Novices shine at Coate Water Regatta

On Saturday 14th September, Swindon RC and a host of volunteers from the WAGS region staged the 2013 Coate Water Regatta – the first regatta at Coate Water Country Park in a decade.

The Regatta was aimed at novice rowers who have been participating in Learn to Row courses at their clubs. Racing took place in stable Explore Rowing boats, as well as several debut races for novices in fine boats.

Despite a fun and relaxed atmosphere, the day was designed to give people a taste of competing in regattas, with two boats racing side by side down a 400m course. More than 50 rowers took part in races throughout the day, in a variety of different boat categories.

As well as being an opportunity for Swindon RC to host a regatta at their own venue, the competition also provided a great entry-level experience for new rowers in the WAGS region – with crews from Waterlands RC, Gloucester RC, Taunton RC and Avon County RC taking on the hosts.

It is hoped that the Coate Water Regatta will now go on to become an annual event, or even part of a series of smaller events as part of local clubs’ Explore Rowing programmes.

Huge thanks go to all of the volunteers from the attending clubs, as well as the small organising committee for making the event happen.

For a closer look at the 2013 Coate Water Regatta, see SwindonWeb’s Facebook photo gallery.