W1 – beat Emmanuel in 1st round (1/4 length), beaten by Selwyn in 2nd round (3/4 length)
W1 had a nail-biting first race against Emma W1, pushing through wind and driving rain to win by a quarter of a length. Our second race proved a tougher challenge as we faced a fresh Selwyn W1 and unfortunately lost by three quarters of a length. In the end, though, we were all happy to be back on the river and are gearing up for MECBC’s next racing action: The Lent Bumps Getting on Race, this Friday the 24th. W2 and W3 will be competing to qualify for a spot in the Lent Bumps, which start on February 28th.
— Reana Maier, W1, 5 seat
W2 – beaten by Caius W2 (3 lengths)
Perhaps the fact that our cox fell dreadfully ill during the night meaning that another had to be desperately sought at 6am should have indicated that perhaps Pembroke Regatta wasn’t going to be W2’s day. However, come marshalling time, obscenely early though it was, we had a full crew keen and ready to crush Caius W2. An hour of marshalling later, freezing cold temperatures and tempestuous winds meant that despite seeing a Clare coach fall in the river and the consumption of much haribo (mostly by Watson, exhausted from having to carry the kit bag) our spirits had somewhat died. Eventually, we made it to the start and our two boats lined up sufficiently despite the best efforts of the wind and the race began. Unfortunately Caius managed to push off us fairly early. We were able to catch them a little when we tackled the fierce headwind that at times seemed to drive the boat back up the reach, but when the wind died they would once again push off us to maintain their increasing lead. A tough race well fought.
— Natalie Skorupska, W2, 2 seat
A tough day for MECBC on the river yesterday at Pembroke Regatta. W2 raced well in their first contest of the term, battling fierce headwinds and choppy waters, but were knocked out by a strong Caius W2.
— Reana Maier, W1, 5 seat