News | Waterford Boat Club

Dublin Metropolitan Regatta May 2026

8th July 2026 at 1:12 pm

Race Summary

The 144th Dublin Metropolitan Regatta took place on 23 May 2026, kicking off the summer rowing season as the first event in the Rowing Ireland Grand League. Held in Blessington, the regatta welcomed hundreds of crews from all over the country for a day of exciting racing. The sunny, warm weather made conditions tough for the rowers but drew plenty of spectators to Blessington.

We thank Amy and New Ross Boat Club for helping transport our boats and equipment. Thanks to their support, our club was able to attend two regattas on the same day.

Gosha raced in a single scull at the Grand League level for the first time, competing in the Men’s Division 1 1x category. Colm Brennan also took part in this event. Both raced well on the day against tough competition.

In the Men’s J16 1x, Bill Ogilvie faced tough competition and made it to the finals, but he was unable to race in the final.

Seán Harte kept up his strong performance for the club, winning first place in the Men’s Club 1 category. He then moved on to the Men’s Division 1 1x A Final, where he competed well against senior athletes.

Mykola Podmarkov and Sam O’Neill performed well in the Men’s J18 2×2, holding their own against tough competition.

Sean Fitzpatrick and Bill Ogilvie have raced well together this season in the Men’s J16 2x, and they performed very well together, finishing second in their category. The double have being building throughout the season and there is more to come.

In the Men’s Club 2 4X+, Colm Brennan, Mykola Podmarkov, Sam O’Neill, Harry Grant, and Tadhg Hawkins (Cox) rowed well and reached the final and won first place.

Our junior women also had a great day on the water. In the Women’s Club 2 4X+, Hannah Lemon, Moya Carragher, Rachael Weldon, and Leah Trant, with excellent coxing from our injured Women’s J18 rower Aine Power, rowed very well and reached the final and won their category. However, this meant that Moya Carragher and Hannah Lemon did not have enough time to reach the start line for their Women’s J16 2X final.

In the Women’s J16 1X, Faye O’Flaherty missed her heat but still rowed the course with a positive attitude.

In the Women’s J18A 1X, Molly O’Flynn raced well against tough competition and reached the C Final.

In the Women’s Club 2 2X, Edie O’Flaherty and Katie Fitzpatrick raced well to win first place in their event.

The Women’s J18A 4X-, with Edie O’Flaherty, Katie Fitzpatrick, Molly O’Flynn, and Faye O’Flaherty, had an impressive win in the J18A 4X and went on to win the overall Division 1 category that day.

Results

Category	Crew	Place by Category	Time
W Div 1 4x- (J18A)	Edie, Katie, Molly, Faye	1^st
M Div 2 1x (J16)	Bill Ogilvie	5^th	08:02.6
W Div 2 4x+ (C2)	Hannah, Moya, Leah, Rachel, Aine (c)	1^st	08:05.4
M Div 1 1x (J18A)	Gosha	8^th	08:17.7
M Div 1 1x (C1)	Seán Harte	1^st	07.37.6
W Div 2 2x (J16)	Moya, Leah	4^th	08:55.4
W Div 2 2x (C2)	Katie, Edie	1^st	07:57.8
M Div 2 4x+ (C2)	Mykola, Sam, Harry,	1^st	07:18.0
M Div 2 2x (J16)	Bill, Seán Fitz	2^nd	07:26.0

Official results can be found here

Gallery

Seán Harte’s Memorable 2025

8th July 2026 at 1:01 pm

Seán Harte from Waterford Boat Club had a memorable 2025. He feels fortunate to have been part of a quad that won gold at the Home International Regatta, grateful for the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Beach Sprint Championships, and appreciative of being invited to join the Rowing Ireland Youth Commission for 2025.

At the Irish Rowing Championships, after a busy regatta season, Seán finished 5th in the MJ18 1x men’s junior scull final. Seán’s hard work paid off, and he was selected to represent Ireland at the Home International Regatta. Racing at Dorney Lake in Windsor, England, Seán and his teammates—Michael Dukes, Art Thornbury, and Rory Keeley—won gold for Ireland in the Junior Men’s Quad Scull (JM4x-). In the single scull, Seán did well against strong competition from England, Scotland, and Wales, finishing third for Ireland.

Seán continued his rowing journey and moved into coastal rowing. He was chosen to represent Ireland at the European Rowing Coastal and Beach Sprint Championships in Manavgat-Antalya, Türkiye. He competed in the Coastal U19 Men’s Single Scull (CJM1x) and the Under 19 Mixed Double Sculls (CJMix2x) with Isabella Monahan.Seán felt privileged again to wear the green jersey with pride as he raced against some of Europe’s best junior rowers.

