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Team WinTech enjoyed another successful day out on the Tideway at the Schools’ Head of the River 2024, collecting two wins and a further three podium placements. Despite challenging water conditions leading into the race, the event was able to get underway with relatively little issue (albeit the J15 events were scrapped a few days prior) and nearly 300 crews partook in another vintage (and record-breaking) contest.

Our two victories came in the mixed school eight and the girl’s third eight; Kingston Grammar School collected a convincing 11-second win as the fastest mixed eight (WinTech International) whilst Headington (King) saw off the attentions of Surbiton High School in the girl’s third eight category.

We secured a second place too, as Headington (King) continued their strong showing (in a race where they also took the female headship) by securing a silver medal in the girl’s second eight. Hinksey Sculling School (WinTech Cobra) took an impressive bronze in the open championship quads, behind pacy boats from the Tideway Scullers School and Marlow Rowing Club, whilst the latter also secured a bronze behind Headington in the girl’s second eights (WinTech International).

The Windsor Boys School (WinTech International) fresh from competing and breaking a course record at the Heineken Regatta in Amsterdam finished fourth in the open championship quads and will be determined to climb back onto the podium this summer as they seek to retain the quads title at the National Schools’ Regatta. Canford School collected a set of fifth-placed finishes in the open first eight (WinTech Cobra) and girl’s J16 first eight (WinTech Cobra).

WinTech & King shells enjoyed a further five top-ten finishes across varying events; places six and seven in the open championship quads were occupied by WinTech Cobra crews (Maidenhead and Trentham respectively), leaving our shells as four of the top ten in this category. Bedford Girl’s School were seventh in the girl’s first eight category (King) and repeated the trick in the girl’s J16 first eight (WinTech Cobra). Rounding out our top-ten contenders were Claires Court, who finished ninth in the girl’s championship quads (WinTech International).

We’re excited to see how all these crews develop over the coming months and look forward to watching many of these athletes join us at Dorney Lake on Friday for the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head sponsored by our UK distributor. 

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King Racing Shells

Team WinTech kickstarted the 2024 racing season with a great display at the February GB trials with more WinTech Racing singles completing the 5k course than any other boat brand. Three top-ten finishes in the men’s single were among these plus a selection of strong performances across both women’s single and women’s pair, we’re now excited to watch how these development and U23 athletes mature into the season and begin to stake their respective claims for representation at this year’s bumper senior, U23 and junior world championships in Canada.

Our top performer was Rory Harris of Leander Club who came home second overall in the men’s single in a Cobra SE FLX (WinTech’s elite hull shape optimised for high stroke rates). Rory has a great pedigree of strong showings on both the domestic and international stage, with three Henley Royal Regatta titles to go alongside a bronze medal from the third senior rowing World Cup in 2021. Behind Rory, we had two further top-ten finishers in the form of Elliott Donovan-Davies of Hartpury College (WinTech International) and Charlie Warren of Durham University (Cobra SE). They were seventh and eighth respectively.

Bryn Ellery of Leander Club was 13^th in a Cobra SE whilst Nat Gauden of Leander was 16^th, again in a Cobra SE. Rounding out the top 20 for Team WinTech was Byron Richards, who was 19^th for Leander Club (Cobra SE). Jacob Ioras was 22^nd in a Cobra – racing for the University of London – whilst Monkton Combe’s Cameron Buchan was 24^th in a WinTech International.

In the women’s single, Finnola Stratton was our top finisher. The Reading University sculler finished just outside of the top ten in 11^th place, racing in a Cobra SE. Behind her, Poppy Baker of Nottingham Rowing Club was 14^th (WinTech International) and Leander’s Kathryn Burton secured 17^th in a Cobra. Chloe Sheppard was 23^rd for Hartpury College in a WinTech International.

We had one crew in the women’s pair; Harriet Noyes from Hinksey Sculling School & Tess Peake from Tideway Scullers school placed 16^th in a Cobra.

As the season begins in earnest and racing begins to take place with more frequency, we’re incredibly excited to watch the year unfold, particularly as so many athletes vie for so many different titles. Olympic, Paralympic, world, U23, junior and domestic titles lie in wait

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Team WinTech had a great day at the Pairs Head of the River last weekend, recording six victories including the women’s headship. On a positively tropical October day, several hundred crews took to the championship course to race a shortened distance from Chiswick Bridge to Harrods Wall. Fast times in sunshine were expected and recorded and the event was another mark in a rapidly progressing season. 

Racing in a WinTech Cobra under the banner of Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association, Lauren Henry & Liv Bates stormed down the Tideway as crew #1 to secure the female headship and place ninth overall.

