2006 Season

The Viking Shield

The day started unpromisingly, cold and overcast with a brisk onshore breeze stirring up the water.  Visiting clubs were reluctant to unload their trailers fearing challenging conditions and an imminent cancellation.  However, local knowledge suggested things would get better, as indeed they did, the wind dropped to nothing and the sun came out and, unlike last year, the Regatta went ahead. Racing took place on calm seas and in bright sunshine.

In the main event, the Senior pairs race for the Viking Shield, Bexhill in the outermost lane and furthest from the shore won for the second year running beating Herne Bay A, who were rowing along the beach, closest to the spectators who could not separate the two crews. The official verdict was 6 inches.  However, as Bexhill is in Sussex the top Kent crew, Ryan and Darren, retain the Viking Shield. A trophy they have now held for nearly a decade. in third place were Andy Cooper and Ashley, who look like they may be pushing Ryan and Darren later this season in this event. Darren W. and Kevin were a few places behind. The senior four of Darren I, Ashley, Mark and Ryan coxed by Adele won convincingly, despite having what they considered to be a shaky start. The B crew Andy Cooper Stewart, Kevin and Darren W coxed by Rhys came fourth after Bexhill and Folkestone. In Senior Sculls Ryan came second and in Junior sculls Andy Cooper came second to the Folkestone sculler (who is thereby awarded the Butch Thomsett Trophy).

The Women's Senior Four, Helen, Emily, Helen and Nat coxed by Rhys, in their first race as Seniors (having risen from the Junior event last year) came third. Ladies pair Natalie and Helen Bell came second to DealIn the JS race, Harry, Paul, Mark D and Trevor, coxed by George (who did very well in his 1st race) came 3rd. The same crew coxed by Rhys in their own event, Junior 4s also came 3rdJunior pairs were not held much to Harry's disgust, who spent most of the day trying to persuade people to enter and for all his effort considers himself the de facto winner of the event. Rowing concluded shortly after 3.00pm with the presentations not long after. Celebrations continued into the evening with a disco in the Boathouse

Medway Head

On a sunny but cold day, a small Herne Bay contingent took part in the Medway Head regatta.

The Ladies Senior 4 (Natalie, Issie, Emily and Helen Bannister) beat crews from Folkestone and Dover to win their first senior race. Despite losing time by clashing blades with another crew, they beat the second place crew by almost half a minute. Ryan took away first prize in both the Mens Senior Coastal Sculls and the Open Coastal Sculls. Ashley and Andy both had good races in Novice and Junior Sculls respectively and raced together in Men's Senior Pairs.

 Bexhill

Herne Bay returned to the scene of their triumph in last year's South coast Championships for another good day of racing

The junior races were dominated by Herne Bay and we won the aggregate points trophy for this category. The Junior 4 of Harry, Paul, Dan and Trevor coxed by Samantha Epps stormed to victory and Paul and Dan repeated this success in the pairs race - at their first attempt! The Novice 4 Ian, Michael, Paul and Dan coxed by Natalie also won. The ladies senior 4 crossed the line second but were disqualified. In Junior sculls Andy cooper was second, the same position as Ryan in the senior event. In the main event, the Senior Fours Herne Bay A Darren Ryan Mark S and Ashley coxed by Adele came second but were pushed hard by Herne Bay B Stewart, Dan, Andy cooper and Trevor Id coxed by Sam - could be an interesting in future races! Darren and Ryan won the senior Pairs and in the Ladies pairs Natalie and Helen came second  

Worthing

The Regatta started at the later than usual time of 1.00pm which was alright for those who wanted a lie in but not for some who were concerned about watching a certain football match later in the afternoon....
On another hot sunny day, perfect for spectators on the beach, the Junior Four had another good race and won easliy. This time the crew were Harry, Dan, Mark D and Trevor coxed by George. This is the 3rd combination for this crew as well as the 3rd win. Paul, who sat out this time was compensated by a win in the Junior Pairs race with Dan. Trevor and Harry came second and Mark D with Micahael Epps trailed in fourth.
In the days main race - the Senior Fours - Bexhill again won but 2nd and 3rd places were taken by Herne Bay and this time the 'A' crew Ryan, Mark S, Ashley and Darren coxed by Adele beat the 'B' crew of Andy Cooper, Dan, Stuart and Trevor Id coxed by Nathan but there was not much in it.
The Ladies' Senior Four of Helen, Helen, Issy and Natalie coxed by Sam Epps came 3rd while the Ladies Novice crew of Frances Pullen, Katie Shaw, Megan Jordan and Rosie Hobbs coxed by Natalie came 4th in their first race of the season.
The Ladies' Pair of Helen B and Natalie came second in their race.
The Senior pairs race ended with the same result as senior Fours, a win for Bexhill but second and third places to Herne Bay. This Time Ashley and Andy got the better of Ryan and Darren.
In the JS4 Harry, Paul, Mark D and Trevor coxed by George came Fourth.
With racing finished, prizes were given out on the sea front at about 6.00pm while England were throwing away their World Cup chances on TV in the bar.