Alongside his rowing, Seán is thankful for the opportunity to give back to rowing. He was appointed to the Rowing Ireland Youth Commission, where he had the opportunity to speak up for young athletes and help guide the future of rowing programs across the country.

The Shannon Rowing Club Connection – Before committing her time as a volunteer coach in WBC, Ciara developed her passion for the sport at the historic Shannon Rowing Club on the River Shannon. Her transition to coaching at WBC saw Ciara invest in Seán’s development, overseeing the intense, high-mileage training blocks required to compete at the international standard. Ciara made the trip to Dorney Lake in Windsor to see Seán compete.

Waterford Boat Club and the entire local community have been proud of Seán’s journey, and he hopes that any progress he has made, both on the water and in leadership roles, can encourage the next generation of rowers.

Carlow Regatta 2026

2nd June 2026 at 10:09 pm

Race Summary

The club took our regular trip to Carlow on the June Bank Holiday Sunday (31st May) for Carlow Regatta 2026. Weather was perfect for rowing, not too hot and very little breeze. The Carlow course is approximately 1200 metres long and can be narrow in places making for a challenging race especially for first timers. Races are run over two lanes.

Carlow is always a great regatta for younger crews and the opportunity for racing smaller boats is available to the younger crews. On the day the club had 23 entries, resulting in 11 wins across the day. Results can be seen below. Special mention to our Womens and Mens J13 crews who won their J13 4x+ events, many of the athletes having their debut race.

Thanks to all the Coaches, Volunteers and parents who showed up on the day. As always, huge thanks to Tony for towing the trailer, his tireless efforts over the last few weeks have kept the show on the road.

Next club outings will be

Munster Branch Regatta (Sat 06^th June)
Fermoy Sprint Regatta (Sun 14^th June)

Results

Full official results can be found here

WBC wins on the day are shown here

Race	Category	Crew
14	MJ15 1x	Padraig Phelan
15	MJ15 1x	Maksym Indiuchenko
30	MJ13 4x+	Harry Walsh, Charlie, David, Sebastian, Donnacha(cox)
46	WJ15 4x+	Amelie, Amy, Cara, Sofia, Hugh(cox)
55	MJ16 2x	Bill Ogilvie, Seán Fitzpatrick
69	MJ16 4x+	Bill Ogilvie, Seán Fitzpatrick, Sam O’Neill, John Brady, Tadhg Hawkins(cox)
73	MJ14 4x+	Hugh Brady, Maksym Indiuchenko
79	WJ15 1x	Amy Trant
91	WJ15 1x	Amelie Mullins
97	WJ13 4x+	Aoife, Lyla (Carlow), Kate, Aisling, Sofia
103	MJ14 2x	Hugh, Maksym

Gallery

HP Beach Sprints Open Water Trial 1

12th May 2026 at 10:49 am

Summary

Three Waterford Boat Club athletes took part in the high performance beach sprints open water trial in Castleconnell on Sat 02^nd and Sun 03^rd May. The original trial was cancelled due to bad weather but this event was scheduled instead with the rowing component tested over the weekend. The trial is done over three sets with a best time and an average time taken for the purposes of ranking.

On Saturday , Seán Harte took part in the Mens U23/Senior category where he ranked the 6^thfastest time (02:20.5) as well as 2^nd overall on the ranking for average time (02:21.4) showing great consistency across the two runs. The selections for the second trial aren’t known as yet but his times put Seán is in a very strong position for selection for the next stage.

On Sunday the U19 trials took place with Gosha Shekunov and Harry Whelan taking part. This was their first time in a beach sprints boat and the lads did really well placing well up the field in 12^th (Harry) and 21^st (Gosha). Fantastic effort from both of the lads for a new event to them.

Results

Name	Category	Best Time	Time Position	Average Time	Average Position
Seán Harte	U23 / Senior	02:20.5	6^th	02:21.4	2^nd
Harry Whelan	U19	02:31.8	13^th	02:33.6	12^th
Gosha Shekunov	U19	02:36.0	19^th	02:39.0	21^st

Best of luck to all of the lads with possible selection for the next stage

Gallery

Cork HOTR Feb 2026

1st March 2026 at 1:53 pm

Race Summary

Cork Head of the River 2026 took place on Saturday 28^th Feb 2026 at Cork Marina. Following up a great outing at St Michaels earlier in the month the club were looking forward to another outing. Races were run over a 4K course. Yet again we were lucky on the day with the weather with rain and wind mostly staying away. The club rowed out of Cork Boat Club which stands close to the finish of the course

The club had 26 entries on the day with some great results including 2 wins, some extremely close second places and great performances across the board. As there were no issues with the weather all categories were running on the day unlike our previous outing where some of the younger groups races had to be cancelled

Big shout out to our young debutantes starting their first race today – Avelynn, Aoife and Romy racing up a few years in the WJ14 4X+ and Charlie racing with the MJ14 4X+

With our Head of the River season over the club looks forward to regatta season starting in April.