Fresh off the back of a world championship gold, Lauren steered the boat – a task she admitted was a first for her – and Liv stroked a crew that will surely be one to keep an eye on if it progresses into the trials process. Liv raced at the 2023 World Rowing Championships too but caught COVID and had to withdraw from her final in the lightweight women’s single scull.

Three of our other wins came in female categories. The City of Bristol were victorious in the women’s club doubles, beating out boats from the likes of Crabtree, London, City of Oxford, and City of Cambridge. Wallingford Rowing Club had a great day, securing five wins, two of which came in WinTech shells; women’s club pairs and women’s masters B pairs. 

Our final two wins came in open master categories. The Kings School Canterbury triumphed in the open masters D pair whilst Upper Thames Rowing Club secured the pennant in the open masters G doubles. 

It was another fantastic day of racing on the Thames as the weather Gods once again lay out good fortune for the capital’s principal autumn events. We’re excited to watch crews progress into the season and will be watching results carefully as boats begin to form for the bulk of the winter racing season.

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Team WinTech opened our account for the 23/24 season with two wins at the Vesta Scullers Head of the River. On a balmy London morning, several hundred scullers took to the reverse championship course in an attempt to emerge victorious across a range of different categories catering to ages, genders and abilities. Renowned as one of the UK’s most challenging head races.

Rory Harris of Leander Club was second overall, only losing out to nationally ranked lightweight Copus. Racing in a WinTech Cobra SE, he was seven seconds back on the headship.

Our second-highest finisher was Bryn Ellery of Leander Club, who finished ninth in the Men’s Championship division in a WinTech Cobra. He was 15^th overall.Two athletes triumphed in WinTech shells in their respective categories. Laura Bates of London Rowing Club (WinTech Cobra FLX) took the win in the Women’s Lightweight category, beating out seven other scullers. She placed a full 30 seconds ahead of Wake of St Edmund Hall Boat Club in second place and was 98^th overall.

Anna Ramsden (WinTech International) won the Women’s Masters D division, finishing over 25 seconds clear of her opposition, and securing the win for Mortlake Anglian and Alpha Boat Club. She was top of a seven-boat field and finished 271^st overall.

Byron Richards placed second in the Men’s School/Junior category, 20 seconds back on Philip Wolfensberger of St Paul’s School. Fresh off the back of a win in the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, Richards will be looking to kick on and build off the back of an impressive 22/23 season.

Jack Bates of Reading University Boat Club was also second in his category (Men’s Lightweight Singles) and finished 27^th overall. Ethan Walters (WinTech Cobra SE) was 29^th overall and second in Men’s U23 Singles whilst Sartin of Tideway Scullers School was second in the Women’s Junior 16 Singles in a WinTech Cobra.

We also had a smattering of thirds; Gibbs of Poole Amateur Rowing Club was third in the Men’s Novice category (WinTech International), Alex Watkins was third in Men’s Masters A Singles (WinTech Cobra), Nat Gauden was third in U23 Singles (WinTech Cobra SE) and Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank was third in Women’s School/Junior Singles (WinTech Cobra).

We’re delighted to be back up and running for the 23/24 season and look forward to supporting athletes across the country over the coming months.

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Liv Bates is one of the hottest prospects in world rowing. After a series of impressive domestic results in 2021 and 2022 – alongside appearances at the U23 World and European championships – she made her senior debut this season, picking up two bronze medals at the second and third World Cups in Varese and Lucerne with support from WinTech & Oarsport (WinTech’s exclusive UK distributor).

Liv is poised to take on her first senior World Championships alongside the support of her coach, Dec Gamble. We sat down with her to discuss her meteoric rise, the excitement of racing in Serbia and how WinTech & Oarsport have enabled her to become one of the world’s leading lightweight scullers.

First, how has the 2023 season been going for you?

It’s going well. I am pleased to have been selected for my first senior international races for GB which was my aim at the start of this year.

How did it feel to be selected for the World Rowing Championships for the first time? 

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to see how fast I can go compared to the rest of the world. I love getting stuck into some close, fast racing and can’t think of a better place to do it!

You won bronze at the Second and Third World Cups in the LW1x. How does that set you up from a preparation perspective for the 2023 World Rowing Championships? 

I feel that racing at World cup 2 and 3, as well as Europeans earlier in the year, has given me valuable senior international racing experience, which I was lacking before. I learnt a lot about international competition and the importance of being able to continually elevate your performance throughout the regatta. Hopefully this will enable me to perform well at Worlds.

Talk us through Varese and Lucerne. How did you prepare, what were your aims going into each race and how did you execute your plan?

