Eskmuthe Takes On Tough Sprint Course at Boatie Blest Regatta

Eskmuthe Rowing Club crews put in a series of impressive performances at the Port Seton “Boatie Blest” Regatta on 13 June, overcoming strong winds to post several excellent times across the day.

With conditions deteriorating as the regatta progressed, organisers were forced to alter the traditional head-to-head racing format for some categories. The Open Women and 50+ Men races were switched to a time trial pursuit format to ensure racing could continue safely in the strengthening wind.

One of the performances of the day came from Eskmuthe’s Open Women crew of Rebecca, Kim, Lily and Charly, coxed by David, who stormed to victory in a superb time of 2:36. Their time matched that of the Open Men’s silver medal crew from North Berwick, underlining the quality of the row in extremely testing conditions.

Over the course of the day several Eskmuthe rowers made their regatta debuts, while Lily was competing in a senior category race for the very first time.

Across the regatta, Eskmuthe crews delivered competitive times despite rowing into strengthening headwinds later in the day. Highlights included a strong a third place finish for the Men’s Open and 4th places for the Mixed Novice, 240+ Mix and Over 50s Men crews.

Simon Francis, chair of the club, said:

“The conditions were tough for everyone, so the determination and standard of rowing across the club was brilliant to see. To have new racers stepping up so confidently, and for the Open Women to produce such a fast time was a fantastic achievement.

“Huge thanks to the organisers for going ahead and making it such an enjoyable day for everyone.”