Paignton Regatta 15th August 2009

 

The first race to start the proceedings of Paignton Regatta was the Mens A, with Paignton’s crew, sponsored by ‘Mill Autoquip’, of Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Jeff Wills, Alex Pedley, Nick Burns coxed by Simon Pedley going afloat.  With 8 gigs on the line were off to a good start, but upon the 1^st buoy turn they were lying in 4^th place.  They maintained their position around the course and on the final leg pulled up on the leading crews, but managed to hold off the threat from Ilfracombe whom were battling hard to past them.  Crossing the line in a good 4^th position.  The next race was the Mens B and Paignton’s crew, - sponsored by Gary Redman - of Paul Tucker, Pete Scoble, Chris Tapley, Ade Jones, Nigel Bloxham, Simon Pedley coxed by Nick Burns.  Whilst tapping up on the start line of 10 gigs, the race was started so valuable time was lost on the start.  Paignton approached the first buoy in 8th place, but managed to overhaul one boat on that turn.  Over the choppier waters between the first and second buoys Paignton made ground on the other boats and managed to overhaul one more boat to gain a creditable 6^th position across the finish line.  Next up was the Ladies A and Paignton’s crew sponsored Woodvale Challenge Ocean Rowing, of Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Gill Knight, Amy Plowman, Helen French, Amy Plowman, Tracey Western, coxed by Dean Farrell went afloat in ‘Top Catch’.  With 8 gigs on the line, Paignton did not get a very good start, but on the run to the 1^st buoy pulled up and were lying in 3^rd place, with only Teign and Caradon ahead.  With the water between the buoy turns being quite choppy, Paignton fought off a couple of challenges from Weymouth and on the home run rowed well gaining ground on Teign and Caradon and crossing the line just behind time in a commendable 3^rd place.  The Ladies B race followed, with Paignton’s crew, sponsored by Gary Redman, of Sarah Tingle, Helen Burns, Grace Panter, Kath Dodd, Gill Hill, Trista Tinsley coxed by Nick Burns going afloat.  8 gigs were in the line up and Paignton were off to a good start and kept with the pack to the first buoy, but had to give water to Ilfracombe which pushed them back to last position.  With Ilfracombe ½ length up all the way round the course, Paignton were not giving up and on the final home straight pulled up, crossing the finishing line in a good 7^th place and pipping Ilfracombe at the post by just 1 second.  The next race was the ‘C’ Race which included both mens and ladies crews.  With 4 crews of each sat on the start line, Paignton’s Mens C crew - sponsored by Morley Benstead - of Matt Scoble, Tim Porosa, Dean Farrell, Dave Anstey, Chris Cash, Robin Barr coxed by Kath Dodd.  Off to a good start, Paignton rowed well round the three buoy turn course keeping off challenges from Weymouth.  They crossed the finish line in a commendable 2^nd position.  Paignton Ladies C crew - sponsored by Morley Benstead - of Jo Dury, Amanda Falconer, Denise Stickley, Sarah Martin, Julia Nelson-Smith, Sarah Siddall, coxed by Sandra Pedley were off to an ok start. Clearing the 1st buoy with the new gig ‘Black Venn’ from Lyme Regis a boat length behind.  Keeping a steady pace against a strong wind, Paignton gradually gained a significant lead on Lyme Regis, and were closing the gap on Weymouth and Teign, crossing the finish line in a good 3^rd place.  The Juniors U16 race was next and to encourage junior gig rowing at Paignton, Paignton’s crew – sponsored by Morley Benstead - of Bethany Kerswell, Jacob Bolton, Nicole Kass, Hannah Mead, Matthew Woodmore, James Champion coxed by Sandra Pedley went afloat in ‘Top Catch’.  With a shortened 1000 m course for the junior crews, Paignton’s crew rowed well round the course and crossed the line in 2^nd place behind ‘Kerens’ from Torridge.  The next race was the Mens Vets, which included two Supervet crews from Rame and Ilfracombe.  Paignton’s mens vets crew – sponsored by Sure Lock Alarms – of Tony Bateman, Nick Burns, Tim Colliver, Jeff Wills, Paul Tucker, Simon Pedley coxed by Alex Pedley went afloat.  Off to a good start with 8 gigs on the line, Paignton rowed strong and hard around the 3 buoy turn, 3000 m course and on the final leg were neck and neck with Caradon at the front of the fleet.  With an excellent bit or racing between both crews, neither were going to let go, but with Caradon just pipping Paignton at the post and Paignton crossing the line in a very close commendable 2^nd position.  The Ladies Vets race followed, with Paignton’s crew – sponsored by Mill Autoquip – of Alyson Whitehead, Helen Burns, Gill Knight, Amy Plowman, Sarah Tingle, Tracey Western, coxed by Nick Burns were on the start line of 6 gigs.  With a good start and keeping neck and neck with  Dartmouth and Weymouth for the first 100 strokes.  Then pulling slightly ahead before all the gigs got to the first buoy.  At the first buoy Paignton were just in 2^nd place, and were given water over Weymouth, and from then on worked hard to maintain their position just behind Torridge.  With a strong headwind between the second and third buoys, Paignton settled down on the final leg towards the finish line saw Paignton putting in a tremendous effort to pull away from Weymouth, whilst continuing to catch Torridge.  Unfortunately their challenge came too late to secure a win and they finished a strong 2^nd place behind Torridge - a quality and experienced crew who had earlier in the year won 2^nd place in the World Championships Veterans race.  The final race of the day was the mixed, and Paignton’s crew – sponsored by Adams Gas – of Charlie Martin, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Helen French, Alex Pedley, Ana de la Fuente, coxed by Amy Plowman went afloat.  With 11 gigs on the line Paignton had a good start, fighting for 3rd place for the 1st mark. Paignton got water over Weymouth and took them on the buoy.  Weymouth fought to get the water from Paignton for the second buoy and took Paignton on the buoy.  Rounding the 3rd buoy in 3rd place with Weymouth just in front, Paignton tried to pull ahead, but Weymouth would not give in and Paignton crossed the line in 3^rd place.  An excellent days racing was had by all.

 

 

Rame Tribute Event 1st August 2009

 

The final regatta of the Tribute Series, saw the Mens A start the proceedings with Paignton's crew sponsored by Adams Gas, of Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Jeff Wills, Alex Pedley, Lee Marshall and cox Simon Pedley setting afloat in Top Catch.  Paignton were in Heat 1 with the top crews.  With 12 gigs on the line, Paignton were in the outside berth, meaning it would be hard work to make sure that they did not loose the extra ground on the inside boats.  With a good start Paignton had to make up the ground from being in the outside berth, but upon the first buoy turn Mevagissey had the water over Paignton.  Rowing well round the buoy turns, it was a close race and Paignton crossed the finish line just behind Mevagissey in 12th place.  The next race was the Mens B, and going afloat for Paignton was Tim Colliver, Pete Scoble, Matt Scoble, Tim Porosa, Chris Cash, Robin Barr and cox Simon Pedley.  With 16 gigs on the line, they off to a good start and settled near the rear of the fleet.  They rowed well and had good buoy turns keeping off any challenges for their position.  They crossed the line in a good 15th position.  The next race for Paignton was the Ladies A, and Paignton's crew sponsored by Woodvale Challenge Ocean Rowing were Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Grace Panter, Helen French, Sarah Tingle, Tracey Western and cox Alex Pedley sat on the start line of 12 gigs.  With a good start, Paignton were lying 9th on the run to the first buoy, but with good rowing pulled up to 4th position by the first buoy.  Having water over Calstock and Bristol, and with a tight buoy turn, Paignton came off the buoy in 2nd place.  They pulled away from both Calstock and Bristol, and had a good 2nd buoy turn.  Calstock came back to challenge Paignton, but Paignton pulled away keeping off their challenges down the home straight.  Paignton crossed the line in a highly commendable 2nd place.  The Ladies B were up next and Paignton's crew of Alyson Whitehead, Helen Burns, Sarah Martin, Kath Dodd, Jo Drury, Tracie Marshall, coxed by Simon Pedley were off to a good start from the 13 gigs on the line and settled into the middle of the pack.  Even after 'catching a couple of crabs' Paignton maintained their position and on the home straight they were closely challenged by Padstow, but Paignton managed to pip them at the post, crossing the line a good 5th position.
The next race was the veterans and Paignton's Mens Vets crew, sponsored by 'Sure Lock Alarms', of Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Tim Colliver, Jeff Wills, Ade Jones, Simon Pedley, coxed by Shaun Pedley going afloat.  With 26 gigs on the start line, there was little room to manouvere, with all gigs heading for the 1st buoy at the same time.  With a few clashing of oars, Paignton settled into the middle of the pack and rowed well round the buoys.  With good strong rowing Paignton crossed the line in a great 11th position.  The final race of the day for Paignton was the mixed with Charlie Martin, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Helen French, Alex Pedley, Ana de la Fuente coxed by Simon Pedley going afloat in Top Catch.  With at least 20 gigs on the start line Paignton were off to a good start, but both Salcombe and Coverack, whom were either side of Paignton, pulled over into Paignton's water causing all 3 gigs to collide, resulting in Paignton having to stop rowing.  Once Salcombe and Coverack pulled away, Paignton re-started their race from the rear of the fleet and were determined to make up the lost ground.  Paignton pulled away and soon started overtaking the gigs at the back of the fleet.  With good strong rowing, they were soon up in the middle of the pack and had overtaken Coverack, and were determined to overtake Salcombe.  On the final buoy turn, Paignton were alongside Salcombe, but soon pulled away keeping off any further challenges.  They crossed the line in a well deserved 10th position.  A good days racing was had by all.
 
Mens A - 19th
Mens B - 20th
Ladies A - 17th
Ladies B - 19th

 

 

Coverack Regatta 18th July 2009

 

There was a warm welcome from all the Cornish clubs with only Paignton & Salcombe travelling from afar.  The Mens A race was first off with Paignton's crew sponsored by 'Adams Gas' of Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Jeff Wills, Alex Pedley, Pete Scoble coxed by Lee Marshall going afloat in 'Top Catch'.  With 13 gigs on the start line, Paignton were off to a good start, settling into the middle of the pack with both Pendene and Coverack fighting for ground to the first buoy.  With Coverack slightly ahead of Paignton, Paignton had to give water and slow down, coming out of the buoy turn and rowing hard to to the next buoy, Paignton trying to gain ground on Coverack, but leaving Pendene behind.  Again there was a fight around the buoy with 3 gigs getting tangled up.  Paignton's cox Lee Marshall decided to row round the mayhem, taking the turn wide, but in doing so, put Paignton alongside Coverack for a neck and neck race.  Unfortunately, Coverack again had the water on the final turn, with Paignton rowing hard to finish in a commendable 7th place.  Next up was the Mens B with Paul Tucker, Lee Marshall, Ade Jones, Simon Pedley, Alex Pedley and Robin Barr, coxed by Shaun Pedley going afloat for Paignton.  Off to another good start of 13 gigs and on the run to the first buoy they were in 9th place.  Rounding the first two buoys well and on the run to the final buoy turn, cox Shaun Pedley noticed four gigs ahead very close together, slowing down for the next buoy turn, but then making the crew row hard to row round all four gigs and leaving them behind, moving Paignton up to 5th place.  An excellent row on the home straight to maintain their position and crossing the line in a well deserved 5th position.  The next race for Paignton was the ladies B with Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Alyson Whitehead, Nicky from Caradon, Denise Stickley, Tracie Marshall and coxed by Simon Pedley going on the water in 'Top Catch'.  With 11 gigs on the line, Paignton had a good start and upon the first buoy had the water over Rock.  Rounding the first buoy in 1st place, the Paignton ladies crew rowed well to maintain their lead and pulled three boat lengths up on the rest of the fleet.  Paignton crossed the line in an excellent 1st place.  Next up was the mixed with Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Mark Palk, Shaun Pedle, Alex Pedley, Tracie Marshall and cox Lee Marshall going afloat.  With a good start from the 10 gigs on the line Paignton hit the first buoy turn in 5th place.  With a couple of good buoy turns, they managed to pull out of the final turn in 3rd position.  Rowing well and maintaining their position to cross the line in 3rd place.  The final race of the day was the vets with Paignton's mens vets crew sponsored by 'Sure Lock Alarms' of Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Ade Jones, Jeff Wills, Paul Tucker, Simon Pedley, coxed by Shaun Pedley going afloat in 'Top Catch'.  Having 8 gigs on the line, Paignton were off to a good start with a battle to the first buoy between Helford and Paignton, whom were 4 lengths up on the rest of the pack.  With Helford just having the edge and gaining water on the 1st buoy, Paignton had to slot in behind thems.  Paignton fought hard around the turns, but Helford held them off.  Coming out of the final turn in 2nd place Paignton continued to challenge Helford, but unfortunately Paignton could not past them and crossed the line in 2nd place with a considerable gap from the rest of the fleet.  Overall, Paignton came 4th in the points for the days events.

 

 

Weymouth Regatta 11th July 2009 

On a very wet, miserable day, Paignton sent two crews to support Weymouth Regatta.  Starting the proceedings for Paignton was the Ladies B race with Amy Plowman, Tracie Marshall, Queenie Martin, Emma from Pendeen, Julia Nelson-Smith and Sarah from Weymouth coxed by Alex Pedley going afloat in Top Catch.  The crew were 2 members down, but still determined to row in the bad weather, found 2 extra crew members and rowed to the start line in heavy rain and fog.  They got off to a good start in 3^rd position and settled in the middle of the pack for the whole race.  They had a tussle with "young Bristol" at the 1^st buoy but kept their pace and from then on it was a race against them.  Turning the last buoy Paignton had a clear boat lead to come in at a commendable 7^th out of 11.  The second and final race of the day for Paignton was the Mens A, with Paignton's crew, sponsored by 'Adams Gas' of Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Mark Palk, Ade Jones, Alex Pedley, Simon Pedley and cox Amy Plowman.  Paignton had a good start with 10 other "A" crews on the line, rowing long and strong into 4^th position on the 1^st buoy turn having the other 7 crews well behind them.  With weather conditions worsening throughout the day they kept their pace on all buoy turns to come in 4^th place at the finish line in 13 minutes 41 seconds.

A bad start to the week for Paignton Rowing Club when Shaun Pedley broke his foot, Paul Tucker fell off his bike and Jeff Wills having blood poisoning, meaning that we were three rowers short for the Newquay Men's Champs and now only able to put afloat one Men's A Crew, but disappointment for Richard Wickenden, Dean Farrell and Alex Pedley whom missed out on their chance of rowing.

 

Going afloat for Paignton Men's A were Tony Bateman, Simon Pedley, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Nick Burns and Ash MacInally coxed by Alex Pedley.  They were drawn in Race 12 in the gig 'Lark' and to row against some very competitive crews.  Off to a fairly good start, Paignton settled back into 4^th place and by the 1^st buoy turn were keeping up with the lead boats and were working hard to close the gap.  Rounding the buoy with difficulty, as Paignton have yet to master turning the buoys at such a tight angle. Paignton's crew were not prepared to lighten up because they knew it was not just whether they came 1^st of 2^nd in the race, but also the 18 fastest times out of all of the 15 races would make it through to the 2^nd round.  Upon rounding the final buoy and on the home straight Paignton rowed well and pulled through into and finishing in a very commendable 3^rd position in 14.52 minutes, and 4 lengths up on the Dart Gig Crew whom were 25 seconds behind them.  Unfortunately, it was now a waiting game to find out if Paignton had got through to the 2^nd round, hopefully being one of the 18 fastest  boats - Paignton's calculations at this point had made them within the top 5.  So while Paignton were waiting, a bit of gig fuel was needed - Mrs. Palk's famous chocolate cake!  In the second round, Paignton were drawn in Race 5 in the gig 'Azook' with Teign B also being drawn in the same race and in their own gig 'Teign Spirit'.  Again, Paignton were off to a fairly good start and on the run to the first buoy settled towards the back of the pack.  Once again, struggling on the tight buoy turns, they worked very hard between the buoys to make the time up and with the last mad dash towards the finish line managed to pull up on Teign B, but unfortunately could not manage to get past them and Teign crossed the finish line one second ahead of Paignton, with Paignton coming in 5^th position in the race.  Overall, a good days racing with Paignton coming in 34^th out of the 80 crews that attended.

 

Overall Results:

Teign A - 32nd

Teign B - 33rd

Paignton A - 34^th

Dart A - 39^th

 

It was an early start for the Paignton Ladies Crew of Morna O'Halloran, Ana de la Fuente, Amy Plowman, Helen French, Sarah Tingle and Tracey Western, plus their cox Dean Farrell, to go to their first ever Ladies Newquay Championships for a 9:30 am race start.  All the club needed to take with them was their battered set of oars, as 12 gigs of similar age and spec are allocated for all of the 82 entries to use.   In Round 1, Paignton were drawn in race 8 against some good cornish crews, and were allocated the gig 'Gallant' from Fowey.  Adrenalin high, Paignton will have to be either 1st or 2nd in their race or one of the 20 fastest crews on the water to go into round 2, but being beaten by Salcome at Clovelly Regatta, meant that they would have to work hard.  As the races pressed through Round 1, it was obvious the sea conditions were deteriorating.  Paignton got on the way with a good start among the six gigs in the race.  Upon hitting the 1st buoy, Paignton had pulled into 3rd position with the two lead boats only a length ahead.  Finding it difficult to row in the choppy conditions, by the 2nd buoy turn Paignton were still on the trail of the two lead gigs, but quite a gap had formed from the rest of the fleet.  Rounding the 3rd buoy, Paignton kept their position and rowed well.  1st and 2nd place in their heat was very close with Paignton coming in a commendable 3rd position.  Unfortunately it was now a long wait to find out if Paignton had got through to the 2nd round, hopefully being one of the 20 fastest boats whom had not come in either 1st of 2nd place.  Paignton's calculations at this point had made them within the top 10.  By the time the last races in round 1 had taken place, the sea conditions had deteriorated again and an announcement from the organisers postponed all races until the Sunday.  Paignton were drawn to row on the Sunday, in Round 2, Race 1 in the gig 'Teign Spirit' from Teignmouth.
Again it was a 9 am start on the Sunday, where sea conditions had improved, but there was a very heavy ground swell and confused sea state.  Paignton on the start line close to the beach in berth 7, meant that the wind was driving them into the beach and they would have to work hard to cut across to the first buoy, but the bad sea conditions made it very difficult to row, but managed to slip into sixth position.  On the run to the second buoy, the gig 'Azook' managed to pull up past Paignton, leaving Paignton in seventh position.  Rounding the last buoy turn on the homeward straight, Paignton were unable to make up ground finishing round 2, race 1 in a well truimphed 7th place.  Overall finishing 34th position out of 82 crews.  Paignton Gig Committee would like to congratulate the outstanding achievement of these Ladies, whom of most have only been rowing since May, giving them some very good results for their first year of rowing, with our own wooden gig 'Top Catch'.  'A force to be reckoned with for next season!  The final results for the Newquay Championships as follows:  Teign A = 14th, Paignton A = 34th, Dart B = 43rd, Teign B = 56th and Dart A = 60th.

Mevagissey Regatta (Tribute) 30th August 08

The first race of the day was the Men's A with Paignton's Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Jeff Wills, Alex Pedley and Darren Nathan coxed by Nick Burns going afloat.  Paignton were drawn in heat two and upon rowing the gig to the start line, Shaun Pedley in position 5 had a problem with his stretcher causing it to break, and being a vital piece of equipment within the gig it was not good news.  A temporary repair was carried out with a piece of rope and whilst slotting the makeshift stretcher back into position the flag fell and the race had begun.  However, Paignton had a good start and the battle was on for the first buoy with the five lead boats very close, with Paignton lying in fourth position.  Unfortunately, by the time Paignton had hit the first buoy, the Calstock gig 'Zeus' were given water over Paignton.  The five lead gigs hitting the buoy at the same time, Paignton at a slightly different angle went up the side of 'Zeus' causing both boats to stop rowing.  Costing both boats valuable time, by the time Paignton started rowing again they were in fifth position.  Rowing up to the second buoy, Bristol and Paignton collided, again with both gigs coming to a halt, hence wasting time.  On the home straight Bristol were 1/2 length up on Paignton and Paignton crossing the finish line in fifth position on Bristol's transom with a good time of 13.24.  Back into the beach to make temporary repairs on the broken stretcher.  However due to their clashes during the course, Paignton, Bristol, Padstow and Rock were all disqualified.  The next race for Paignton was the Ladies A and going afloat in Top Catch were Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Amy Plowman, Helen French, Sarah Tingle and Tracey Western coxed by Alex Pedley.  Paignton were off to a good start lying in fifth position.  Upon the run to the first buoy they pulled up, past Bristol and were given the water over the gig 'Penarrow' from Flushing & Mylor whom were currently 1/2 length up.  Paignton had a very good buoy turn and managed to pull up level with 'Penarrow'.  On the way to the 2nd buoy Paignton were being challenged for their current fourth position by both 'Pennarrow' and 'Manacle Belle' from Coverack.  With words of encouragement from Paignton's cox Alex Pedley, Paignton managed to pull away from 'Manacle Belle', but were still being challenged by 'Penarrow'.  Again on the final buoy turn, Paignton had the water and another good buoy turn.  They rowed well to the finish line to come in 4th position with 15.30 with 'Penarrow' two seconds behind.  Overall Paignton finished in 16th position out of 24 gigs.  Next afloat were Paignton Ladies B crew with Grace Panter, Morna O'Halloran, Queenie Martin, Kath Dodd, Gillian Hill and Helen Pearson, coxed by Nick Burns.  Off to a good start, Paignton were in the middle of the pack, with Paignton's Grace Panter and Gillian Hill in their first ever regatta.  The ladies rowed well, but unfortunately on the first buoy, with the whole pack close together Paignton were in 8th position.  Coming out of the first turn they slipped back into 9th position.  Paignton rowed well through the choppy water to the next buoy.  Rounding the second and third buoys they remained in their position and on the home straight they rowed hard crossing the line in 9th position.  Overall Paignton finished in 19th position out of 19 gigs.  The next race on the water was the U16, but due to an air sea rescue taking place after someone had fell on the rocks, the regatta was delayed by 1 1/2 hours.  The next race for Paignton was the Men's Vets with Tony Bateman, Amy Plowman, Nick Burns, Jeff Wills, Sarah Tingle, Darren Nathan coxed by Alex Pedley.  Waiting on the start line for at least 15 minutes for the umpire to start the race, most of the crews were getting fed up when they suddenly started the race with Paignton being a length and a half down.  On the way to the first buoy, Paignton managed to pull up overtaking a gig and rounding the first buoy with Salcombe on their nose.  On the run to the next buoy, Paignton managed to pull up on Salcombe, but with Salcombe being given the water on the turn meant that Paignton had to take a wide turn causing them to lose ground.  On the home straight, Paignton rowed well, and pulled up past Salcombe and crossed the finish line in 10th position out of 12 gig boats.  Concluding the last of the three Tribute Events.
 
Paignton Men's A crew finished overall in the Tribute Series 27th position, Dart at 28th position and Teign at 30th position - out of 37 clubs.  Paignton Men's B crew finished overall in the Tribute Series 30th position, Dart 31st position and Teign 22nd position - out of 37 clubs.  Paignton Ladies A crew finished overall in the Tribute Series 24th position, Dart at 27th position and Teign at 8th position - out of 37 clubs.  Paignton Ladies B crew finished overall in the Tribute Series joint 29th position - out of 37 clubs.

Clovelly Regatta 17th August 2008

It was an early start for Paignton gig rowers as they made their way up to the regatta in the picturesque village of Clovelly.  Gigs had to be there for 9 am to enable the tractor to tow them down the steep hill to the harbour.  There were eight visiting clubs and rowing commenced at 1 pm.  The first two races were the Ladies Vets and the Mens Vets for which Paignton did not have a crew.  The third race was the Ladies B with Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Morna O'Halloran, Helen French, Sarah Tingle, Helen Pearson coxed by Craig Bentley going afloat for Paignton in 'Top Catch'.  As they got away with 8 gigs on the start line, rowing up to the first buoy Paignton were in 4th position.  Slowly moving their way up through the pack, upon the first buoy Paignton had the water and managed to pull a boat lengths up on the rest of the fleet.  On the second buoy turn Salcombe in 'Wolf' had pulled behind Paignton, with Port Issac in Roscarrock were in third place.  Having a bad buoy turn Salcombe had pulled through into first place and Port Issac were closing the gap.  Paignton rowed hard to the third buoy turn and made up some ground on Salcombe and losing Port Issac.  It was a good run on the home stretch with Paignton coming in an excellent 2nd position.  It was a quick change of crew for Paignton as the next race was the Mens B.  Jumping into 'Top Catch' were Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Jeff Wills, Nick Burns, Ash MacInally who were again coxed by Craig Bentley.  With eleven gigs on the start, Paignton did not have a good start, but soon settled into their rowing and pulled up through the pack into fourth place.  Upon reaching the first buoy Paignton had pulled through with a 1/2 length lead on the rest of the fleet.  Paignton's cox Craig, kept the men working hard and they increased their lead and upon hitting the second buoy they were 4/5 lengths ahead of Salcombe who were lying in second place and Bude in 3rd place.  They maintained this lead until the home straight and with a good run up to the finish line they had a 10 length lead over Salcombe.  It was then the turn of the Men's A with Paignton's crew of Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Dean Farrell and Ash MacInally coxed by Nick Burns.  With eight gigs on the line they were off to a good start and upon the first buoy turn Appledore in 'Whitford' were there, closley followed by Paignton and then Torridge in 'Kerens'.  By the second buoy turn, Appledore maintained their lead leaving 'Top Catch' and 'Kerens' to battle it out.  Coming out of the turn, 'Kerens' were 1/2 length up on Paignton, but the battle was on for the final buoy turn.  As Paignton fought back, pulling up on Torridge whom equally worked as hard gaining the ground back.  Appledore rounding the final buoy in first place, Torridge was giving the water over Paignton on the turn.  With Nick Burns coxing Paignton and seeing the opportunity to take Paignton slightly wider and then cutting inside of Torridge and rowing hard towards the finish line took Paignton into second place and on the homeward stretch pulled away giving them a boat length up on Torridge.  A well deserved 2nd for Paignton.  The final race of the day was the mixed with Morna O'Halloran, Ana de la Fuente, Nick Burns, Craig Bentley, Sarah Tingle and Jeff Wills, coxed by Dean Farrell going afloat for Paignton.  With an excellent start, once again Paignton found themselves amongst the lead boats, and upon the first buoy the three gigs from Appledore, Paignton and Torridge were extremely close, with Appledore having the lead water and Torridge have the water over Paignton.  Maintaining these positions round the second buoy, and with a nice bit of coaching from Dean Farrell, Paignton then managed to drop Torridge and closed the gap on Appledore.  With Appledore rounding the final buoy first and Paignton close behind.  On the homeward stretch Paignton's crew could hear the cries from the Appledore cox of 'Paignton is gaining on you', making them work hard for their win.  Paignton crossing the line a length behind Appledore.  A good days racing was had by all. 

Paignton Regatta 9th August 2008

A big thank you to Mill Autoquip for sponsoring Paignton's Gig Regatta.
The forecast wasn't looking good, but there was nothing that was going to stop our own regatta going ahead.  With a strong south westerly wind and heavy rain forecast, all our dedicated team of helpers were well on their way with the preparations.  The marquee and race control were soon set up and the smell of bacon and plenty of hot tea, ment that we were in business.  With five visiting clubs - Appledore, Torridge, Teign, Cattewater and Swange - and with the bad forecast, a few clubs had pulled out at the last minute.  Racing got under way at 12:30 pm with the Ladies Vets with Paignton's crew of Sandra Pedley, Helen Pearson, Sarah Tingle, Tracey Western, Julia Nelson-Smith and Julie Knight, coxed by Dean Farrell going afloat.  With four gigs on the start line between the end of Paignton Pier and the Umpire's boat to the south, they were all off to a good start.  The first buoy turn was towards the Imperial Hotel, and with the choppy sea conditions the four gigs rowed well with Paignton in third position.  The two lead gigs were a couple of boat lengths ahead rounding the first buoy, but down to the poor visibility they started rowing towards the Belgrave Hotel instead of in towards Livermead.  Due to this error by the lead gigs, Paignton gained the ground and upon the second buoy turn were in first place, having the clear water for the turn.  However, turning the buoy and then heading towards Preston Beach, Teign unfortunately collided with Paignton, causing the Umpire to disqualify Teign from the race and giving Torridge and Swanage the chance to pass into the lead.  Upon the final turn and on the home straight along Paignton Beach towards the harbour, rowing into the very strong headwind Torridge crossed the line in 1st position, Swanage in 2nd and Paignton in a very commendable 3rd place.  The next race was the Mens Vets with Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Paul Tucker, Jeff Wills, Nick Burns, Simon Pedley, coxed by Alex Pedley in 'Top Catch' for Paignton.  With all six gigs on the line and all off to a good start, Paignton managed to get given the water on the first buoy over Appledore in 'Whitford'.  Once clearing the buoy, they rowed well to pull up a boat and a half length ahead of Appledore.  Paignton maintained their lead throughout the course and onto the home straight.  Appledore working very hard and were slowly gaining ground on Paignton.  However, Paignton were having none of this and wanting the first home win for Paignton, managed to keep them at bay and crossed the finish line 9 seconds ahead of Appledore.  Paignton's mens vets would like to welcome back Nick Burns to the crew (our original crew whom rowed together down the Isles of Scilly), whom has been out of action for most of the season due to breaking his arm.  The following race was the Ladies B with Paignton's Morna O'Halloran, Ana de la Fuente, Jane Avery, Helen French, Sarah Tingle, Tracey Western, coxed by Dean Farrell going afloat.  With all six gigs on the line again, Paignton were off to a good start and by the first buoy turn were in the lead.  However, due to a technical problem in the boat, Paignton's cox lost control of the gig and with Paignton heading in completey the wrong direction, Teign, Cattewater and Swanage managed to get ahead and take the lead.  Once the technical fault was sorted, and the cox regained control of the gig, Paignton then tucked into fourth position, which was maintained throughout the course and across the finish line.  The next afloat was the Men's B with Paignton's crew of Chris Tapley, Lee Marshall, Tim Colliver, Dean Wilkie, Ash MacInally and Darren Nathan coxed by Simon Pedley.  Off to a fairly good start and by the time they hit the first buoy Paignton were in fourth position.  Unfortunately for Paignton, the foot stretcher in the bow had become dislodged, hence making it difficult for the bow rower to row properly and on the home straight and against the strong headwind, Appledore and Torridge managed to pull through with Paignton crossing the line in sixth place.  Up next was the Ladies A, and in 'Top Catch' for Paignton was Charlie Martin, Helen Pearson, Queenie Martin, Kath Dodd, Vicky Booty and Trista Tinsley, coxed by Jeff Wills.  With five gigs in the race Paignton were off to a good start, and upon the first buoy, Torridge were given the water.  Paignton keeping their ground, going round the second buoy in fifth position.  Trying very hard to gain ground on Torridge, Paignton maintained their position and crossed the line in fifth place.  The next race was the Mens A with Alex Pedley, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Dean Farrell, Nick Thomas, coxed by Lee Marshall going afloat for Paignton and Jeff Wills from Paignton rowing with the Appledore crew.  All five gigs were off to a good start with a battle for the water on the first buoy turn - Paignton gaining the water in first place ahead of Swanage.  Keeping the lead, around the course to the home straight where the headwind was near gale force, making rowing conditions very difficult. Swanage starting to pull up on Paignton, Paignton's determination and good rowing kept them ahead so they crossed the finish line in 1st place, 4 seconds ahead of Swanage.  Giving our Paignton crew, not only the second win of the day, but their first win at Men's A plus the fastest crew on the water completing the course in 14 minutes 15 seconds.  Not forgetting Jeff Wills rowing with Appledore, whom crossed the line in third place.  A short interval took place to shorten the course for the U16's race, and Paignton were very kindly loaned a crew from the
6th Torbay Sea Scouts at Paignton Harbour.  Rowing in 'Top Catch' were Shaun Cotlon, David Taylor, Richard Taylor, Matt Woodmore, Beth Kerswell and Tamsin Kerswell coxed by Sandra Pedley.  Their first ever race and only their second outing in a gig, Paignton's crew rowed very well through the wet and windy conditions and crossed the finish line in a commendable 4th position.  The final race of the day was the mixed, with only two gigs braving the deteriorating weather conditions.  Paignton's crew of Tony Bateman, Helen French, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Jane Avery and Ana de la Fuente, coxed by Simon Pedley took up the challenge against Torridge.  Rowing the shorter U16's course, the crews were neck and neck and both gigs crossing the finish line in 4 minutes and 5 seconds, with Paignton giving Torridge the first position.  Prize giving took place with Mill Autoquip presenting the trophies - 'Michelle Evans Cup' for the Ladies Vets to Torridge; 'Mill Autoquip Cup' for the Mens Vets to Paignton; 'Top Catch Cup' for the Ladies B to Teign (for the third year running); 'The Harbour View Cup' for the Mens B to Teign; 'Dacol Cup' for the Ladies A to Teign; 'Mill Autoquip Shield' for the Mens A to Paignton; and a cup for the U16's to Appledore and for the Mixed to Torridge - plus the 'Bob Waller' trophy for the most overall points of the day which was presented by Bob Waller to Swanage Gig Club.

