On the last weekend of November, 3 Balmain eights travelled to Melbourne to compete in the Mighty Head of the Yarra regatta, run by the Hawthorn Rowing Club. BRC was well represented with a male and female masters' crew, as well as a Men's Club 'C' grade eight. All 3 BRC boats had trained well and competed in the Sydney Iron Cove Classic regattas, so we were well prepared.
In a thrilling race of bridges and turns, all BRC crews raced extremely well, with the Men's Masters' boat doing especially well to battle down the course with a damaged rudder, and still managing the notoriously tricky course with aplomb. Sally Arnold, Hannah Stanley, and new coxswain Tom Cheetham all handled the twists and turns brilliantly, with Tom coxing the club men's boat, and cutting an incredible inside line on the 'big bend' to take 2 lengths from their nearest rivals over only 10-15 strokes.
All crews finished strongly and, after removing their boats from the water, thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of the Hawthorn rowing club, and ultimately, the City of Melbourne.
Congratulations to all crews involved, and it was wonderful to see BRC so well represented with 3 racing eights on the water, especially at an interstate regatta. This was the first time a BRC Men's masters' boat had raced the head of the Yarra, while the Masters' Women's boat improved their time by up to 1 minute on last years' race, and the Men's Club boat improved their previous time down the course (in 2013) by 2 minutes.