Rowing: Blinkhorne and Carroll Winter Series under way in Whanganui

This was a crowd-puller when 43 rowing, waka ama and kayak crews took to the Whanganui River on Sunday, May 12.

Spectators lined the banks of the Whanganui River to watch an impressive number of 43 rowing, waka ama and kayak crews take to the river on Sunday, May 12, for the first of six 2024 Blinkhorne and Carroll Winter Series 6km prognostic races.

The races are run by Gus Scott on behalf of the Whanganui Rowing Association, with entries received by noon the day before each event, via an Excel sheet where clubs and individuals can select the category appropriate to their boat type, age, gender and grade.

Bryn Morgan, Pat Carroll (sponsor) and Toby Corcoran, of the winning crew.

Gus then works out the “prognostic” of each crew, whereby the slowest boats go first and the fastest boats last over an out-and-back 6km race, so faster crews catch up to slower and smaller crews for an exciting finish.

The “prognostic percentage” calculates the winner as the highest percentage based on 100 per cent for each boat type, grade, age and gender.

The winning crew with 80.42 per cent and a time of 23 minutes 15 seconds was an Aramoho-Whanganui Rowing Club and Whanganui Collegiate School Men’s Club Quad combination of Toby Corcoran, Eli Kuehne, William Herd and Bryn Morgan, followed by Wellington Rowing Club’s Jason Theobald in a men’s intermediate single with 80.22 per cent and Union Boat Club’s Bruce Tate in a men’s master G single, in 80.03 per cent.

All these crews won cash prizes, with great spot cash prizes offered, but 50 per cent of the crew must turn up to prizegiving.

The second race of the series will be held at 9.30am on Sunday, June 9, starting near the National Library Building area of the river (by Treadwell Gordon), going upstream through two bridges and turning at Caffray Ave, finishing by the railway bridge, with inquiries and entries due at noon onJune 8 to: whanganuirowing@gmail.com

Results: