An armada of 406 rowing boats launched onto the Wye in perfect conditions for the annual two-day Monmouth regatta.

And local rowers left with a treasure chest of pots and medals with 35 event wins at the Monmouthshire Building Society-sponsored event.

Monmouth School's top eight also took the Phil Mathew Invitation 8s, named after the regatta's late commentator, from top Thames school Pangbourne.

And an epic final battle for the new Alec Woods Ladies Plate 8s, named after the club's former president, saw a dead-heat before Reading University – the top women's college at the recent national student championships – just pipped Bristol Ariel by 1/2L in the re-row.

The hot weather proved much to the 1,000 rowers liking, with a slight tailwind providing a little more speed and coolness on the river.

Monmouth School's James Moggridge, Bowen Stewart-Woods, Will England, Robbie Hughes, Sam Kerr, Harri Oliva, Will Gilliland, Dan Waters and cox Laurie Harvey disposed of Bath University and Bristol Ariel in the Phil Mathew 8s over 1500m before seeing off Pangbourne – narrow conquerors of the Old Monmothians by 1/2L in the semis – by just over 2L, their second triumph over the Thames outfit after winning the junior 8s by a similar margin.

Kerr, Stewart-Woods, Oliva, Gilliland and Harvey also added the top IM1 fours title from Hereford by 1 1/2L, while England and Waters took the top IM1 pairs crown in an eight-title haul for the school.

Morgan Gray, Charlie Hillman, Zac Newton, Hugo Tyers, Kris Dummett, Harrison Stewart-Woods, Tobias Maltman and cox Ollie Hudson beat former school coach David Blackham's King's Chester outfit to land colt 8s, and Alex Buhaenko, Joel Leeb Du Toit, Louis Peace, Josh Gibson and cox Gabriel Cronin won a hard battle with City of Bristol to win novice fours by 1L.

Other school wins included the J14 quad scull from a field that included Bradford-on-Avon and Monkton Combe crews, and Kiwi gap student Newton paddling over to the IM2 singles title.

Sister school Haberdashers were also on fire on day one, with six wins over 1500m a week ahead of the National Schools Championships.

Carys Major, Emma Richardson, Charlotte Dyer, Lara Hawkins, Rachel Tilley, Jess MacDonald, Emily Rosser, Elena Williams and cox Felicity Cronin had 1 1/2L too much class for Reading University in the women's IM3 8s final.

Ceri Parris, Bethan Jefferies, Anna Longley, Rachel Long and cox Alice Poyner fought an epic novice women's fours final before triumphing by just a canvas from City of Bristol.

And clubmates Pippa England, Molly Phillips, Charlotte Gill, Skye Jenkins and cox Rachel Harris also dug deep to overhaul Bewdley by feet on the line in the J15 quads final.

England and Jenkins also added J14 doubles with another narrow 1/2L win over Ross, while Richardson had things somewhat easier in her J15 singles final, and the school also landed the U13 girls quads.

Tom Griffiths, Stephen Griffiths, Mark Tomkins and James Knight secured IM2 quads for the OMs from Bradford, while Mark Lewis, Mark Tomkins, James Knight and Al Butler took veteran quads from the same Avon outfit.

Monmouth RC's Colin Lewis, Dougie Ferguson, Steve Hughes, Jon Keyte and cox Katherine Lewis cruised to veteran C fours from Bradford, while Tom Penny took the elite singles title by 3L from newly-crowned British over 36 veteran champion Martin Burridge of Dart.

Penny dropped Burridge again on day two in the 750m veteran A sprint event, but the four lost out in a close finish to Ross' British veteran 8s gold medallists, although Hope Henry, 13, turned the the tables on their Wye rivals, by landing the girls' U13 title by 3L.

Monmouth Rc twins Stephen and Tom Griffiths won J18 sprint doubles, and teamed up with Mark Tomkins and Mark Lewis for the OMs to win the sprint IM2 quads.

A highlight of day two was the the invitation event for women's 8s, which produced such an epic final, named after club president and Arnhem veteran Alec Woods, who passed away last October.

"Having such a good race and a dead-heat would have tickled him pink," said commentator John Jenkins. "His Riverside Park home overlooked the regatta finish, and he was a fantastic supporter and benefactor to the club and Welsh rowing. I'm sure he was watching the race from on high and it was a fantastic tribute to his memory that the girls racing did him proud with such a great effort."

Monmouth Comprehensive School joined the fray on day two, and had an incredible 13 wins.

Harry King, Richard Russell-Broome, Jed Tattersdill and Josh Kings landed J18 quads by 1 1/2L from Bewdley, while Holly Smith, Bethan King, Katie Gillespie and Evie Clarke saw off the same Severn club by 2L in girls' U16 quads.

Gillespie and Clarke doubled up with victory in the doubles from Swansea, and Lucy Clarke and Susannah Price beat Bradford by 4L to IM3 double, while Seamus Cooper and Harry King took men's novice doubles by the same margin from Bewdley.

Tom Carpenter added novice singles with a comfortable win over Hereford, while Ollie Pearce by 2L from Hereford in J15, Emily Richards by a canvas from Monmouth RC's Clarke in girls' J15 and James Johnston in J14 were other singles winners.

Pearce teamed up with Charles Greenstreet to win J15 doubles by 3L from Magdalen, and Briony Waycott and Bethan King added the girls' equivalent from Swansea.

Megan Jephcote and Georgia Howe added girls' J14 doubles by 2L from Ross, while Ross McCoard, Joe Hopkins, Charlie Burge, Charles Greenstreet, and cox Tilly Greenstreet took J15 quads from Winchester College.

"We had a great weekend and have had a lot of good feedback from the 31 clubs on how well the regatta was run, so everybody involved can give themselves a pat on the back," said club captain and organiser Eric Froggatt.

For the full report on the Regatta, see this week's Beacon (7th June).