Thanks to our hosts Cork Boat Club and the other Cork clubs for a great event as always.

Big thanks to Tony for towing us up and down yet again.

Results

Full results for all clubs from the Raceclocker website can be found here under the heading “Cork HORR 2026”

Specific results from Waterford Boat Club can be seen below. More detailed results are here

Race	Category	Crew	Time	Split	Placing
1	WJ16 4X+	Hannah, Moya, Leah, Faye, (Cox – Harry G)	17:01.0	2:07.6	5^th
2	M Club 2 1x	Seán Harte	15:40.0	1:57.5	1^st
2	MJ18A 1X	Mykola Podmarkov	19:44.3	2:28.0	25^th
2	MJ18A 1X	Henry Brady	16:54.3	2:06.8	12^th
2	MJ16 1X	Bill Ogilvie	16:46.6	2:05.8	4^th
2	WJ18A 2-	Edie O’Flaherty, Katie Fitzpatrick	17:28.6	2:11.1	3^rd
2	MJ15 2X	Waterford A – (Hugh, Maksym)	17:28.5	2:11.1	8^th
2	MJ15 2X	Waterford B – (Leon, Thomas)	18:38.2	2:19.8	14^th
2	MJ15 2X	Waterford C – (Richie, Padraig)	20:23.9	2:33.0	20^th
3	MJ14 4X+	Hugh, Maksym, Charlie, Richie, (Cox – Thomas)	18:20.7	2:17.6	8^th
4	W Club 2 2X	Waterford A (Aine, Katie)	16:59.1	2:07.4	2^nd
4	W Club 2 2X	Waterford B (Leah, Moya)	19:44.3	2:28.0	8^th
4	WJ18A 2X	Edie, Molly	16:09.8	2:01.2	4^th
4	WJ16 2X	Hannah, Faye	17:17.1	2:09.6	5^th
5	MJ16 4X+	John, Seán F, Tadhg, Sam (Cox – Harry G)	14:36.4	1:49.5	2^nd
6	WJ15 2X	Waterford A – (Amelie, Amy)	17:25.3	2:10.7	6^th
6	WJ15 2X	Waterford B – (Cara, Sofia)	17:12.1	2:09.0	2^nd
6	WJ14 4X+	Skye, Avelynn, Aoife, Romy (Cox – Leah)	20:07.6	2:30.9	6^th
7	WJ18A 1X	Molly O’Flynn	17:12.6	2:09.1	7^th
7	W Club 2 1X	Aine Power	18:36.9	2:19.6	4^th
8	M Club 2 2X	Seán Harte, Henry Brady	13:43.5	1:42.9	2^nd
8	MJ18A 2X	Mykola Podmarkov, Sam O’Neill	15:46.1	1:58.3	19^th
8	MJ16 2X	Waterford A – (Bill, Seán F)	13:53.8	1:44.2	1^st
8	MJ16 2X	Waterford B – (John, Tadhg)	15:46.5	1:58.3	10^th
8	WJ15 4X+	Amelie, Cara, Amy, Sofia (Cox – Skye)	15:20.9	1:55.1	3^rd

Gallery

WJ14 4X+ – First race – Avelynn, Aoife, Romy, Skye

St Michaels HOTR 2026

1st March 2026 at 1:17 pm

Race Summary

St Michaels Head of the River 2026 took place on Saturday 07th Feb 2026 at O’Briens Bridge in Co Clare. In a welcome return to racing after some previous cancellations The club had 20 entries on the day. The races were run over a 3K course. Despite the recent terrible weather it was really nice day and great conditions.

Unfortunately a good deal of the younger categories and smaller boats for younger categories were cancelled beforehand but WBC eventually had 20 entries on the day with some great results including 2 wins, multiple second places and great performances across the board.

Thanks to our hosts St Michaels for a great event.

Thanks of course to all of our volunteers, coaches, parents and Tony for doing the towing.

Results

Overall results from the St Michaels website can be found here

Specific results from Waterford Boat Club can be seen below. The Hyperlinks under the race column will bring you to the full raceclocker results for all clubs.

