Hexham RC at Derwentwater Head
Hexham Rowing Club enjoyed a successful and well-supported outing at this year’s Derwentwater Head, hosted by Lakeland Rowing Club on the stunning waters of Derwentwater near Keswick. Set against the dramatic Lakeland fells, the event once again attracted a large entry from clubs across the north of England.
Crews were greeted by bright conditions and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. While the sunshine made for a beautiful setting, the open water of the lake meant crews still had to contend with a stiff breeze and occasional chop from a combination of the wind and passing launches, demanding careful steering and strong rhythm down the buoyed course.
Hexham fielded a wide range of crews across junior, senior and masters, with several stand-out performances and four category wins.
The Open J18 double scull of Gould produced a superb row to take victory in their event with a time of 10:32.6, while the Women’s quad scull stroked by Dawes also claimed first place in the Women’s 4x-, finishing in 10:44.4.
Another win came in the masters racing, where the Open Masters D/E quad stroked by Forsyth recorded 10:53.9. With the masters handicap applied, their adjusted time of 10:07.0 secured victory in the category.
Hexham also celebrated success in sweep rowing, with the Women’s coxed four stroked by Stanford taking the win in the W 4+ in 12:29.3.
The club’s junior squad was well represented throughout the day. The Open J18 quad produced an excellent time of 9:43.7, placing 6th overall, while the Mixed eight recorded 10:22.1 to finish 14th overall. Our other Open J18 double scull crew, scratch on the day of the event put in a strong performance with 11:48.5.
Hexham’s women’s junior crews also gained valuable race experience on the challenging lake course. The WJ18 quad finished in 11:47.0, with the Thompson crew close behind in 11:50.5, while the WJ18 double, recorded a time of 12:14.1.
Masters crews formed another large part of the Hexham entry. Alongside the winning Forsyth quad, the Aitken Masters D crew recorded 11:53.3 in the same category. Further down the age groups, the Foster Masters E quad finished in 13:04.9, while the Harrison mixed Masters F/G quad posted 13:52.6 in very wavy conditions along with the Hawkin Masters F quad completing the course in 15:48.8.
Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable day of racing in one of the most scenic locations in the rowing calendar. With strong performances across all age groups and several category wins, Hexham returned from the Lake District with plenty to celebrate and valuable racing experience as the head season closes and attention turns to regattas.
Thank you to George and Dave for towing the trailers!