Rame Regatta (tribute) 26th July 2008

Cawsand Beach in Rame was the location of the 2nd Tribute Event this season, with a total of 35 gigs in attendance.  The first race of the day was the Men's A.  This was split into three heats, with Paignton, Dart and Teign all being drawn in the third heat.  Paignton's crew of Alex Pedley, Craig Bentley, Chris Tapley, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk and Nick Thomas, coxed by Lee Marshall were off to a good start.  Upon reaching the 1st buoy turn, Paignton had set an early lead above the rest of the nine gigs in their heat.  The men rowed well and maintained a good lead throughout the race without being challenged by any other crew.  They crossed the finish line in an excellent 1st position.  Overall, Paignton Men's A crew came in 18th position out of the 29 gigs in that event.  The next race up was the Men's B with Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Paul Tucker, Jeff Wills and Tim Colliver, coxed by Alex Pedley going afloat in 'Top Catch' for Paignton.  There were two heats in this event and Paignton were drawn in the 2nd heat.  Off to another good start, Paignton had pulled into 3rd position by the first buoy turn.  With 10 gigs in the heat they rowed well and kept off any gig crew that challenged them for their place.  However, they were unable to pull up on the first two gigs which were only a length ahead.  They crossed the finish line in a good 3rd position.  Overall, Paignton Men's B crew came in 11th position out of the 17 gigs in that event.  The next crew afloat for Paignton was the Ladies A, who were drawn in the 3rd heat.  Their crew of Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Amy Plowman, Helen French, Sarah Tingle and Tracey Western, coxed by Lee Marshall set off from the start line in 5th position out of the 6 gigs in the heat.  However, come the first buoy turn, Paignton had pulled up on the other gigs and were in 3rd position.  After completing the buoy turn, Paignton had pulled through into 2nd place and rowed well throughout the rest of the course keeping off the gig crew that was trying to challenge Paignton for their 2nd place.  Paignton crossed the finish line in a well deserved 2nd place, a length behind the 1st position gig.  Overall, Paignton Ladies came in 21st position out of the 27 gigs in that event.  The Vets race which had two heats, one for the men and mixed crews and the other for the ladies.  Paignton's Men's Vets which were in the first heat put afloat Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Paul Tucker, Jeff Wills and Tim Colliver, coxed by Craig Bentley.  With 21 gigs on the start line, Paignton had a good start and were in the middle of the fleet.  They rowed well around the 3 buoy turn course and came in a commendable 8th position.  The final race of the day was the mixed race with Paignton's crew of Alex Pedley, Helen French, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Amy Plowman and Tracey Western coxed by Nick Thomas being drawn in the first of the two heats.  With 12 gigs on the start, Paignton were off to a steady start and settled into the middle of the pack.  They rowed well through each buoy turn and came over the line in a good 8th position.

Teign Regatta 20th July 2008

The first race of the day was the Mens A with Paignton's crew of Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Paul Tucker, Jeff Wills, Craig Bentley and Shaun Pedley, coxed by Simon Pedley going afloat in their gig 'Top Catch'.  With 8 gigs on the line, Paignton were off to a not too bad start.  Paignton rowed well hitting the first buoy turn with 'Double Dutch' gig from Teign on their port side.  Teign managed to pull up one boat length and maintain their position on Paignton. Keeping Paignton on their stern, Paignton came in at 6th place.  The next race was the Ladies A, with Paignton's crew of Charlie Martin, Shelley, Queenie Martin, Kath Dodd, Vicky Booty and Louise Nelson-Smith, coxed again by Simon Pedley.  With 9 gigs in the race, the Paignton ladies had a very good row, but by the time they had rounded the 3rd buoy they were in 8th place.  They held onto this position across the finish line.  The Mens B race was next with Paignton's crew of Alex Pedley, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Dean Farrell and Darren Nathan, coxed by Lee Marshall going afloat.  On the start line of 9 gigs, Paignton took an early lead.  Round the first buoy, they were 2 lengths up from the rest of the fleet and rowed well to cross the finish line in a well deserved 1st position.  The Ladies B race followed, with Paignton's crew of Amy Plowman, Ana de la Fuente, Morna O'Halloran, Helen French, Sarah Tingle and Tracey Western, coxed again by Lee Marshall going afloat in 'Top Catch'.  With 10 gigs on the line, they were off to a good start and settled down into 3rd position, with 'Double Dutch' from Teign chasing.  Rounding the final buoy, Teign were starting to pull through with Paignton desparately trying to hold 'Double Dutch' off, but by the time they crossed the finish line, 'Double Dutch' by a 'cats whisker' took 3rd position with Paignton coming in a very commendable 4th place.  Paignton's mixed crew, which included two novice rowers, took to the water next.  Chris Tapley, Neil Hegarty, Tim Colliver, Kath Dodd, Shelley and Shaz McCarthy, coxed by Craig Bentley for Paignton rowed a good race finishing in 10th position.  The Mens Vets race was next and Paignton's crew was Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Paul Tucker, Simon Davis and Simon Pedley coxed by Dean Farrell.  8 gigs on the line, they got away to a good start racing to the first buoy in 2nd place, but rounding the buoy they dropped back into 4th position.  The last buoy turn to the homeward straight, Caradon were just ahead, but with every stroke Paignton were gaining and pulled throught to come in a very good 3rd place.  The final race of the day was the Ladies Vets, with Paignton putting afloat Sandra Pedley, Tracey Western, Amy Plowman, Helen Pearson, Sarah Tingle and Anna Difonzo, coxed by Dean Farrell.  With a start of 7 gigs, Paignton had a good start, and rounding the first buoy there was little in it and Paignton were settled into 4th place.  Upon the last buoy turn, Weymouth were on their stern, and on the home straight they managed to close the gap to take a joint 4th place with the Paignton crew.  An excellent days racing had by all.

