M1 and M2 raced at Pembroke Regatta last weekend, a side-by-side knockout tournament from Ditton to the P&E.

M1 had only just got back into their full crew after suffering from injuries earlier in the term. Pembroke Regatta came as the perfect opportunity to test our speed and practice our ‘start’ in preparation for Bumps. We drew Emma in the first round. They had a much sharper and aggressive start and took a length out of us in the first 100m. After this, we managed to find our rhythm, holding the gap between the two boats, and Emma remained at ~1 length for the remainder of the race. The regatta highlighted the demands of racing under pressure to all of the crew. With only two weeks until Bumps, M1 are now working on finding more speed in their starts.

M2 had spent the run up to Pembroke regatta working on having a strong standing start which would be crucial for success in both this regatta and in Bumps at the end of term. Spirits were high and the conditions were perfect for racing with not too much wind: we felt confident going into the first race. Our start was good, just as we had practiced, and as a consequence, we were level with Churchill M2 off the start. However a few hundred meters into the race, a few things started to go wrong. Unfortunately, we were unable to regain our composure in a race that we had the potential to win. On a more positive note, the race highlighted the problems that we need to address before Bumps, allowing us to be as prepared as we can be for the end of term.