By Isle of Wight Observer
Ryde Rowing Club competed at the BTC Rowing Club Regatta at Western Shore, Woolston, Southampton, on Saturday, June 22.
First afloat was the Boys J16 Quad of Lars Groothuis, Lucas Georgiou, Fin Diffey and Max Locke (stroke), and coxed by Ruby Read, who suffered from an equipment failure, but rowed well to finish fourth in their final.
Next was the Club’s Young Ladies Novice single sculler, Lottie Pettitt, who unfortunately caught a rogue wave at the turn, causing her to capsize. However she did well to get back into her scull and complete the race, finishing in fourth place.
The Club Coastal Junior Sculler, Ben Sanderson, then raced in the Coastal Junior Single Sculls, finishing sixth in his final.
Newly-promoted, following their win at Coalporters Regatta the previous Saturday, the Ryde Ladies’ Coastal Junior Coxed Four of Maggie Sanderson, Alexis Owen, Emily Kellerman and Mai Read stroking, with Ruby Read coxing, raced really well to finish fourth in the heat in their first race at this status.
The Men’s Coastal Junior Pair of Isaac Gibson and Joe Roberts stroking, achieved the Club’s best result of the day, finishing second in their final.
In the Men’s Novice Fours final, the young Ryde crew of Lucas Georgiou, Yogi Ashworth, Fin Diffey and Ben Robotham (stroke), and Lottie Pettitt coxing, took fourth place in the final.
The Ryde Club had two Novice Single Scullers racing, with Paddy Kearney finishing in third place and Lars Groothuis achieving fifth in their final.
In the Men’s Senior Pairs, the Ryde pair, of Paddy Kearney and Will Hall, finished in fifth place in their final.
The final event of the day was a non-status coxed fours mixed race, where the Ryde Club entered one crew consisting of Lottie Pettitt, Joe Roberts, Isaac Gibson, Max Lock, with Paddy Kearney coxing, who finished 7th, and a Composite Four, with mother and son, Maggie and Ben Sanderson, combining with two members of Poole Rowing Club, coxed by Mia Read, of Ryde, who finished in ninth place.