Appledore 12th July 2008

The sun shone and so did Paignton Rowing Club for an early start on Saturday morning up to Appledore Regatta.  The first race away was the Men's B with Paignton's Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Ash MacInally, Jeff Wills and Darren Nathan, coxed by Craig Bentley.  With 11 gigs on the start line, Paignton took an early lead ahead of the other 10 gigs, but a battle was on with Torridge in their 'Will to Win' gig.  By the first buoy turn Paignton were only 3/4 length up on 'Will to Win' with the rest of the fleet well spread out and the last boat about 10 lengths behind Paignton.  The row to the 2nd buoy was hard due to the choppy water, but Paignton slightly pulling away.  Paignton a boat length up on the last turn into the home straight Paignton pulled hard to cross the finish line in 1st position, a 1/4 length up on 'Will to Win'.  The next race on the water was the ladies B, and Paignton's crew of Charlie Martin, Kim from Caradon, Queenie Martin, Trista Tinsley and two ladies from Salcombe with cox Jeff Wills were on the start line of 6 gigs.  Paignton were left two lenghts down behind the lead boat, but on the run to the first buoy they managed to pull themselves through to 2nd position with 'Young Bristol' up ahead.  Rowing very well across the choppy water to the 2nd buoy and to the home straight gaining slightly on the lead boat to finish in 2nd place.  The next race was the Ladies A with Paignton's crew of Kim from Caradon, Ana de la Fuente, Sarah from Cattewater, Sarah Tingle, Helen French and Charlie Martin staying in the boat after just rowing the 1.8 mile course, coxed by Craig Bentley.  After getting off to a good start Paignton settled into 5th position closely behind 'Young Bristol'.  This position was maintained throughout the course and crossing the finish line 5th a 3/4 boat length behind 'Young Bristol'.  The Men's A were next with 8 gigs on the line.  Paignton's crew of Tony Bateman, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Jeff Wills and Ash MacInally, coxed by Claire from Dart Gig Club.  Unfortunately 'Bolt' from Salcombe were a little too close to Paignton and with the wind taking 'Bolt' towards 'Top Catch' there were a few clashing oars at the start of the race, costing both gigs valuable time and water.  Ending up at the back of the pack on the run to the first buoy, Paignton made up the ground to 5th position, being two boat lengths down from the 4th position gig.  With a good bit of coaching from the cox across the choppy water to the 2nd buoy and the home straight, Paignton were slowly pulling up, but maintained their position and crossed the line in 5th place, 1/4 length down on the 4th gig.  The final race of the day was the Mixed Race, and Paignton's crew afloat in gig 'Top Catch' was Tony Bateman, Ana de la Fuente, Mark Palk, Helen French, Sarah Tingle and Darren Nathan coxed by Claire from Dart Gig Club. Paignton's Craig Bentley and Shaun Pedley were on loan to Dart for their mixed crew.  With 11 gigs on the line, Paignton got off to a very good start slipping into 2nd position by the time they reached the first buoy.  Rowing across the choppy water with Appledore a boat length ahead, and rounding the 2nd buoy to the home straight, Paignton slowly started gaining ground on Appledore crossing the finish line 1/2 length behind Appledore in 2nd place.  Paignton very pleased with their days rowing of a 1st, 2 x 2nds and 2 x 5ths.  At the end of the presentation, Appledore said that their last shield goes to the best club on the water today.  Absolutely shocked were Paignton, when they were called to receive the shield.

Weymouth Regatta 5th & 6th July 2008

Despite the bad weather forecast for Weymouth Regatta, some of the Paignton crews and supporters travelled up on Friday afternoon ready for the 2 day event.  The rest of the crews travelled up on Saturday morning with an early start .  Upon arriving at Weymouth for an 8 am gig launch and despite the wind being very strong it turned out to be a lovely day.  Due to the wind, it was decided not to keep the long race of 1.7 miles, so a new course was set up from the end of Weymouth Harbour mouth, rowing down underneath Nothe Green towards Portland Harbour with a port turn around the 1st buoy, racing along the breakwater and another port turn for final sprint to the Harbour entrance and the finish line.  Rowing got underway at 12 noon, with the Ladies first race.  There were six gigs on the start line of the second heat and with the strong head wind it was very hard to maintain your position.  Once there was a good line the race commenced with Paignton's crew of Claire Harrison, Sarah Tingle, Sheila Macfarlane, Morna O'Halloran, Ana de la Fuente and Amy Plowman, coxed by Dave Court.  Unfortunately Paignton Ladies oars collided with Pendeen in 'Avarack', obviously giving them both a bad start.  However, on the sprint to the first buoy, they recovered well and gained good ground and were soon up with the rest of the fleet.  Having a bad turn on the first buoy, caused the ladies to loose alot of ground and pushed them towards the back of the pack.  Once they managed to get back on track, the determination of the crew shone through and they recovered the ground again to get back into the main fleet of gigs.  By the second buoy, they had a good position and on the last leg home they pulled through and came in a well deserved fourth place, meaning that they would stay in the second heat on the next round.  The next race was the Mens, with Paignton's crew of Ash MacInally, Mark Palk, Craig Bentley, Chris Tapley, Shaun Pedley, Dean Farrell and coxed by Lee Marshall getting afloat.  Again we were in the second heat and they were off to an excellent start and were soon tucked in behind 'Old Harry' from Swanage, with 'Lightining' from Dartmouth in third position.  It was a strong old battle to the 1st buoy against the wind and after the turn the positions remained the same.  Battling along Portland breakwater to the next buoy turn, left Paignton in third position after being overtaken by 'Lightining' on the second buoy.  Running down towards the finish line, Paignton's will power and determination managed to pull them up, back into and finishing proudly in second place.  This meant that they would go up into the first heat on the next round, leaving Darmouth in the second heat.  The second round races followed, commencing with the ladies.  Paignton, again in the second heat got off to a much better start running down to the first buoy with a close battle with the lead gigs, but with the freshening head winds it was a tough battle.  After rounding the buoy they were at the back of the fleet.  Along the breakwater they managed to pull through overtaking two gigs and by the time the went around the second buoy they were in fourth position.  On the home straight to the finish line, they pulled through again into second position, but with little between the 2nd and 3rd gigs.  Across the line, Paignton came in a comendable 3rd place, meaning that in Sunday's final the ladies would be in the second heat.  The mens second heat was next on the agenda and the lads were in the first heat.  Competing with some of the best clubs they had a fairly good start against the increasing strong head wind, touching gale force at times it was again a battle between Swanage in 'Old Harry' in 4th place and Paignton in 'Top Catch' in 5th place.  A very hard row, with worsening sea conditions, but no ground was gained by Paignton and they finished in 5th position of the 1st heat - this by no means a bad defeat, but meant they would have to drop to heat two for the Sunday finals.  The final race of the day was the veterans race, by this time Weymouth were ahead of their schedule as they were trying to keep ahead of the bad weather.  A quick meeting was called by Weymouth, and it was decided that the veterans race would be postponed until Sunday morning, so Paignton's crew of Darren Nathan, Nigel Bloxham, Jeff Wills, Tim Colliver, Lee Marshall and Tony Bateman were a bit disappointed, but realised the right decision had been made.  Weymouth had put on a wonderful venue, and all the clubs were well looked after by the excellent hospitality of the Weymouth rowers throughout the weekend.  Weymouth had a further meeting on Sunday morning, due to the weather conditions, it was agreed that although fun had been had by all, the weather was too bad to recommence the proceedings and the final day of the regatta was cancelled.  Well done to both Paignton crews in their races.

Salcombe Regatta 15th June 2008

The first race of the day was the mens B, in which Paignton put afloat Top Catch with crew consisting of Alex Pedley, Shaun Pedley, Mark Palk, Dean Farrell, Ash MacInally and Nick Thomas, coxed by Simon Pedley.  Paignton were off to a good start, but by the 1st buoy, Teign had the lead.  With the battle on for 1st place, Paignton closely shadowed Teign throughout the course, and after the buoy turns and on the home straight, there was an established gap between Teign, Paignton and then the rest of the fleet.  Both the lead crews battled hard to the finish line, with Paignton pulling up on Teign.  Paignton came in a gallant 2nd place by only 1/2 a length.  The next race was the ladies B with Paignton's 'Oarsome Pins' crew comprising of Jane Avery, Helen French, Sandra Pedley, Helen Pearson, Vicky Booty and Anna Difonzo, coxed by Dean Farrell.  Paignton had a good clean start, and were in the middle of the field, but by the 2nd buoy they had dropped back towards the back of the pack.  Paignton continued to pull hard, but on the home straight were at the back of the fleet and came in 11th place, only a length behind the 10th position gig. Paignton then put afloat their mens A crew of Tony Bateman, Craig Bentley, Chris Tapley, Jeff Wills, Tim Colliver and Simon Pedley and coxed by Alex Pedley.  With 9 gigs on the start line, Paignton had a good start and were in 2nd position, however, as the gigs approached the 1st buoy, Paignton had dropped into 7th place.  Paignton worked hard and maintained this position throughout the course, finishing in 7th.  The next race of the Ladies A crew of Charlie Martin, Ana de la Fuente, Jane Avery, Helen French, Shelley Pereira and Tracey Western, coxed by Jeff Wills.  Paignton were quick off the start of 9 gigs, and rowed well throughout the course.  However, they were passed by a gig on the final buoy turn, but came in a well deserved 7th position.  The Paignton mens vets put afloat their crew of Tony Bateman, Jeff Wills, Tim Colliver, Simon Pedley, Tony Bishop and a Dart Gig Club Vet, coxed by Craig Bentley.  Since one of their original crew members, Nick Burns had to pull out of the crew due to fracturing his arm only days before the regatta, Paignton rowed well throughout the course and maintained a steady position.  They came in a comendable 5th place.  The final race of the day was the ladies Vets comprising of Karen Marshall, Tracey Western, Sandra Pedley, Julie Knight, Helen Pearson and Anna Difonzo, coxed by Simon Pedley.  With not the best of starts, Paignton showed good team spirit and held onto the rear of the pack of gigs.  They rowed hard and maintained their position coming in at 9th position.

Looe Regatta 7th June 2008

A sunny day greeted us as we arrived at Looe and it shone throughout the day.  The first crew on the water were the mens vets and they did really well and finished 3rd of 15.  Next out were the ladies A who did well and finished 17th of 18.  Out next were the ladies B crew of Kaytee Lane, Kath Dodd, Queenie, Julie Knight, Shelley, Tracey Western and cox Nick Burns.  After finishing last at Cattewater they refused to finish last again and rowed well to finish 15th of 18.  The mens b crew were out next and did brilliantly and finished 4th of 15.  Another great show.  Last to row was the U21 and did great for a crew that had never rowed together before and finished 5th of 7.

Rock Regatta 1st June 2008

The very next day Paignton went onto Rock and had a mixed day.  The first race entered was the Mens Vets who had a good row and came 5th out of 15.  Next up were the womens B crew who had never rowed as a crew before and came a very good 12th out of 24.  Then it was the turn of the Mens B and came 11th out of 25.  Next to row were the ladies A crew who did their best but came last.  The Mens A crew rowed well and came 12th out of 20.

Cattewater 31st May 08

Our next outing and the first in our new racing Gig "Top Catch" who had only been launched a week before.  The first outing for Top Catch was the Mens A race and a good race was witnessed with us finishing in 7th.  Next out were the Ladies A crew who finished a disappointing 8th.  We were not down for long as the Mens B crew came out and rowed a superb race and came home in front to give Top Catch her first win at her first regatta.  The Ladies B crew then gave their all and would have finished alot closer if they had not been stopped in their tracks on one of the buoy turns. They finished a good 6th.  The best finish of the day went to the Mens vets.  Paignton were always just on the rudder of the leaders and were catching them with every stroke in the last 200 metres but the line came too soon and they finished 2nd beaten by 3 seconds.

World Championships - Isle of Scilles May 3rd - 4th May 2008

This was Paignton's first World Championships and what a way to start!  We sent 2 crews.  One mens crew and the men Vets.  The Vets raced first and rowed Dolphin, a loan boat, and they came a very respectable 30th out of 58.  The crew consisted of Simon Pedley, Jeff Wills, Tony Bateman, Lee Marshall, Paul Tucker, Nick Burns and cox Chris.

The mens crew were up next and they rowed exceptionally well and came 60th in the main race out of 109.  They were then put into group E but finished at the back of the pack.  The next race they were put into group F and after a scintillating row they won.  This was Paigntons first win.  The crew consisted of Nick Thomas, Dean Farrell, Craig Bentley, Mark Palk, Shaun Pedley, Alex Pedley and cox Chris.

Dart Regatta - April 5th 2008

Paignton's first regatta and we entered most races in a loaned gig Minerva.  The Ladies B crew of Tracey Western, Amy Ploughman, Shelley Pierra, Kaytee Lane, Julie Knight, Karen Marshall and cox Nick Burns were the first to row and rowed with credit on their first outing coming 8th.  The mens B crew of Shaun Pedley, Jeff Wills, Nick Burns, Paul Tucker, Craig Bentley, Tony Bateman and cox Lee Marshall were next away and finished a creditable 7th.  The Mens A finshed 13th in their heat, the ladies vets came 10th and the mens vets came a very good 7th.  The final race was the mixed with Paignton finishing 11th.