2007 Season

Deal

Rowers from Herne Bay Amateur Rowing Club took part in Deal Regatta, on a day with a flat sea and sunny sky. The club saw three more of its rowers promoted from Novice to Junior status when they won their second Novice race: Jamie Ross-Cummings, Luke Towner and Will Mihr (pictured below after their first win). John Mihr was also in the winning crew, which was coxed by George Holness. The Novice B crew of William Campbell, Nick Cox, Alex Farant and Simon Mount, coxed by Samantha Epps, came 3rd. Andy Cooper proved his sculling abilities once more at Deal by winning the Men’s Junior Sculls event. The Men’s Senior Four crew of Andy Cooper, Ashley Epps, Mark Simmonds and Ryan Hosking, coxed by Samantha Epps, came second to rivals Bexhill after a collision at the turn lead to a restart. The veteran crew of Trevor Brown, Mark Davies, Stuart Webb and Harry Roberts came third in a very competitive race, narrowly missing out on second place to Bexhill.

Dover and Folkestone

Dover and Folkestone Regattas took place on Saturday 4^th and Sunday 5^th August. Once again HBARC took a strong squad of rowers and saw some good results. Andy Cooper came second in Men’s Junior Sculls on both days, and was joined by Stuart Webb in Men’s Senior Pairs at Dover and by Ashley Epps at Folkestone, coming third on both days. Darren Ingram and Ryan Hosking came second in Men’s Senior Pairs at both Regattas. Both days saw second places for the Men’s Senior Four crew of Darren Ingram (back from injury), Ashley Epps, Mark Simmonds and Ryan Hosking, coxed by Samantha Epps. The Veteran crew came second at Folkestone after a disappointing fifth place at Dover, when John Cox had to stand it at the last minute for absent Mark Davies. In the Junior/Senior Fours event, Jamie Ross-Cummings, Ian Baker, Matt Appleby and Will Mihr, three of whom are Junior rowers fresh from the Novice section gave an impressive performance to come third at Folkestone. On the Saturday Baker and Ross-Cummings were joined by Veterans Brown and Roberts and also came third.

Eastbourne

Another long journey to Eastbourne, one of the trickiest destinations to reach from Herne Bay, however many club members made a weekend of it by staying overnight for Shoreham Regatta the next day
Proper coastal weather today with some challenging conditions that made launching (and landing) the boats tricky and a few instances of compromised flotation during racing
Also this weekend our entries (and possible points) were boosted by our friends from Herne Bay's twin town Waltrop who have been in Herne Bay all week to practice for a weekend of coastal racing - rather different to the flat water they are used to.
The problems caused by the conditions were demonstrated by today's senior 4 crew (Ryan Hosking, Mark Symons, Andy Cooper and Ashley Epps coxed by Sam Epps). They took the lead early on but near the turns three successive waves swamped the boat making it impossible to continue the race so they had to be towed ashore and carry the boat back along the beach. There were no complaints from the crew however - it's just an accepted feature of rowing on the sea.
In the senior pairs Harry and Trevor had experienced a similar problem, their boat (borrowed from Dover) had a loose bow canvas and the bow section filled with water by the turn, leaving Harry up to his waist in water, so the safety boat had to take them ashore for the long walk back. It was not a good day for Herne Bay in the Senior Pairs, Mark Symons and Ashley didn't finish the race (they discovered on the start that stroke's foot stretcher wasn't secure), Stuart Webb and Mark Davies did finish following 4 Bexhill pairs across the line. 
Consolation for Harry and Trevor came in the Veteran 4 final where together with Mark D and Stuart and coxed by Sam they achieved the first veteran win this season. In view of the conditions we'd opted for a wooden boat (Jeff Hutton) rather than the plastic and this seemed to pay off as it seems to ride the waves better and ship less water so the automatic bailers could cope - this may be due to the in-line arrangement of the seats in the plastic boat leaving less room for the end sections (and their buoyancy compartments) and more weight in the bows (with the bow oarsman nearer the bows). The debate about the handling of plastic boats in rougher water looks set to continue as a discussion point for a while yet...
In Junior 4s our Ruderverein Waltrop foursome of B Gehre, L Breukner, B Dahmen and S Huseman came a close 2nd further down the field Jamie Ross Cummins, Ian Baker Luke Towner and Will Mihr came 6th and William Campbell, Matti Kaiser, Nicholas Cox and Michael Epps came in behind them.
In Novice 4s there was a second place for the same crew that came 6th in Junior 4 - can't be long before they get that 1st place - when they do it'll be Ian's second Novice win which means he'll no longer be a novice and have to row at Junior or higher. 
In Junior sculls Andy Cooper came 2nd and in Junior Pairs S Huseman and B Dahmen came 2nd and Ian and Jamie came 4th
Senior sculls John Cox finished his first race for some years but Ryan didn't. Junior Senior 4s the Waltrop four finished 2nd and the Veteran 4 with Matti Kaiser instead of Stuart came 5th. 1 place behind were Paul Kelly, Ian, Jamie and Michael Epps.

