Head of the Bay regatta this weekend
The local rowing community will gear up for the Durban Rowing Club's annual Head of the Bay regatta this Saturday morning.
JOIN the Durban Rowing Club at its annual Head of the Bay regatta in the harbour this Saturday, 16 July.
According to Mark Burgess, captain of the Durban Rowing Club, all boat categories race the same course but receive time reduction off their finishing times depending on the size of the boat. The smaller the boat, the greater the reduction in time is applied. “The course comprises 12km in often challenging conditions and crews set off ten minutes apart. We start near the DRC club house in the yacht mole and row to the furthest point in the Bay (opposite the Bluff yacht club) and back,” explained Burgess.
In recent years, however, a shorter, 8km course has been introduced in addition to the main route, so that novice, young junior and social crews may also participate without over-exerting themselves.
“Until 1963 the race was purely social and crews took part just for fun, but since then, the introduction of handicaps based on boat type and age of crew has made it more formal and, dare we say it, competitive!” Burgess joked.
The course runs through the functional harbour and is marked by the shipping lanes’ buoys, although umpires stand by at some markers to ensure safety and fairness.
The regatta starts at about 6.30am and should be completed by 10.30am with the average crew taking approximately 60 minutes to complete the 12 km course in “real” time. Final placing is based on “adjusted” time after handicaps have been taken into account. It is not unusual, these days, for the winning crew (or sculler) to produce a corrected time of below 40 minutes.
The challenge of the Head of the Bay race, according to Burgess, lies in the rowers being sufficiently conditioned – and having the ability – to row at a high steady state for the entire 12 kilometres; to steer correctly and effectively around the course whilst taking into account the currents, wind and tides; and steering clear of ships, tugs, ski boats and all manner of other maritime traffic.
“Spectators are welcome to enjoy the morning with us and we have food and beverages on sale during the regatta,” Burgess added.
