josh kicking hard to the end and almost catching the winning sculler but in the end he came second in this three boat race. A creditable race considering the number of races he’d competed in.

17:45

Sarah, Andrew, Chris, Helen & Luke (cox) - Talkin Tarn 2010

A mixed Masters’ 4x+ with Helen, Sarah, Chris and Andrew with Luke coxing was supposedly the penultimate race for TURC but had morphed into the last due to Masters not being to get organised. Luke had almost lost his voice before the race started but that wasn’t to stop him shouting orders at not only the crew but any spectators with range of his sight, if not his voice, in the boating area. That being said it paid off. Second of three with a third of the race to go the crew responded to Luke’s demand for a push and rowed up to the Talkin Tarn crew, both boats crossing the line together. The result; a win for TURC… by one foot! A great way to end a great day.

This post comes to you as the result of a group effort on the day. Any similarities to real characters and events is purely coincidental