Shoreham

The Regatta of the weekend found us among the cabbages on the beach at Shoreham and at 9.30 the conditions looked good, but by the time of the first race at 10.30 the wind had picked up and conditions were starting to resemble those at Eastbourne yesterday. However, despite some changes to the timetable and a half hour break in racing early on, conditions improved and although challenging, the conditions were "better" than yesterday and we got another full days racing. 
Our crews were pretty much the same as the day before with many having spent the night under canvas - would they be more refreshed by the shorter journey - or had they had much sleep at all?
Today's Senior four had Dan Richie returning at stroke with Ashley Epps, Mark Symons, and Ryan Hosking coxed by Sam Epps - they finished the race but in 3rd place complaining bitterly about being boxed in by Bexhill on the run out to the turns while Deal (with a certain R.Twyman in the crew) took the lead and eventually the race. This result seemed harder to take than not finishing the day before after being swamped. One place behind the A crew were the B crew containing the omitted Andy Cooper at stroke with Stuart Webb, Mark Davies and Matt Appleby. They had their own battle for 4th place with the Folkestone veteran 4 containing Matt's dad. I think we beat them (have to check) which made up for finishing second to them again in the veteran Fours race (vet crew of Harry, Mark D, Stuart and Trevor)
Ryan finished his first Senior sculls race of the season coming second, a similar placing to Andy cooper in the Junior sculls 
Earlier in the day in the Junior Senior Fours race the Waltrop Herne Bay crew stormed to an impressive victory, improving on the previous days second place - winning this race made them ineligible for the Junior race so they later rowed the senior fours race instead as the 3rd Herne Bay crew - their course took them so far out to sea that some observers on the beach thought they were rowing back to Germany. Also in the JS 4s race were Harry, Mark, Matti and Trevor coxed by George
I didn't get the full details of today's novice and Junior crews but the good news is that Jamie Ross Cummins, Ian Baker, Luke Towner and Will Mihr got their win in the Novice Fours - This second win for Ian puts him out of the Novice crew but the other 3 can race again (unless they win Junior in the meantime). 
Harry and Trevor started the Senior Pairs race hoping not to end up in the water again, they did finish but some places behind Mark Symons and Ashley who came 3rd 
No coastal Regattas next weekend (but there is the Nat. Champs in Nottingham at which our senior four may or may not be competing in the coastal event - coastal boats on a lake, sounds like practice for this years South coast Champs).

