Seattle Bound – Opening Day Regatta

14 May 2013Joanna L, Alex 14

Last weekend, the Senior Girls and Boys Varsity Eights travelled to Seattle to compete at the prestigious Opening Day Regatta.

The regatta is a highly attended one, with over 300,000 people turning out to watch the rowing crews as well (as a large number of commercial and private yachts) celebrate the opening day of the summer boating season. When Mr. Carr Sr. first took crews to the regatta in 1979, there were no high school crews involved, and the Brentwood Senior Boys astounded the crowd by winning their race against university and masters crews alike. Now, almost 35 years on, Brentwood is a well-respected attendee, with both the boys and girls providing tough competition.

A sleepy start greeted us as we piled onto the bus and headed to the ferry to start our journey to Seattle. On the ferry, everyone grabbed a bite of breakfast that we had missed from our early start. Then it was back onto the bus to continue the drive to the border.

On arrival into Seattle, both crews headed to their accommodation to drop their luggage before the afternoon row. Meeting back at the University of Washington boathouse, the crews headed out to practice some race starts, and get a general view of an unfamiliar course.

In the afternoon, the boys went back to their billet at the marina for an afternoon of rest and relaxation and the girls took a shopping trip before both crews had separate team dinners that evening.

Saturday morning it was down to the racecourse to prepare for the launch. Almost 300,000 people turned out to watch the races, spectating from boats, the bridge, and the surrounding edges to the canal. The rowers pulled a great race, with the Senior Boys defeating the competition to claim first place, and the Senior Girls claiming second. After their races, both crews waited on the water until the completion of the races for the parade back down the waterway to signify the opening of Lake Washington for the boating season.

The next morning, the crews trained on Green Lake with the Green Lake and Victoria City Rowing Club crews. The crews enjoyed some new competition, joining together at the end for finish pieces. Then it was back onto the bus to complete the long journey to Brentwood.

The weekend was a valuable and enjoyable experience for both crews. We look forward to hopefully being invited back and improving upon our results next spring.

Joanna L, Alex 14

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