Belfor, Cahill Group capture championships in Placentia

It’s the first of three local fixed-rowing regattas in 12 days

Belfor, a hometown crew, claimed the men’s championship at the 55th Placentia Regatta held Saturday at Southeast Arm.

Belfor’s championship time of nine minutes and 21.3 seconds was less than a second and a half ahead of runner-up NTV, a far smaller winning margin than from the senior men’s amateur race — the first race of the day — when Belfor prevailed over NTV by more than 15 seconds.

Fine Strokes Plaster & Paint- ing/cardinal Home (9:27.55) and Lamb’s Rum (9:35.72) were third and fourth.

Cahill Group claimed the ladies championship in Placentia with a time of 5:11.43, besting Smith Stockley women’s crew by about three and a half seconds. Those two crews had also been 1-2 in the morning women’s amateur, when the difference in their times was about five seconds

Steers Insurance (5:18.46) and Sea Force Diving (5:44.28) were third and fourth in the women’s final.

Cahill had the second-fastest locking at the Royal St. John’s Regatta Time Trials earlier this month behind only defending St. John’s champion m5, which did not race in Placentia.

Neither defending St. John’s men’s champion Outer Cove or the Smith Stockley Rowing Club, the two fastest men’s crews in the trials at Quidi Vidi, were entered in Placentia.

Next on the local competitive fixed-seat rowing calendar is the Harbour Grace Regatta, set for Lady Lake next Saturday. That leads into the 200th anniversary Royal St. John’s Regatta, scheduled for Aug. 1.