Southsea

Herne Bay rowers and supporters made the long journey to Southsea for some different competition in the form of clubs from Hants and Dorset as well as our regular CARA opponents. With all the recent cancellations in Kent and Sussex would our crews have had enough race experience this season to flourish ? time would tell! 
Southsea Regatta (held at Lumps Fort, Eastney) and for a change at this, only our 3rd Regatta of the season, the sun came out and the wind had dropped to a westerley breeze so things looked promising for a full days racing. However, there was still no racing half an hour after the advertised 10.30am start so it promised to be a long day...... 
In fact the main race of the day took place about 8 hours later (most coastal Regattas finish in 5 hours because of the tide) but it was well worth the wait for Herne Bay's supporters. Following last years 2nd place for the Herne Bay 2nd crew and controversial disqualification of our 1st crew in the Senior 4 race, Herne Bay's 1st crew made no mistake - powering to a convincing victory in both their heat and the final. Congratulations to Ryan Hosking, Ashley Epps, Mark Symons and Dan Richie coxed by Sam Epps for regaining the Portsmouth Grand Challenge Trophy. 
Knocked out in the heats were our 2nd crew Andy Cooper,Trevor Iddenden, John Clay and Darren Ingram coxed by George Holness who only narrowly missed a place in the final and our 3rd crew who were the veteran 4 crew coxed by Will Campbell getting some race practice before their main event. 
There were no Herne Bay ladies crews today, it was apparently too far to travel (which doesn't bode well for Eastbourne next week which starts earlier and takes even longer to get to from Herne Bay) but plenty of entries in the other events including most of the Novices gaining more racing experience. 
Most unfortunate rower of the day was possibly vice captain Andy Cooper who despite winning twice at our home Regatta, was dropped from the senior 4 crew and went for a swim at the start of the Junior Sculls heat. To cap it all in the Senior Pairs race, together with Trevor Iddenden (who at least finished the Junior sculls heat but didn't make the final), he was beaten by 2 old men twice his age from the veteran crew - Mark Davies and Stuart Webb, a few places ahead of them were Mark Symons and Ashley Epps who came 5th 
The full Veteran 4 crew of Harry Roberts, Mark Davies, Stuart Webb and Trevor Brown coxed by George Holness came 4th I think, but it was hard to tell who was ahead from where I was sitting....just need some more practice or would that be fitness ??? Anyway, still on course to make the championships as only one CARA crew beat us - so still in 2nd place. 
In the Junior 4 heat for CARA crews Luke Towner, Pip Churchyard, Nicholas Cox and Will Mihr coxed by George Holness came 4th qualifying for the final, Will Campbell, Alex Farrant, Simon Mount and Michael Epps coxed by Sam were a couple of places behind so did not make the final. Herne Bay did not win the event but it's early days for these crews and the competition was quite tough today. 
In the Novice 4 event both Herne Bay crews qualified for the final Jamie Ross-Cumming, Ian Baker, Simon Mount and Alex Farrant coxed by Sam Epps and Luke Towner, Pip Churchyard, Nicholas Cox and Will Mihr coxed by George Holness. Despite not winning the event they should be pleased that they were the fastest CARA crews especially as some of them have only being rowing a number of weeks and some of the opposition seemed to be quite experienced. 
No sculling success today - I've already mentioned the Junior event, in the senior event Ryan did not finish (but then again the senior fours race was imminent) In the Novice sculls Will Campbell started the race but only got half way back from the turns after some problems with his seat 
In Junior Senior 4s the veteran crew with John Clay instead of Stuart came 4th and further down the large field came Jamie, Ian, Luke, and Michael Epps. 
In the final race of the day - the Junior pairs final Jamie and Ian showed more harmony than after the Novice 4s race when they entertained the onlookers with a frank exchange of views on the beach after the race but did not pick up any silverware. However, considering how lumpy the water was by now and their relative inexperience (Jamie has only been rowing a couple of months) they did well to complete the race (and not come last). 

