Wrapping up the 2025 Four Nations Coastal Sculling Series
Wins for Sefi Ormston, Marc Wilson, Laura McKenzie, and James Cox grab the headlines across four rounds of competition
Credit: CJ Taylor
The 2025 Four Nations Coastal Sculling Series, proudly supported by Swift Racing UK was a national series of coastal sculling competitions offers prizes for overall winners, in both Beach Sprint and Endurance formats.
The competitions were organised by British Rowing, Scottish Rowing, Welsh Rowing and Jersey Rowing Club.
Laura McKenzie led the way in the Women’s Beach Sprint events, dominating all four rounds of competition. The Scot, who recently won a bronze medal at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in the Coastal Women’s Solo, won every round of racing and also picked up bonus points in Wales and Jersey for winning the Time Trial as well.
The Four Nations Coastal Sculling Series ran between April and August. After taking top honours across the British Isles, McKenzie went on to win silver in the Coastal Women’s Solo on the sun-kissed shores of Antalya at the European Rowing Beach Sprint Finals.
The Scots were in fine form across the competition as Inverness RC’s Heather Gordon placed second in the overall rankings. The 2024 World Champion in the Coastal Mixed Coxed Quadruple Sculls has just returned from Barbados where she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Rowing Association Beach Sprint Championships. In the B Final of the Coastal Women’s Solo, Gordon squared off against England’s Bass Andre, who picked up points at the English Coastal Championships in Whitby. Winning the silver medal in Barbados was Jersey’s Natacha Searson who finished third in the Beach Sprint rankings behind McKenzie and Gordon.
Occupying the top spot in the Men’s rankings was James Cox. The 2025 European Champion in the Coastal Men’s Solo had standout performances in Whitby and at the Scottish Coastal Championships in Ayr. Cox also picked up a second place in Jersey behind Cameron Buchan. The Scot, rowing for The University of St Andrews BC, went on to compete in both the Mixed Double and Mixed Quadruple Sculls at the World Champs in Antalya, Türkiye.
Credit: CJ Taylor
After kicking off the season in fine form, winning at his home Championships in Saundersfoot, Wales’ Jerry Owen would eventually place third in the standings. He concluded the season out in Barbados at his third CRABS event, where he won a silver medal in the Coastal Men’s Solo. Jersey’s Chris Thompson was third behind Owen and eighth in the Four Nations Rankings.
At the top of both the junior men’s and junior women’s rankings were two clear winners. Both Sol Champerlain-Hyde and Olivia Hodgson had three wins and two bonus Time Trial wins as well. It’s not surprise that both athletes were wearing the famous British hoops at the World Championships earlier this month.
Second behind Hodgson was Lymington ARC’s Zara Gray who won in Jersey. Gray would team up with Christchurch RC’s Valen Giacchetto, third in the junior men’s rankings, and won gold for England at the Home International Rowing Beach Sprints Championships in Donegal, Ireland.
While racing at the World Champs, Hodgson competed in the U19 Coastal Mixed Double Sculls with Thomas Biddle. The two of them reached the last 16 after Biddle was second in the Four Nations Series.
Lymington ARC had further success as Molly Cartwright-Tickle placed third which she would follow up with a bronze medal at the British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in the Coastal Women’s J16 Solo.
Across the Endurance events, Tynemouth RC were the club to beat. Sefi Ormston and McKenna Simpson were first and second in the women’s standings separated by just three points. Rounding off the podium was Andrea Davies of Dolphin RC who had a standout performance in Jersey.
Whitby CRC’s Marc Wilson topped the men’s leaderboard, eight points clear of Zack Hills from Tynemouth RC’s. Hills is another who has recently returned from Barbados. In the U21 Men’s solo, he claimed Bronze, beating out Bajan rower James Lamboll in the B Final. Tynemouth RC’s Hal Flowerdew has also returned from international duties in Barbados having placed third in the Endurance standings earlier in the year.