Detailed results for WBC are here

Race	Category	Crew	Time	Split	Placing
1	M I 1x	Seán Harte	12:48.1	2:08.0	1
1	MJ18A 1X	Mykola Podmarkov	16:37.5	2:46.3	26
1	MJ18A 1X	Colm Brennan	14:32.9	2:25.5	22
1	MJ18A 1X	Gosha Shekunov	13:47.1	2:17.8	14
1	MJ18A 1X	Harry Whelan	13:40.2	2:16.7	13
1	MJ16 1X	Bill Ogilvie	13:32.9	2:15.5	2
2	WJ15 4X+	Amelie, Cara, Amy, Sofia (Cox – Leah)	13:37.0	2:16.2	5
3	M I 2X	Seán Harte, Harry Whelan	13:20.7	2:13.5	2
3	MJ18A 2X	Mykola Podmarkov, Colm Brennan	13:42.0	2:17.0	8
3	MJ16 2X	Waterford B – (Bill Ogilvie, Seán Fitzpatrick)	12:22.3	2:03.7	4
3	MJ16 2X	Waterford A – (John Brady, Sam O’Neill)	18:58.8	3:09.8	21
4	WJ18A 2-	Edie O’Flaherty, Katie Fitzpatrick	13:50.5	2:18.4	2
4	WJ18A 1X	Molly O’Flynn	15:09.1	2:31.5	2
4	WJ18A 1X	Aine Power	16:13.3	2:42.2	6
4	WJ16 1X	Faye O’Flaherty	15:44.7	2:37.5	7
5	MJ16 4X+	Bill, Seán F, John, Sam (Cox – Sofia)	11:50.0	1:58.3	1
5	MJ15 4X+	Hugh, Padraig, Thomas, Toby (Cox – Amelie)	13:29.6	2:14.9	10
6	WJ18A 2X	Waterford A (Edie O’Flaherty, Katie Fitzpatrick)	13:06.2	2:11.0	3
6	WJ18A 2X	Waterford B (Molly O’Flynn, Faye O’Flaherty)	13:43.2	2:17.2	5
6	WJ18A 2X	Waterford C (Moya Carragher, Aine Power)	15:05.3	2:30.9	12

Gallery

MJ16 4X+ Winners – Sam, John, Seán, Bill, cox Sofia and coach Ciara

Championships News 2025

17th July 2025 at 7:12 pm

Fantastic Racing from Waterford Boat Club’s Rachel and Molly in the Women’s J16 Double Scull today at day 2 of the National Championships

What a performance today in scorching conditions from Waterford Boat Club’s
Rachel and Molly in the Women’s Junior 16 Double Scull All Done in 32° heat

The girls kicked off the day with a strong showing in the time trial, placing 6th out of 28 crews an incredible effort that earned them a place in the semi-finals.

With only two boats from each semi-final advancing to the final, the pressure was on but Rachel and Molly rose to the challenge, securing a 1st place finish in Heat 3 with a time of 9:00.6 over the 2k course. A phenomenal performance that booked their spot in the All-Ireland final and a just reward for both athletes

Despite a quick turnaround and their third race of the day, the Waterford double lined up among the six fastest boats in the country. In a fiercely competitive final, Rachel and Molly delivered a gutsy performance to finish 5th overall a hugely respectable result at national level.

As coaches we are so proud of these girls. Brilliant rowing today at Irish Championships in WJ18 double. They finished their Time Trial in 7th place out of 39, then upped their performance in the Semi-Finals finishing in 3rd place, with 2 to qualify for the final. They were the 4th fastest out of 18 across the Semi-Finals. Amazing end to the season for these girls and just reward for all their hard work.

Friday Morning – Day 1 of the National Championships

An early start for all crew members, as is the norm during racing season. Waterford Boat Club’s Women’s Junior 16 Coxed Quad—Rachel, Molly, Hannah, Faye, and cox Mads—kicked off their campaign at 9:10am with a strong performance in the time trial, finishing 5th out of 28 crews with a time of 7:32.7, securing their place in the semi-finals.

With only two boats progressing from each semi-final, the pressure was on.not much of a brake and back out for the 10:45 semi It was neck-and-neck all the way down the 2k course. In a heartbreaking finish, the crew was pipped at the line into 3rd place, clocking 8:01.4—the 3rd fastest time out of 18 boats in the semis.

It was a tough one to swallow. So close to the final, yet edged out by the narrowest of margins. Watching other boats go through wasn’t easy—but that’s the nature of racing. A performance to be proud of nonetheless.
This young woman’s crew is very strong and has a very bright future in Rowing understanding that that’s racing for you.
A big thanks to young Mads for doing a great job coxing the crew. See less

Another amazing days racing at the Irish Championships. Congratulations to Henry and Gosha who rowed very well competing in a tough field in the Mens J18 doubles, one of the most competitive events over the weekend. The girls J18 quad should be very proud of themselves. They finished their Time Trial in 7th place out of 22, with top 12 progressing to the Semi-Finals. In the Semis, with 3 to qualify, they were pipped into 3rd place by 0.6 secs. In the final they rowed an amazing race to finish in 6th place, no mean feat. Well rowed to all crews who competed for WBC over the weekend