Hastings

After the recent weather and cancelled regattas it was good to arrive at Hastings to bright sunshine, no breeze and flat seas. Ideal conditions for sitting on the beach and also some hard racing. 
Disapointingly there were no HB womens crews today even though they've been training through the winter and seemed to be gearing up for a good season….still , this was only the first regatta and there’s a long way to go. 
In the 1st race of the day the Junior 4 coxed by captain Harry - Luke Towner, William Mihr, Ian Baker, Jamie Ross Cummings in their 1st competitive race came 5th – this was a good warm up for this new crew for their main event the Novice Fours was later in the day. 
In Senior pairs it was a straight final but with not enough boats Harry and Trevor had to scratch. We made good use of our 3 boats with 2nd place for Andy Cooper and Ashley Epps, 3rd place for Ryan Hosking and Dan Richie and 4th for Mark Davies and Stewart Webb. 
In Junior sculls Ashley Epps did not finish but Andy Cooper came 2nd after leading the race until the last 20 strokes. 
The Novice 4 (same crew as Junior 4) coxed by George Holness had a great result crossing the line 3rd but finishing 2nd after a clash on the turn led to another crew’s disqualification. 
Todays Senior 4, coxed by Sam Epps, was comprised of Andy Cooper, Ashley Epps, Dan Richie and Ryan Hosking. They won their race convincingly but may not race in that combination for a while with Dan heading off to the river for a while. 
If these results were making things seem easy for new captain Harry he was brought down to earth with two grillings from the umpires firstly for the offence of having a green number on a boat and secondly for wrong kit being worn by Ryan. 
The win in the Senior 4 left Harry with an additional problem, Dan’s first Senior win means he is now ineligible to row in the Junior Senior 4, to make up for missing that race Dan entered Novice sculls, his 1st coastal sculling race, having come 3rd in the fours head in a quad scull he was fairly confident of getting a result – however, that result was second place…
The Veteran 4 of Harry Roberts, Mark Davies, Stuart Webb and Trevor Brown coxed by Sam powered off the start into an early lead but couldn’t hold on and finished in 2nd place. In Senior sculls Ryan Hosking also came 2nd. 
Finally the Junior Senior 4 coxed by George (the same crew as veteran 4 but with Ian instead of Stuart) managed a creditable 3rd place.

Herne Bay

The Regatta got underway on time and in good conditions. the overcast sky did not result in (much) rain and the brisk south westerly breeze did not chop the water up too much. 
Taking the results from a Herne Bay point of view [click here for full results] in the order they were raced the very first race - the Junior 16 quad fours saw our newest coastal boat, the Garry Cooper, rigged as a quadruple sculler for the first time in a race. The result was a close one resulting in a close 3rd place for the HB crew of Luke Towner, April Towner, Will Campbell and Nicholas Cox, coxed by George Holnes. This demonstrated the versatility of our latest coastal boat which can be rigged both as a quad sculler and a sweep oared four because of the seats being inline (traditionally they are offset).
In the Ladies Pairs race Helen Bell and Natalie Ingram came 4th. In the Veteran 4 Harry Roberts, Mark Davies, Stuart Webb and Trevor Brown coxed by Sam Epps repeated their Hastings result and came 2nd behind Folkestone. In the Novice sculls final Matt Appleby (whose father had just beaten us rowing for Folkestone) came a close 3rd for Herne Bay.
A good sign for the future is the number of Novice rowers currently training at Herne Bay. In the Ladies Novice 4 race April Towner, Kirstie Langley, Hannah Woods and Amanda Waters had a good 1st race and will surely improve in the races to come.
There were 2 Herne Bay crews in the Mens' Novice 4 race. Jamie Ross-Cumming, Ian Baker, Simon Mount and Will Mihr coxed by George Holness came 3rd and the B crew Will Campbell, Luke Towner, Nicholas Cox and Alex Farant coxed by Natalie Ingram came 6th
At the other end of the scale in the premier event the Senior 4s, Herne Bay maintained their 100% record in this event this season winning for the 2nd time, the crew were Andy Cooper, Ashley Epps, Mark Symons and Ryan Hosking coxed by Sam Epps .
A few places behind the A crew were the B crew (comprised of same crew that came 2nd in the veteran four race).
In the Junior pairs final Jamie Ross-Cumming and Ian Baker came 3rd, a great result in their first pairs race. In the ladies senior 4 it was good to see a Herne Bay crew after the no-show at Hastings, however things did not go perfectly for Helen Kelly, Emily Heath, Helen Bell and Natalie Ingram coxed by Sam Epps and they came 5th after one of their blades came out during the race.
In the senior pairs final all 3 Herne Bay crews qualified for the final. Mark Symons and Ashley Epps did not finish after clashing with another crew soon after the start. The good news however was that Ryan Hosking and Darren Ingram (despite his recent back problems) came 2nd to Bexhill but as the 1st Kent crew to cross the line retained the Viking Shield. Mark Davies and Stuart Webb were a couple of places behind them.
In Junior 4s Herne Bay crews came 4th and 5th, The crews were firstly Jamie Ross-Cumming, Ian Baker, Simon Mount, Alex Farant coxed by Sam Epps and secondly Tim Carnell-McKean, Philip Churchyard, Nick Cox Will Mihr coxed by George Holness. In Junior Senior 4s we came 4th and 5th Harry Roberts, Mark Davies, Paul Kelly and Trevor Brown coxed by George Holness, followed by Jamie Ross-Cumming, Ian Baker, Luke Towner and Mike Epps coxed by Sam Epps.
In the final race of the day, Junior sculls, Andy Cooper won and Trevor Iddenden was 5th.

