Rowing Club ready for Regatta races
HAVING taken the East Coast Regatta season by storm already this year, Wicklow Rowing Club is now gearing up for the Wicklow Regatta races taking place on the August bank holiday Monday.
The novice men and under-16 boys will be hoping to continue their clean sweep on home soil, having won all of their races this season, with five out of five wins. The under-12 girls finished second at their first ever race held last Sunday as part of the Stella Maris Regatta.
Meanwhile, the senior women will be looking to break their winning duck on Monday, having so far finished a highly-commendable second at each competition they have entered.
Wicklow Rowing Club was formed in 1956 but the history of competitive rowing in the town goes back much further.
The racing of skiffs in Wicklow predates the annual Wicklow Regatta Festival and they were introduced to help the local fishermen and sailors in a period of extreme poverty when catches were small and work was scarce. The races were later included as a part of the first Regatta Festival in 1878 and have remained so ever since.
Bernice Dunne is a member for 22 years and follows in the footsteps of her father Kit Dunne, who was Chairman of the club for 24 years. ‘I was practically reared at sea and couldn’t recommend rowing enough. My daughter is now part of the under-12 girls team so it is definitely in our family blood’.
Fellow club member Paula Keating also has a daughter rowing at under-12 level. ‘It’s a great activity or sport for anyone to take up. You build real friendships at the club and it also helps give youngsters real confidence in the water. They end up respecting the water but don’t fear it,’ she said.
The Wicklow Rowing Regatta is one of the oldest in the country and will feature teams from Skerries, Dalkey, Bray, Stella Maris, St Michaels, Arklow, Greystones and Fingal. The categories will be under-12, under-14, under-16, under-18, novice, intermediate, junior, mixed and senior races for both men and ladies.
The draw takes place at 10 a.m., followed by a coxs’ meeting at 10.30 a.m. The races start at 11 a.m.