Cork Head of the River – Mar 2024


This is a placeholder for a race report on Cork Head of the River March 2024. A full report and results wil be published shortly.

  • 22 races
  • 5 overall wins
    • WJ15 4x+ – Molly, Faye, Hannah, Rachel
    • WJ16 4x+ – Aine, Jessica, Katie, Kate
    • WJ18 4x-  – Siun, Sarah, Erin, Hannah
    • WJ16 2x  – Katie and Edie
    • WJ15 2x   –  Molly and Rachel
  • Congratulations to all our new members in the WJ14 and MJ14 boats and Gosha competing in their first events. Great showing from all.




Porpoises on The Suir


With most of the club away on Sunday morning (26 Nov ’23) for a friendly invitational with New Ross a hardy few turned up for regular Junior training and were treated to a training row alongside a pod of porpoises. Thanks to stand in cox and videographer extraordinaire Louise for capturing the videos below.

Porpoises on The Suir 1
Porpoises on The Suir 2
Porpoise spotters – Hannah, Max, Amy and Thomas



New Ross Boat Club Invitational HOTR Nov 23


As a result of the many cancellations over the past few months New Ross Boat Club were kind enough to stage an informal invitational Head on Sun 26 Nov ’23 for a few boat clubs in the locality. New Ross Boat Club, Graignamanagh and Waterford were the participants for this timed event over 3400 metres.

Waterford brought eleven crews up to take part in this friendly event and the morning proved to be a most enjoyable run out for all. The results can be found in the link below.

Huge thanks for our hosts, New Ross Boat Club, for putting this together at short notice and for providing refreshments afterwards. Really appreciated by everyone at WBC.




145th Anniversary Dinner Dance

145th Anniversary Dinner Dance


By Ger McCarthy

Waterford Boat Club, Waterford’s oldest sports club, held their 145th anniversary dinner dance at Dooley’s Hotel on Saturday 11th November. A fantastic turnout of past and present members and friends of the club made for a wonderful evening.

One particularly distinguished guest in attendance was the Mayor of Waterford, Joe Conway, an honorary member of Waterford Boat Club. The Mayor’s attendance added a touch of prestige and recognition to the celebrations, and exemplified the city’s appreciation for the club’s long-standing contributions to rowing and commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive rowing club culture in the heart of Waterford City.

To begin the evening, the Mayor was warmly welcomed by the club’s president Dermot Griffin and club captain Ger McCarthy, who took great pride in showcasing club memorabilia including the first Club minutes dating back to 1878.

During the event, the Mayor took the opportunity to address the gathering, expressing his admiration for Waterford Boat Club’s rich history and its continuous efforts to promote the sport of rowing in Waterford City. The Mayor recognized the club’s dedication in providing a safe and inclusive environment for rowing enthusiasts of all ages.

The mayor’s presence also inspired the younger generation, emphasizing the importance of embracing the traditions of the past while striving for an even brighter future. It showcased the city’s support for the sport of rowing and its recognition of the positive impact Waterford Boat Club has had on the local community, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and bringing people together.

Club Captain Ger McCarthy, Mayor Joe Conway and Club President Dermot Griffin

Club Captain Ger McCarthy, Mayor Joe Conway and Club President Dermot Griffin

All those in attendance acknowledged the hard work and dedication that had gone into building and maintaining Waterford Boat Club throughout it’s 145-year history. It was a moment of shared appreciation, reflecting the commitment of club members and volunteers past and present who have worked tirelessly to create a haven for this Club over its 145years of existence.

In his speech, Club Captain Ger McCarthy said it was fitting and fantastic to honour 145 years of Club history with such a gathering, particularly with the past year being such an eventful year for the club featuring a busy and hugely successful regatta schedule and a major renovation of the club house in Canada Street. These building works have recently being finished just in time for the busy upcoming winter training programme and will enable to club to grow over the coming years and to maintain our status as the City’s oldest sports club.


Waterford Boat Club’s 145th anniversary dinner dance was truly enhanced by the attendance and support of all. It highlighted the club’s esteemed position in the community and its ongoing commitment to promoting Rowing in the community. Waterford Boat Club can look to a bright future with renewed enthusiasm and the knowledge that their efforts are valued and recognized by the City they call home.

Huge thanks have to go to Louise Drohan and the organising committee for their tireless efforts planning and arranging the event and to Tina Darrer and all the team at Dooley’s Hotel for hosting an excellent meal and evening for all.



St Michaels Head of the River 2023

St Michaels Head of the River 2023


After a few months break WBC were back racing at St Michael’s Head of the River on Oct 7th 2023 on an unseasonably warm and dry day. Racing took place from O’Briens Bridge in Co Clare where recent heavy rain led to high river heights. Nonetheless the race went ahead as planned.

