Spring Fling II Regatta

A & A after finishing their race

Our third regatta of the season was held on Saturday April 13th. The previous night's weather forecast called for thunderstorms all day but we ended up with just a slight drizzle for parts of the day. The breeze started light and faded away almost completely and we raced in the calmest conditions we'd seen all year.

Highlights include entering two events for the first time in the history of the program: the Mens Light 4+ and the Womens double.

Aubrey and Ashley's start in the double was recorded by Coach Paul from Granby. That video is below.

A & A finished with a time of 6:57.3, very respectable for their first time racing in the event. I captured their finish and that video is below.

 

Most of our crews improved from two weeks ago. The MV8 finished 2nd in their heat and rowed the course in 5:01.7, a drop of 4.4 seconds, even though Charlie T. wasn't in the boat (he was taking the ACT.) The M2V8 rowed the course in 5:41.2, a drop of 22.8 seconds from the first Spring Fling regatta. 

The WV4 crew after their race. We hot-seated the same hull for the MLt4 event.

The WV4 rowed the course in 6:47.7, a drop of 11.3 seconds from the previous regatta. The M2V4 contingent was a new combination (some of the crew composed our entry in the MLt4) and finished in 6:28.4.

The MLt4 crew launching with rain on the horizon.

Our entry in the MLt4, with Charlie S. in stroke and Mia as cox, finished 2nd in their heat with a time of 5:55.5. I haven't decide if we'll field an entry in this event at the championships in two weeks, a regatta where double rowing is not allowed.

The MV4 crew finished at 5:28.7, a drop of 26.3 seconds from their previous race on the lake. Their start was also captured by Coach Paul and is below.

I captured the finish and that video is below.

Here are the results:

Paddling and Prom

On Saturday April 6th we had an on-the-water session at the boathouse for those interested in sculling. Charlie, James, Zach, Andrew and Ashley came out to improve their technique. Coach O'Brien had a short shore lesson and then the five Crusaders spent time in the back-water on our Alden 26 (Charlie), our double (Zach and James), the HRRC Alden Star (Ashley) and the Granby TS515 trainer (Andrew). It was a successful morning and we're looking for more opportunities in the near future - perhaps over spring break.

Charlie seemed faster in the Alden 26 and plans on racing it next weekend instead of the Hudson Singleminded. The red stripe will have to go, however!

Later that night we had some of the team gather for the annual "prom pic" at Botanical Garden's Rose Hall. Next week we will be racing on the lake there.

Spring Fling Regatta

The MV4 crew with Mia in the cox seat

The MV4 crew headed for their heat win.

We participated in the second regatta of the season, EVSRA's "Spring Fling" on Lake Whitehurst at Botanical Garden. The day was great for rowing with warm temperatures and only a slight headwind. Our results were better than last week, with crews placing in their heats (MV8 with 3rd, M2V8 with a 2nd, WV4 with a 2nd, M2V4 with a 3rd, and MV4 with a 1st.) The sculling races (M1X and M2X) competed unopposed and the Charlies raced against the clock. Our mixed crews at the end of the day garnered worthwhile experiences, even if it was only on proper rigging!

While comparing times in different conditions is seldom done, looking at the time differences between our finishes and the fastest boat in each event can show any improvements made relative to the other teams. In the MV8 event, the delta t last week was +0:46.4. This week the delta t was +0:14.6, a significant improvement. In the M2V8 event the delta t last week was +0:43.9 compared to this week's delta t of +0:30.6, another improvement. It should be noted, however, that while NA won the MV8 event in the season opener, it was the crew from Great Bridge who won the M2V8 event last week, and they did not attend the Spring Fling regatta. In the four heats of the WV4 event that were run last week, Great Bridge again set the mark with the NA crew finishing with the third best time. Verses the NA time, our delta t last week was +2:39.2. This week our girls cut it to +0:58.0, a huge improvement. In the M2V4 event we decreased the delta t from +1:03.4 to +0:12.6, another huge improvement. Yes, we are improving each week relative to our competition. Our next race will be in 2 weeks. The schedule is on the right-hand sidebar of this blog.

Complete results are below, followed by some pictures of the day. Enjoy!

The MV8 crew on the launch dock getting ready to roll the boat into the water

The MV8 crew off the starting block. A bit wobbly!

The MV8 crew approaching their 3rd place finish.

I shot this sequence from the recovery dock. Our guys finished 3rd.

The M2V8 crew heading down to the start

The M2V8 returning from their race

Charlie T. and Charlie S. in the double. Their time of 5:59.6 was  8 seconds slower than the previous week, but they weren't pushed by any competition!

Charlie T. in  Single-minded. His time of 7:06 was 6 seconds faster than the previous week, just racing against the clock.

Seniors Aubrey and Delaney - the stern pair in the WV4

Seniors Margaret and Haley - the bow pair in the WV4

Seniors Charlie and Aubrey

The M2V4 crew with Chase coxing

Novices Eileen and Julianna

Anton, Jake, Mark, and Evan

Mr. M., who tows our trailer.

Season Opener Regatta

Our results still show we are a work in progress. Highlights include the two sculling events where Charlie S and Charlie T finished 3rd in the M2X event, rowing the double down the course in 5:47.9,  faster than all of our other crews except for the MV8 crew. Charlie T. also rowed the single to a 3rd in the M1X event, finishing one second ahead of a sculler from Great Bridge.

In the sweep events our MV8 had equipment issues and finished 4th in their heat (but still ahead of Granby's top eight.) Their time was respectable (and faster than the time posted by Hickory in the other heat) considering that the shell was propelled by only 7 rowers and the rudder was angled all of the way down the course. With a full contingent rowing and a straight rudder, this crew will be formidable. The immediate goal is to eat into the 50 seconds time difference posted by NA's top eight.

Our results in the sweep events in the fours were indicative of the time we've spent in the fours. The girls only got their completed shell as we were loading the trailer. The very first time they rowed as a crew was to the start line.  The MV4 and M2V4 crews had only rowed as the stern four in their respective eights. We'll spend lots more time working in fours over the coming weeks.

Thanks to Margaret, Delaney, Andrew and TJ, with Nina coxing, four novices (Chase, Mark, Eileen and Julianna) competed in the Mixed 8 at the end of the day (in weather conditions that actually started to feel comfortable.) I hope to field a MNV next regatta.

Video was captured for the MV8 and Mdx8 events. I'll process the files and upload over the next few days.

Full results are below.