Successful regatta on Blue Lake

A successful regatta was held at the Blue Lake in perfect racing conditions.

There was a good turnout of crews from the BOP Rowing Clubs.

Bay Coast, Tauranga and Whakatane clubs joined the Rotorua rowers for six hours of competition.

The purpose of the regatta said Rotorua Rowing Club head coach Alastair Riddle was "to give senior rowers an early hit out and give the novices some early racing experiences".

The Rotorua Rowing Club (RRC) rowers will forge on towards the more formal events at Lake Karapiro.

A highlight of the regatta were the eight heats of corporate rowing coxed eight oars.

The overall winner was The Council Oars (Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Whakatane), with rowers-up in second place: Kidz in Boatz( CYFS Tauranga) and in third place; Forest Oars (Rayonier NZ Ltd, Tauranga) .

"Early heats were pretty shaky but they improved with every race," said Coach Riddle.

"The regatta gave the rowers the chance to try their new skills."

The corporate rowers came from Whakatane, Rotorua and Tauranga.

They worked hard, training on water in skiffs and off water on ERGs for eight weeks.

The final was a hotly-contested event with a close race and plenty of intensity from the imaginatively named crews: Kidz in Boatz (CYFS Tauranga), The Council Oars ( Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Whakatane), Scullduggery (PF Olsen Limited, Rotorua), Oarsome Beanies (Ingram Mora, Tauranga), Goardon's (Sicon, Rotorua), Forest Oars (Rayonier NZ Ltd, Tauranga), Oarsomseeka ( Seeka, Tauranga), RIO 16 ( NZ Police, Tauranga), Educ8Oars ( Selwyn Primary School, Rotorua).

Rotorua coaches were pleased with their Novice, Masters and Corporate crews efforts and the way they all worked together loading and unloading trailers.

"It was a good start to the season," said coach Riddle.

The next events are the Te Awamutu Club Regatta at Karapiro next Saturday and then the Spring Regatta on November 17 at Karapiro.Supplied