After challenging weather conditions forced the postponement of racing from Saturday to Sunday, Olderfleet Rowing Club were proud to host a memorable day of racing at the Swift Racing Irish Masters Coastal Championships in Glenarm, with the continued support of Swift Racing helping make the event possible.
While the revised schedule unfortunately meant the cancellation of the planned Open and Junior Regatta, the understanding, patience and support shown by clubs throughout the weekend was greatly appreciated. Sunday still delivered true coastal conditions, testing crews with challenging water, demanding turns and tough racing right across the day.
Despite the logistical challenges of reorganising the Championships at short notice, the rowing community once again showed the very best of coastal rowing spirit, with clubs, volunteers, officials and competitors all pulling together to make the event happen.
Racing across all categories produced some outstanding performances. Jersey Rowing Club set the fastest time of the day in the Men’s Masters C4X+ with an impressive 15:20.04, while Olderfleet/Portmagee and Olderfleet/Donegal Bay followed closely behind to complete a highly competitive podium in the 50+ category.
In the Women’s Masters 40 C4X+, Olderfleet A produced one of the standout performances of the Championships, taking victory in 17:05.95 in demanding conditions. Cairndhu A were equally impressive in the Women’s Masters 50 C4X+, winning their category in 17:13.58.
The Mixed events also delivered exciting racing, with Jersey/Ring Rowing Club taking victory in the Mixed Masters 40 CMix4X+, while Olderfleet/Portmagee secured gold in the 50+ category with a strong performance of 17:49.47.
The single scull categories tested competitors to the limit in the sea conditions, with victories for Coastal Barbarians in the Men’s Masters 40 C1X, Portmagee in the Men’s Masters 50 C1X and Dolphin Rowing Club in the Women’s Masters C1X.
Alongside the racing itself, the Championships once again highlighted the unique community spirit within coastal rowing, with crews travelling from across Ireland and beyond to compete, support one another and enjoy a fantastic weekend both on and off the water.
A sincere thank you to Swift Racing and Rowfit for their valued support throughout the event. Their backing played a huge role in ensuring the Championships could go ahead successfully despite the challenging circumstances
We would like to thank all volunteers, umpires, officials, sponsors, supporters and competing clubs for their huge efforts in delivering a successful Championships under challenging circumstances.
