OVER 400 boats were launched into the River Wye last weekend for Monmouth Rowing Club’s annual regatta.

Rowers from across the country took part in the club’s annual event on Saturday and Sunday (28th and 29th May) after entries for the popular event were closed 10 days early due to high demand.

The river banks were crowded by onlookers who made the most of the sunny weather to watch two days of competitive racing. There were a number of Monmouthshire crews for the crows to cheer on, including the town’s three schools, who competed against clubs including Cardiff, Exeter, Bath and Nottingham.

Boasting one of the few straight river regatta courses in the country, racing took place from 9am to 6pm on Saturday over 1,500m, followed by the sprint over 750m on the Sunday.

Saturday’s highlights included the Phil Mathew Memorial Invitation men’s 8s trophy, which saw a crew of Old Monmouthians fall to eventual defeated finalists Cardiff City, and the evening’s ‘dusk dash’ for a barrel of beer, where mixed 8s raced over 300m in three-lane races. There were also finals wins for crews from Monmouth Comprehensive School and Monmouth Rowing Club.

On Sunday the sprint event saw the Alec Woods Ladies Plate, named after the club’s late president and benefactor, won by a crew from Nottingham Rowing Club. There were also successes for crews from Monmouth Rowing Club, Monmouth School and Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls.

For full results from the regatta, see www.monmouthrc.org.uk