The course was a 3K course which was the same length for all crews taking part with a rolling head format meaning that any crew could launch when they wished. WBC entered 21 crews for this race across categories from J13-J16

This Head also saw the Leo Murphy Quad return to action after it’s Summer sabbatical. Happy to report that it’s now safely back on a rack in the boat house after a fine days work.

Official timed results for the event can be found here


Race Review

WJ15 4x+ : First on the water were the WJ15 4x+ crew of Edie, Katie, Aine and Jessica with Harry Grant coxing. The girls set an excellent opening time of 12:28 which would see them top the leaderboard for practically the whole day until the very end when Fermoy pipped them by 8 seconds. Nonetheless an excellent 2nd place out of 9 was a great result.

Unusually WBC entered 2 WJ154x+ crews. The second crew of Kate, Hannah, Faye and Molly with Mads coxing took to the water shortly after the first WJ15 4x+ boat. Despite 2 of the girls being J13 and MOlly being J14 the girls put in a fantastic effort to place 4th just 1 second behind third place Skibbereen and only 26 seconds behind the regular WJ15 4x+ crew. A great showing for their first run out in a race together.

MJ 16 1x : Next on the water were the MJ16 singles. Sean and Darragh competed here for Waterford. In a very large field Sean placed 12th and Darragh placed 18th bu there was a tight bunching of times around the 13:00 minute mark which meant a coupe of seconds the other way could have resulted in a higher placing.

MJ 15 1x : Henry and Oran were next out in the MJ15 1x in another very large field. Oran took 16th and Henry 30th but again a tight grouping of times around the 13:20 range could have seen a large swing in finishing positions with just a few seconds. Good showing from the lads here

MJ14 1X : Last out in the men’s singles was Harry Grant whose time placed 5th in the MJ14 1x. A solid race from Harry.

WJ16 4x+ : Waterford’s first win of the day came courtesy of an excellent row from the WJ16 4x+. The crew of Hannah, Sarah, Deirdre Erin and Siun (cox) took an excellent win finishing in a time of 12:11. Congratulations to the girls for a fantastic row and result.

WJ16 2x : To add to their success in the quad earlier in the day the J16 girls were out again in doubles later in the day. Yet another set of excellent rows led to more high finishes. The Waterford B crew of Siun and Erin put in a great performance to place second just 20 seconds down on winners Muckross. Just a few seconds behind their clubmates were the Waterford A crew of Hannah and Deirdre who finished in a great fourth position.

WJ14 2x : In Waterford’s second win of the day Hannah and Faye took a brilliant win in the WJ14x despite both of them still being J13. Another excellent win for the pair who’ve been having a fantastic season both in the double and the quad. Well done girls.

WJ15 2x : In an eventful run in the WJ15 2x Molly and Kate unfortunately found the reeds during the run badly halting their progress. Despite this significant delay the girls ploughed on and finished in a very good time of 14:29 placing them sixth out of twelve. A real case of what could have been here as the girls easily lost a minute but nonetheless a great recovery and final showing.

WJ16 1x : Waterford had 2 entries in the WJ16 singles with Sarah and Sarah taking part. In another tightly bunched race of 18 competitors the girls had really good races and Siun finished in seventh a couple of seconds ahead of Sarah in eighth.

WJ15 1x : The Girls J15 quad members all took a run at the singles today. In one of the best runs of the day Edie took third place in a field of 34 with an exceptional row just 20 seconds back from the eventual winner from Cork. Katie, Aine and Jessica also had really good races and finished bunched closely together in 12th, 14th and 15th just a couple of seconds apart. Great show from all here.

MJ16 2x : Sean and Darragh took part in a large field of 17 for the MJ16 2x doubles. They eventually finished fourth just a couple of seconds from the Muckross crews in 2nd and 3rd. Another great showing from the lads.

MJ15 2x : Oran and Henry completed the doubles for Waterford in the MJ15 2x. In another really good result in a large field of 23 the lads placed sixth overall.

MJ13 4x+ : The crew of Sean, Toby, Mads, Sam and cox Jessica took part in the MJ13 4x+. The lads showed much better technique in this arce but unfortunately fished down the rankings in eighth out of nine, but an improvement of just 20 seconds could have seen them rise much higher in the rankings. A decent showing here and hopefully a good place to push on from.


Gallery



AGM 2023


Notice is hereby given that the 2023 AGM for Waterford Boat Club will be held on Tuesday the 24th of October at 7.30pm at the club premises.

R McHugh (sec)




Waterford Boat Club 145th Anniversary


Waterford Boat Club are delighted to announce our 145th Anniversary Celebration which will take place on November the 11th at Dooley’s Hotel Waterford!

Tickets are priced at €60 each and are on sale now. A table of 10 can be purchased at the discounted rate of €560. Please contact wbcchildrensofficer@gmail.com to purchase, or contact any club member for more information.

We are looking forward to seeing all our past and present members and boat club friends to celebrate the history and success of our club!


Flyer for 145 year anniversary


Thanks to ABP Foods


Huge thanks to ABP Foods Ferrybank for their support of the club. Their recent donation enabled us to purchase some brand new safety gear (4 lifejackets and 4 throw-bags) for the club. With a really large intake of new members this year this new equipment is vital for ensuring everyone’s safety and helping the club grow. Great to see a local business supporting local clubs. So huge thanks again to ABP from all at WBC for their help.

Pictured here with some of the new safety gear are our Women’s Junior 15 Quad crew in the clubs new safety launch.



J12 and J13 New Members 2023


As regatta season has just finished for our younger crews we’re starting the intake for new 12 and 13 year old members for 2023/2024.

If you have a 12/13 year old who’s interested in trying out an exciting and challenging sport we’ll be welcoming potential new members down over the month of July to try it out for free. Any potential participants must be competent swimmers.

Please contact us at enquiries@waterfordboatclub.ie and include the following information:

  • Child’s Name
  • Child’s Date of Birth
  • Confirmation that they are a competent swimmer
  • Parent/Guardian’s e-mail address
  • Parent/Guardian’s phone number

We’ll forward on times of the sessions when we’ll give potential new members a quick overview and try out in the boats. Looking forward to hearing from you.

If after a couple of trial sessions you’ve decided to join as a member then you can download and fill in the Membership Application form from the link below. Please return this to one of the coaches or alternatively you can scan the completed form and return it to us at enquiries@waterfordboatclub.ie




Fermoy Regatta July 2023

Fermoy Regatta July 2023


Sunday 02nd July saw WBC make the annual trip to Fermoy Regatta. On a thankfully mild July day Waterford entered 22 boats across the various categories. Yet again it proved to be a tremendously successful outing for the club with wins in 9 events and some excellent placings in finals as well. Here’s a brief summary of the various categories:

WJ16 4x+ First up for Waterford were the WJ16 4x+ crew of Erin, Hannah, Sarah, Siun with Deirdre coxing in heat A. They took the heat after a tight race with Lee to advance to the final where they would meet home team Fermoy. Despite another good row where they matched their time from the heats Fermoy took the final by about a second. A tough blow for the girls after two really good races.

MJ15 1x – Henry was next up in the MJ15 1x in Final A. Despite posting a very decent time Henry was pipped for 2nd place here but would have more success later in the day. Next out in the MJ15 1x was Liam who also had a very good race but in a very close finish between all three scullers was just beaten to the line. Last up in the MJ15 1x was Oran who rowed an excellent race and took 1st place in his final. Great showing from Oran here.

WJ14 2x – We had 2 entries in the WJ14 2x finals. In final A Molly and Rachel saw off Carlow to take a comprehensive win with a great time. Not to be outdone, Faye and Hannah took the win in their final to extend their winning run. Brilliant work from both crews, well done girls.

MJ16 2x – Just the one entry from Waterford in the MJ16 2x saw Sean and Darragh take to the water in Heat F. They took a good victory beating both of their rival crews with a few lengths to spare to advance to the semi-final. In the semi-final they met a very strong Cappoquin crew and unfortunately lost out by a couple of seconds. That Cappoquin crew would move on to win the final later in the day. Great showing from the lads all the same.

MJ18 1x – Just the one entry for Waterford in the MJ18 1x but Lochlann didn’t disappoint. Lochlann only had his first race a few weeks back in Carlow where he ended up winning the final. He carried on his good form here and took his heat in an extremely tight race with scullers from New Ross and Clonmel to advance to the final. In the final Lochlann was up against scullers from Carlow and Killorglin. In what would prove to be a very tight final again Lochlann took the win in a stunning time of 1:31.0 just pipping the Carlow sculler to the line. Brilliant pair of races here from Lochlann making it look like he’s been racing for years.

WJ16 2x – First up for WBC in Heat A were Hannah and Deirdre. The girls didn’t quite get things going and came home third in their heat. Next up in Heat C were Erin and Siun who took a comfortable win over Fermoy to advance to the semi-final. In the semi they met Carlow and after a very tough race the girls took a tight finish to move through to the final. In the final they met an incredibly strong Lee crew who went on to take the win, but the girls maintained their pace throughout and matched their time from the semi. Nonetheless a great performance throughout the day from the pair.

WJ15 4x+ – The WJ15 4x+ crew of Edie, Katie, Aine, Jessica and Faye as cox came into their race on the back of fantastic form all season long. However on a slightly off day they were just beaten by a crew from Killorglin. Despite posting a time that would have won any of the other WJ15 4x+ finals the girls had to settle for 2nd in their race. A really good showing nonetheless and they’ll look forward to the 1K classic next weekend.

MJ14 1x – WBC had two entries in this category. First out of the traps was Colm in Final D. Following up his good form over the past few regatta Colm took the win here with a comfortable win over scullers for New Ross and Castleconnell. Nice job Colm.

Harry was next to take to the water in Final F but had a poor start and hit a buoy shortly after the start line. With the 500m sprint being such a short event a bad start can wreck a race. Despite this, Harry composed himself and et about the task in hand and rowed a really good race reducing the gap in the 2nd half and finishing strongly.

MJ16 1x – Next up were the MJ16 1x scullers. Sean Harte was first out in Heat B and took a relatively straightforward victory. Darragh was next out in Heat C and in a very competitive race was unlucky to come home in third.

Sean advanced to the semi where he would take on scullers from Athlunkard and New Ross. Having held something in the tank since the heats Sean comprehensively won the semi improving his time by over 5 seconds to advance to he final. The final was incredibly close with Sean just being pipped to the line by the sculler from Carlow. Really unlucky after a hard days racing but a great result nonetheless, well rowed Sean.

WJ16 1x – Just the one representative in this category for WBC where Sarah would compete. Despite posting a time that would have won all of the other heats Sarah got the toughest of the heats and was unlucky to come in third in a very close race between all three. A really good showing from Sarah here anyway, well done.

MJ13 4x+ – Our youngest mens crew of Sean, Sam, Toby, Mads and Deirdre as cox took part in an invitational event between themselves, Muckross and Fermoy. In one of the closest finishes of the day the lads were leading with about 100 metres to go but Muckross were charging and gaining quickly but the boys dug deep and took their first win in a final by a bowball. Great show form the lads and Deirdre who’ll all be delighted to get their first medal as a crew.

WJ15 2x – Waterford had three crews running in this category. First out of the traps were Aine and Jessica who have proved to be a formidable pair this season. They carried on their great form and took this race by a considerable distance. Great showing again girls.

Edie and Katie took part in Final B and despite an excellent time they finished 2nd to an incredibly strong pair from Lee. A great showing anyway and they’ll look forward to the 1K Classic next week.

Last but by no means least were Molly and Kate in Final D. despite putting in an excellent time the girls took 2nd behind a very strong Fermoy boat. Always more difficult to row against the home teams. Again, a very strong showing, well done girls.

MJ15 2x – Coming towards the end of the day the MJ15 2x pair of Henry and Oran took to the water in their final v St Michaels and Castleconnell. As they’ve done several times already this season the lads brought home the victory in one of the fastest times of the day. Great showing again, congratulations lads.

WJ14 4x+ – Last and by no means least were the WJ14 4x+ crew of Rachel, Molly, Hannah and Faye with Jessica coxing. The girls have been in great form all year and took a very comfortable victory here to continue their great form. This adds to the finals that all 4 girls won in the WJ14 2x earlier in the day as well. Brilliant showing again girls.


Next we move on to the 1K Classic at the National Rowing Centre (NRC) in Co Cork on Sat 8th July. This was postponed for a week due to high winds on the original day but will give the Junior 15’s and under one more day out in the regatta season. Following up the week after that will be the Irish Rowing Championships at the NRC for J16 and upwards.

Again the club would like to thank everyone involved with day and the days leading up to it, Mick for towing the trailer, Stephen for lending the jeep, the coaches,the parents. We say thanks all the time but we do really mean it. Without everyone’s help we wouldn’t be able to support the club in this way. Final and most important thanks goes to our athletes. Regardless of results all of them are an absolute credit to the club and we’re proud of all of them. The training and effort that goes in throughout the year is absolutely fantastic

On to the NRC…


Placings

The full official results can be found here

CategoryCrewPlacing
MJ15 1xOran Skinner1st
WJ14 2xMolly O’Flynn, Rachel Weldon1st
WJ14 2xHannah Lemon, Faye O’Flaherty1st
MJ18 1xLochlann Flanagan1st
MJ13 4x+Sean Fitzpatrick, Sam O’Neill, Toby Cooke, Mads O’Flynn, Cox: Deirdre McHugh1st
MJ14 1xColm Brennan1st
WJ15 2xAine Power, Jessica Cooke1st
MJ15 2xHenry Brady, Oran Skinner1st
WJ14 4x+Rachel Weldon, Molly O’Flynn, Hannah Lemon, Faye O’Flaherty, Cox: Jessica1st
MJ16 1xSean Harte2nd

Gallery