Today we knew it was going to be hard; Emma V appeared stronger than us and so we had to choose one of two options; row as hard as possible at the start in the hope of catching them quickly but then risk being caught due to tiredness, or play it safe and do a decent steady row over. We chose the former option, and so our start was very strong and we kept up the speed for the first part of the race. However, tiredness inevitably kicked in and despite leaving Fitz far behind us, we found they were slowly catching up. Once the first whistle was blown they seemed to release a lot more energy and then suddenly they were gaining on us. Very quickly they were given two and then three whistles, and we had been bumped. We made it past the plough but it was in the final stretch that they caught us. So near yet so far! But tomorrow is another day, and having seen how quickly we rowed away from them initially, there is every possibility of a bump.
Carla Bardua, 5, W4