Southsea

Sunny Southsea, where cara crews meet their Hants and Dorset rivals. All the extra crews mean more heats and a long days racing...or at least sitting around waiting for a race..! 10.00am start and the last race finished after 7.00pm. 
Many events have separate heats for cara and Hand D to ensure an even mix in the final and a hint of what to expect at the south coast champs in Dartmouth later this year, as long as all clubs enter their fastest crews in each category and crews don't get disqualified - which isn’t always the case. 
The sun disappeared and the wind increased by early afternoon leading to ominously lumpy conditions but then the sun came out again in time for most of the finals. 
In the days 1st final HB's Ladies N4 gained more race experience in their second competitive race, they had the same crew as last week of Frances Pullen, Katie Shaw, Megan Jordan and Rosie Hobbs coxed by Will Campbell. The mens Novice 4 of Tim Carnell-McKean, Chris O'Brien,Will Campbell and Ian Baker coxed by Sam Epps did not progress beyond their heat but got a second go in the Junior race later in the day. 
Andy cooper and Trev Iddenden both qualified for the Junior sculls in the cara heat immediately before jumping into the Senior Four B crew with Stuart Webb and Dan to qualify for the final in that event as well. HB’s senior 4 A crew were one place ahead of them winning the heat and now with their bowl crew back together with Richard Twyman re-joining Ryan Hosking, Mark Symons and Darren Ingram with Adele coxing hoping to retain the Pompey Grand (the Portsmouth Grand Challenge Trophy). 

However – controversy struck in the final of the S4s which was also the last race of the day. HB A were drawn in lane 1 and turned first but hit a crew coming the other way. They were then disqualified from the rerow and had to watch our B crew come second to a BTC crew that contained Herne Bay’s Lewis Iddenden from last years JS crew. I must admit to not having seen the incident so can't comment..... 
In Senior Pairs Ryan and Darren won earlier in the day with Andy and Ashley a very close third. Today's J4 combo came second to Itchen and were Harry Roberts, Dan Ritchie, Paul Kelly and Trevor Brown coxed by George Holness. In JS 4 the same crew but with Mark D instead of Dan were disqualified after coming ashore before a rerow after the race was stopped at the turns. 
In Junior pairs Paul and Mark trailed far behind Trevor and Harry who came second.

Folkestone

Following last weeks cancellation at Eastbourne everyone was raring to go in the latest round in the CARA league took place in Folkestone, or more accurately Sandgate a few miles down the coast where the Folkestone club relocated some years ago. 
The day started grey drizzly and humid in HB but on arrival in Sandgate it was again bright and sunny, temperatures in the region of 30 degrees. The day ended with wins for Herne Bay in Senior Fours, Senior Pairs, Ladies Senior fours, Junior Fours and Junior Pairs
First success of the day for HB came when Daniel Richie and Mark Davies won J pairs with Harry and Trevor 3rd.
a few races later Dan was again in action with Ashley, Stewart, and Andy Cooper as the Senior 4 "B" crew came 3rd. The A crew of Ryan Richard Mark S and Darren coxed by Adele got their second win of the season beating Bexhill by a canvas. This may partly make up for the disappointment of Southsea where they were disqualified after a collision despite comfortably leading the race
Ryan and Darren in the senior pairs race beat a large field to win easily. Andy and Ashley were 3rd just behind Bexhill.
Ladies pair Natalie and Helen Bell got off to a great start and finished 3rd
Ladies senior 4 of Natalie Emily Helen and Helen coxed by Sam celebrated Emily's return to the crew by storming to victory in another exciting race. This is the ladies' first senior win of the season after coming up from the junior division last year.
The Junior 4 crew qualified for the south coast championships today by becoming cara Junior 4 champions with the 5th win of the season. Today the crew was Harry, Dan, Mark D and Trevor coxed by George Holness Paul Kelly has also been involved in 2 of the previous wins for this combination of rowers. This tally giives them an unbeatable lead in the league with only 4 regattas to go.
Andy cooper qualified for J sculls with a second place in the heat a result he repeated in the final
The mens Novice 4 of Tim, Chris, Jeremy and Will coxed by Natalie raced at the start of the day and again in The junior 4 race at the end of the day when Michael epps stood in for Jeremy.

Shoreham

This was the first regatta of the season and things started promisingly with good conditions for racing. However as the day wore on conditions deteriorated to the extent that the Regatta was abandoned halfway through. The last race to be held, after lengthy debate, was senior Fours (this should have been event 18 out of 21 but was held instead of event 11) - Herne Bay decided not to take part and risk our best boat so missed out on the points but the swamping of three of the five boats that did compete seemed to back up their decision.
The results of all the races that were actually held will stand - so points for all top 6 places. Of those, the highlight was Helen B and Natalie's win in the Ladies Pairs. Ryan qualified for the Senior sculls final but the race was called off with some scullers already at the start and the Senior Fours race held instead. A scratch Novice Four came third out of five and the JS Four came fourth out of five. I think the only other HB involvement was Darren in the Junior sculls final but he didn't finish in the points
all racing concluded we packed up and went home.