Dorney Lake Championships

The 51st South Coast Champs was held (controversially for some) on the flat water of Dorney Lake but in Coastal Boats. At least there was less risk of the event being cancelled due to the weather but the debate will continue as to whether river boats should have been used to make the most of the ideal conditions even though it was the turn for coastal boats this year. Next year we could be rowing river boats in sinking conditions.... As well as the 6 championship races there was a full regatta program including a Junior Regatta - no tide so it would be a long day with the 1st race at 10.00am and the last at ten past 6. 
On Saturday 8th July, rowers from Herne Bay AR represented the Coast Amateur Rowing Association (Kent & Sussex) at the South Coast Championships. This year the event was held at the future Olympic regatta centre at Dorney Lake, Eton. The conditions were good, if a little chilly for the many spectators who travelled from Herne Bay to support their crews. 
The day started with sculling events for the under 16s, in which crews rowed a 1000 metre course. The under 16 crew of Carlo Monticolombi, William Campbell, Michael Epps and Nicholas Cox, coxed by George Holness, came third in the coastal boat event, but didn’t have such luck in the river boat event. 
It then was up to the girls under 14 crew of April Towner, Amanda Waters, Phobe Shilling and Samantha Epps, coxed by George Holness, to show the other associations what Herne Bay can do. They won over Poole by approximately 200 metres. Their coach Andy Turner from Kings School will be very pleased with that result after all the time he put in over the weeks leading up to the regatta. The girls were privileged to be the first crew to race in the club’s newest boat the ‘Dave Evans’. Mr Evans, a long-standing member of the club, was very honoured to have a boat named after him and was very there to see their victory. 
Herne Bay’s veteran crew of Trevor Brown, Mark Davies, Stuart Webb and Harry Roberts (Captain), coxed by George Holness, represented CARA in the Veteran Championship race but were disappointed to come 5th on the day. 
In the Men’s Senior Championship event, aka ‘The Bowl’, Herne Bay had high hopes for Dan Richie, Ashley Epps, Mark Simmonds and Ryan Hosking, coxed by Samantha Epps. In an exciting race the Herne Bay crew did all they could to win the coveted prize, but were beaten by four other crews. There was a small cheer, however, when Herne Bay lad Lewis Iddenden crossed the line in second place in the BCT crew. Ryde won the race. 
In the open events only the men’s senior crew of Darren Ingram, Andy Cooper, Matt Appleby and Trevor Iddenden, qualified for the final. In a very close race the crew was with the leaders until the halfway point but were eventually pipped to fifth place. Although the event was well supported by the junior and novice rowers from club, none of them were able to qualify. 

Dinner and Dance