I came to Caversham to train with the senior GB team just after April trials, so have prepared with them for both regattas. This was a big change for me, as I had been training on my own up in Nottingham all winter. It was nice to be surrounded by other athletes that are so motivated and I think this really helped me push on in my training and prepared me well for racing. My aim going into both regattas was just to go as fast as I could, and have a good personal performance, regardless of where that placed me in relation to the other countries. Although I struggled with the conditions when racing the final in to Varese, I felt I was able to execute my race well in Lucerne.

How did you first get into rowing?

I first started rowing as a J14 at Trent Rowing Club. They gave me a great experience and really showed me the fun side of the sport! When I got to J16, we started to win at a lot of the local regattas and I decided I wanted to take rowing a bit more seriously, so I made the decision to move to Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association and I have been there ever since! Both clubs alongside the additional support from Nottingham University Boat Club since I started my degree, have been instrumental in getting me to where I am today.

Your rise over the past two years has been incredible. When did you first realise that you were moving quickly and in with a real chance of senior representation? 

I think the first time I realised I was going quite well was at the U23 European Championships in 2021 where I came away with the silver in the lightweight single. This was my first international race, so I really wasn’t expecting to do that well. Since then, my results at trials have continued to improve and at the start of this season I knew senior representation was a real possibility, but my aim has always just been to go as fast as I can!

How have WinTech supported you on your journey so far?

I have been rowing in WinTechs since I first started rowing as a junior. In 2021 I was rowing in a lightweight Cobra SE and was the fastest U23 lightweight at GB trials and then went on to win at BUCS and Henley Women’s Regatta (setting a course record) in the same shell all with WinTech RDS sculls too. This gave me great confidence in the speed of the WinTech boats and drag reducing sculls. Before I raced U23 Euros, WinTech’s UK distributor, Oarsport, reached out and gave me the opportunity to try the super-lightweight boat for the Championships. This shell really worked well for me and enabled me to put on my best performance in this race. Since then, I have never looked back and both WinTech and Oarsport have provided me with incredible support during training and racing. I am so grateful for all they have done for me

What about the WinTech shells do you enjoy?

I think the most important thing about racing boats is that they enable you to achieve your fastest race. I firmly believe I can do this in my WinTech. I find they run very smoothly through the drive and recovery, and I can achieve great acceleration in the super-lightweight shell to get me up to speed quickly at the start of a race. I have raced and trained in WinTechs for most of my rowing career and have found them to be a great boat to push my performance on.

What has been your sporting highlight?

I think my highlight so far was getting a medal in Lucerne at World Cup 3. I used to watch the senior team race there on TV and always thought it must be such a beautiful place to race, so to get the opportunity to race there myself and come away with a medal was amazing!

From all at Oarsport & WinTech Racing we would like to wish Liv the best of luck in Belgrade as she competes in her first ever senior World Championships. We would also like to thank Liv for choosing to race in WinTech boats and are proud to have played a small role in her development from a junior athlete just starting out right the way through to becoming a World Championship athlete.

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Few annual individual sporting contests in the world can match the continuous history of the Doggett’s Coat and Badge Wager, which was founded in 1715 by Thomas Doggett in honour of the accession of King George I. For more than 300 years, this race has run through the centre of London, from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier in Chelsea.

The 7.4km course is a trial of endurance and watermenship and is only open to watermen and lightermen in the first year of their freedom, which means competitors face the tough challenge of studying for their licence while training for the race. Competitors may enter a total of four times (or until they win!) and there are only six spots available. 

WinTech Racing’s UK dealer Oarsport have been proud supporters of the race since 2015 and have provided WinTech Racing shells for each competitor to train and race in every year as they compete to win a Doggett’s Coat & Badge.

The Doggett’s Coat & Badge race returned to the spectacular River Thames in 2023, as it has done since its founding by Thomas Doggett back in 1715 to commemorate the coronation of George 1st. This year’s race took on a “coronation to coronation” theme with a particular focus on the ascension of King Charles 3rd, which took place earlier this year. To mark this special occasion, a pageant took place which included previous winners as well as boats including cutters, skiffs, and a Cornish Gig from many of London’s Livery companies, which all saluted the racers as they came through the nominal halfway marker in the course.

This year saw three competitors take to the water – Emily Hickman, Matt Brookes and Riess Ballard. 2023 marked only the third time in the race’s history that a woman has competed, which signified the historic nature of this year’s contest.

As many rowers and mariners in the Tideway area know, conditions out on the Thames change frequently and without warning. Racing this year was no different with conditions remaining overcast throughout the race, accompanied by spots of rain as competitors and dignitaries neared the halfway point around Westminster. There was also a relatively strong breeze throughout which did nothing to aid the rowers. Some delegates had predicted that this would have adverse effects on at least one athlete, which transpired to be eerily accurate as the race unwound.

