An early start on Saturday 12th May saw Dundee University Boat Club head off to Lochwinnoch for a gorgeous day of racing at Castle Semple Regatta. This year we had 21 members competing across eight different boat categories. Firstly we had the mens Nov 1x; Steffan Jones dominated both his heat and semi-final and then came a very respectable second place in the final. Fresher Oliver Bohle also had a great heat coming in third but unfortunately did not make the final. Katie Canniford and Hannah Campbell were racing in the WR2 2x and finished second in their heat and after a quick turn around came 5th in the final. Two WNov 2x were next to take to the water, Rosie Bowick and Amelia Powell stormed down the course finishing first in their heat and a fantastic second place in the final. Fiona Lapp and Dani White finished 5th in their heat which was a great effort from these fresher girls. In the Nov4+ Karim Zwart, Alistair Bonsall, Lachlan Dow and Aaron Duff ploughed down the 1km course with novice COX Rachel Lynn making her debut and crossed the line in 4th place. Ellie Gkika and Eleanor Brinkhoff were the last boats to take to the water for the morning. Both girls won their respective heats to leave a Dundee face off in the final. Our German powerhouse and outgoing club captain Brinkhoff took home gold whilst our Greek graduate Gkika placed a fantastic 4th for her last race with DUBC.
A morning of racing and soaking up the glorious sun certainly did not exhaust our athletes. The WR2 4+ consisting of Eleanor Brinkhoff, Hannah Campbell, Katie Canniford, Rosie Bowick and COX Matthew Simpson had a nail biting race against friendly rivals Strathclyde University Boat Club, just managing to secure the win in the last push towards the finish. In the Nov 2x Baljit Singh and Alistair Bonsall came second in their heat and joined Matthew Simpson and Lachlan Dow in the final where the boys placed 4thand 5th respectively. The final race of the day was the mixed 8+. Steffan Jones, Hannah Campbell, Karim Zwart, Callum Banks, Eleanor Brinkhoff, Oliver Bohle, Katie Canniford, Rosie Bowick and COX Laura Speak had a very shaky start but managed to stick with Herriot Watt and Strathclyde University as they travelled up the course. A tough fight for the finish line paid off as DUBC surprised all their competitors, crossing the finish first and taking home the win!
Overall a fantastic day of racing in the sunshine and a wonderful way to finish off what has been one of the most successful years for DUBC. Many thanks to Castle Semple Rowing Club for organising an incredible day of racing - looking forward to see what successes the next year brings for us.