Deal

Deal Regatta Saturday 29th July 2006 The day was sunny but cooled by a strongish breeze which made for some choppy racing conditions. Deal regatta is unique in that it has 2 turns the first after approx 700 metres and the second with the final 300 metres to go, so the start and finish line is still the same (as at all cara regattas). This makes it a very good Regatta for spectators and as usual Herne Bay were well supported
The day started well with the 1st victory of the day going to Mark D and Dan in Junior pairs with Harry and Trevor 2nd. The Ladies Novice 4 Claire Stevens, Megan Jordan, Frances Pullen and Rosie Hobbs coxed by Adele came 3rd
Ryan and Richard qualified for the senior sculls and soon after, in the senior pairs final, Ryan and Darren again came first with Ashley Epps and Andy Cooper in 3rd just behind Bexhill. Stewart Webb and new boy Matt started the race but did not finish.
Ladies pair Helen Bell and Natalie Ingram crossed the line 3rd in their final. The, already cara champions, Junior 4 crew (Harry, Dan, Mark D and Trevor coxed by George) crossed the line 1st in their final but were disqualified for not taking the 1st turn. This was starting to be a problem with a strong wind and current pushing crews over the buoys half way round.
The Ladies senior 4 crew of Helen, Helen Issy and Natalie battled the elements to come a close second to the home crew.
In Senior 4s the A and B crew came a very surprising 5th and 6th after more confusion on the 1st turn. Deal started the race a length ahead and eventually won, but our 'A' crew were leading by a length before the first turn but had to retake it.
Will, Jeremy, Ian and Chris coxed by Nat came 3rd in Novices beating 2 other crews. They were originally 4th but the winners, Eastbourne, were disqualified whan it was realised that they had earlier come 2nd to Herne Bay's disqualified Junior crew and so were no longer Novices.
In Senior sculls Richard was narrowly leading into the turns with Ryan in 4th when he tangled with the following pair of scullers and the race was stopped. In the rerow Richard crossed the line 2nd with Ryan 4th

Dover

Dover Regatta takes place within the harbour itself so conditions are generally flat but challenges are presented by the occasional cross channel ferry wash and hazards which include swimmmers and boats either moored or zigzagging across the harbour. 
Due to start at 10.00am but delayed by half an hour while the turns were sorted out. The promised flat conditions were whipped up by a strong breeze which made things slightly choppy as the day went on.
Herne Bays results (in race order) were as follows.
Race 3. Ladies Novice Fours - Rosie Hobbs, Megan Jordan, Katie Shaw, Frances Pullen coxed by Samantha Epps Continue to improve, today they came second behind Bexhill
Race 4. Senior Pairs - Ashley Eps, Andy Cooper came 3rd behind Ryan Hosking, Darren Ingram who were 2nd today behind the Mitchels of Bexhill
Race 9. Ladies Pairs - Natalie Ingram, Helen Bell came a close 2nd
Race 11. Junior Pairs - Harry Roberts, Trevor Brown came 2nd behind Mark Davies, Dan Richie who took 1st place. With Paul Kelly and Ian Baker coming 6th
Race 12. Ladies Junior Fours - Rosie Hobbs, Megan Jordan, Katie Shaw, Frances Pullen coxed by Samantha Epps came 5th
Race 14. Ladies Senior Fours - Natalie Ingram, Issy Nash, Helen Bell, Helen Bannister coxed by sam Epps came 2nd to the home crew repeating last weeks position
Race 15 J16 Double sculls - Megan Jordan and Will Campbell entered their first race in this event
Race 16. Senior Sculls - R Twyman won
Race 17. Junior Senior Fours - Harry Roberts Dan Richie Mark Davies Trevor Brown cox George Holness came second in a well paced race, alarming the 3 Bexhill crews who normally have this event to themselves. Herne Bay won the Dai Ellis memorial trophy in this race, despite not winning, as the 1st Kent crew to cross the line. The 'B' crew Ian Baker, Paul Kelly, Matt and Michael Epps came fourth.
Race 18. Ladies Double Sculls - Emily Heath, Issy Nash continue 
Race 19. Junior Fours - Harry Roberts, Dan Richie, Mark Davies, Trevor Brown cox G Holness, who are already the CARA champions in this event this year, came a very close second 2nd after losing a lot of time on the start tangled up with another crew who started too close - unseen by the starter. The 'B' crew Ian Baker, Paul Kelly, Chris O'Brien, Michael Epps came a few places behind.
Race 21. Senior Fours - our A crew Ryan Hosking, Mark Simmonds, Richard Twyman, Darren Ingram coxed by Adele stayed out of trouble and seem to be back to their winning ways at last coming a very convincing 1st. Our B crew of Ashley Epps, Stewart Webb, Dan Richie, Andy Cooper were snagged on the turns again and finished 6th
The prizes were awarded by the familiar figure of CARA president Paul Monroe who was no doubt pleased to hand over to Herne Bay the trophies for Grand Aggregate, Senior Aggregate and Junior Aggregate points.

Dartmouth Championships

The Herne Bay Crews and events for today were: