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Committee of the Dee          

2001 North East Regatta - River Dee, Aberdeen

Weekend of  21st & 22nd April 2001

Championship of the Dee table and entry notes

General Notes and chat!

FULL RESULTS are listed in this pdf file

 

Winners Names            (top)
        Saturday (Word 95 file)

          Sunday (Word 95 file)

 

North East Regatta 2001 21st & 22nd April 2001

Championship of the Dee 2001               (top)
                                      click here to go to the table listing winners from 1989 to present

The Championship of the Dee is the victor ludorum award for the main rowing event in Aberdeen. It is calculated over both days of the North East Regatta. Each winning finalist in an event earns his (or her) club two points. Runners up (losing finalists) are awarded one point.

Club

Saturday Points

Sunday Points

Total Points

Final Position

Aberdeen Boat Club (ABC)

60

88

148

1

Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association (ASRA)

90

27

117

2

Aberdeen University Boat Club (AUBC)

38

29

67

3

St Andrew Boat Club

33

30

63

4

George Heriots Rowing Club

37

-

37

5

Glasgow Rowing Club

7

21

28

6

Inverness Rowing Club

8

7

15

7

In 2001, Aberdeen Boat Club again emerged as winners but not by the same (record) margin as last year. A strong senior squad earned the club lots of points but they also recorded victories in mens novice and womens veteran events.

Aberdeen Schools were leading at the end of Saturdays racing (all the Junior events are how held on Saturday) but they also managed to maintain this lead well into Sunday's racing. The strength of ABC's entry in senior events then relegated the younger competitors to second place. This remains an impressive result for the schools club and the competitors, coaches, parents and sponsors should be justifiably proud of this runners-up position.


George Heriots were the only other school to send junior competitors to this year's event.
It was good to see Aberdeen University Boat Club entering in better numbers after the doldrums of 2000. They won Mixed Eights and some sculling events but success in fours events was elusive.
St Andrew Boat Club again sent a large squad - their women did well but scored more second places than wins!


Inverness Rowing Club produced their largest-ever entry with a lot of less qualified (novice and R2) men and women. Despite the large squad they, sadly, went home with less pewterware than in previous years. Everyone seemed to have a good time so hopefully the experience was worthwhile.


Glasgow Rowing Club scored runner-up points in Junior-18 sculls but earned most of their points in Veteran events; winning mens Fours and Pairs. Good to see such an age range across a club.


Stirling University Boat Club entered lots but only had success in Womens Novice Fours. It was great to see the delight on the girls faces on winning their first pot.

RMW 22/4/01

 

 

North East Regatta 2001 21st & 22nd April 2001

Notes 2001                     (top)

It was a worrying time in the build-up to the 2001 event. The current Foot and Mouth epidemic had resulted in the cancellation of some regattas and other sporting fixtures but fortunately rowing events in the North East are unaffected.

The week before the event also produced terrible weather in Aberdeen with strong winds, hailstorms and lying snow. The weather gods smiled (or at least stopped frowning) on us in the end and the event was held in reasonable rowing conditions with no rain. However, a chilly and sometimes strong tailwind on both days made spectating a job for the hardy.

Even more stamina was demanded from our umpires who had no choice but to stand for several hours in some of the draughtiest positions of the course; so thanks to Peter Morrison (senior umpire), Ian Duncan, Gill Laing, Raymond Dixon, Terry McNeill, Lydia Carty, Sandy Walker, Neil McFarlane, Mike Haggerty, Gary Bain, Robert Robertson and Bryan Steel. Also the two enthusiastic trainee umpires Fiona Insch and Katy Cameron.

We had a record entry with 79 races on Saturday and 71 on Sunday. There were especially large entries in Novice and R2 events (13 entrants in Womens Novice Fours on Saturday). Mens Veteran events also attracted a large entry with seven Fours racing on Sunday. The veteran Fours event prompted some of our umpires to change blazers for rowing kit and Peter Morrison was spotted winning a race. This event was finally won by Glasgow Rowing Club who boated stalwarts including Sandy Walker (hope his rowing licence was up-to-date) and George Warnock .

At the other end of the age range we held Cadet (under 12) single sculls in Aquajogs. The determination shown by Michael Chalmers in winning his place in the final was impressive but Jamie Steel's superior technique won her the event. Jamie and Michael, along with less experienced Cadets, down to 8 years of age, competed in coxed quad sculls. The event was held over a short course from the Suspension Bridge but both crews had difficulty manoeuvring onto the start due to gusty winds at the time of their race. The safety launch (provided by sponsorship from Aberdeen Asset Management and SportsMatch Scotland) was on hand but never needed.

The launch was used on Sunday when a Loch Lomond novice sculler capsized on the way to the start (someone told me he hadn't fastened his gate - bet he won't do that again!). The intrepid gent was helped back to shore where he announced his desire to re-boat and race. He won his delayed sculling heat, promptly raced in a Fours event and then back to the start again to win the Novice Sculls final. When I asked his name, one of his clubmates suggested "Flipper" but congratulations to Alan McGregor - a worthy Novice Sculls winner.

A womens four from the recently-formed Dalgety Bay Sailing Club (Rowing Section) entered their first event at the North East. They won nothing except the sympathy (I am sure it was sympathetic laughter) of the crowd when they capsized their boat at the jetty subjecting not only their cox but also their stern pair to a quick dip in the Dee. Again an exercise they are unlikely to repeat in the future! We wish them the best.

With co-operation from all concerned we were pleased to finish both days racing ahead of time.
RMW 22/4/01                 
(top)