One thing to highlight is how challenging the race is in its basic form. The distance is immense at 7.3km, making it one of the longest rowing races in the world. The entire course is tidal, meaning that competitors must cope with currents and weather systems. They are aided by the provision of WinTech single sculls, a long-standing partnership that Team WinTech has with this world-renowned sporting occasion.

Under the imposing struts of London Bridge, the three scullers lined up to take on the five-and-a-furlong mile course. With a variety of bridges and arches to navigate, competitors can take different routes to the finish line, meaning that almost from the very beginning, the racers spread apart from one another. Emily chose to go down the centre of the river whereas Matt and Reiss chose to focus on the left side of the water. As a result of this, it looked as though Emily was left behind in the early exchanges. She did however find speed and claw back some of the deficit on her opponents after Blackfriars.

Among the delegates and other dignitaries, Riess was a fan favourite but all of the early running was done by Matt, who took a lead of some three or four lengths before Waterloo Bridge that he then maintained beyond Lambeth Bridge. However, with the race twisting past the teeming metropolis of Vauxhall on the left-hand-side bank, Riess sculled himself back into contention and took the lead passing the American embassy. Perhaps flustered by his change in fortunes, Matt took a couple of askew strokes and ended up capsizing into an unforgiving Thames. In doing so, he confirmed the predictions that punters had made pre-race but also revealed the sportsmanship of this historic contest. Both Emily and Riess slowed to check on the welfare of their opponent but, once this had been established, they picked up the pace to close out the final 1000m.

Although it was not her day today, Emily should be highly commended for finishing just over a minute behind Riess, who completed the course in 32:10. All competitors should be congratulated on a wonderful spectacle and WinTech were proud to support this fantastic event once again. We look forward to the 2024 rendition.

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Team WinTech rounded off the competitive season with 27 medals won by athletes and crews including 8 gold medal wins at the British Rowing Junior Championships. Across three days of racing at Strathclyde County Park, Scotland, thousands of juniors from across the UK – and even a few hailing from continental Europe – competed for honours on the national stage over disciplines ranging from J14 to J18.

Our first gold of the weekend came on the Friday, when Sir William Perkins (WinTech International) took the win in the women’s junior 16 double ahead of Trentham Boat Club and RGS Worcester. We rounded off the Friday with another victory in the open junior 18 quads, as the Windsor Boys School (WinTech International) reprised the title they won in 2022.

Saturday dawned bright and early and after a series of qualifying races, our first victory came in the women’s junior 15 doubles. Calpe Rowing Club of Gibraltar (WinTech Cobra) came in force for these championships and took the win in this category ahead of Lea Rowing Club and the City of Bristol, who were also racing in a WinTech.

In a stellar few minutes, the following race saw a WinTech crew finish first as the Windsor Boys (WinTech International) claimed victory in the open junior 15 coxed quads. Guildford, in bronze, were also representing the WinTech International shell. Our next win came in the open junior 16 coxless quads, as Grange School (WinTech Cobra) sculled home to a triumph ahead of Kingston Grammar School and the Windsor Boys School (also in a WinTech).

The following afternoon, our first of three golds came from Mark Wilkinson’s cohort as the Windsor Boys School (WinTech International) took the win in the open junior 14 coxed quads, which completed the set for male quad scull WinTech wins (75% of which also went to the Windsor Boys School).

In the following race, WinTech shells placed in gold and silver as Cantabrigian finished first and City of Bristol second in the women’s junior 14 doubles (both in WinTech Internationals). Our final win of the weekend came courtesy of yet another Windsor Boys triumph; they were winners in the open junior 18 coxless fours ahead of Great Marlow School and Aberdeen Schools’ Rowing Association.

WinTech crews were involved in a further 19 medals, including ten silvers and nine bronzes. Highlights included finishing second and third in the women’s junior 14 quads (Great Marlow School and City of Bristol in WinTech Internationals respectively) and open junior 18 pairs (Claires Court School and Nottinghamshire Counties Rowing Association in WinTech Internationals respectively).

Team WinTech have enjoyed yet another spectacular year of racing, culminating in a wonderful three days at the national junior championships. We look forward to supporting junior, U23 and senior athletes on the international circuit this summer and will be ready for another brilliant season from September onwards.

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WinTech Racing Shells

Athletes and crews racing in WinTech & King Racing Shells rounded off the Henley series in style at the Henley Masters Regatta, taking home seven wins and eight further finalist spots over two action-packed days of racing. With 1,240 athletes from 170 clubs competing on the world-renowned course, the diverse entry represented a superb collection of rowers and scullers from across the world. 

Our wins included City of Bristol racing in a WinTech International in the W.MasB 8+, who defeated Cantabrigian Rowing Club. Staying with the theme of eights, the Tideway Scullers School were victors over a Tyne Amateur Rowing Club Composite in the final of O.MasE 8+. They were racing in a WinTech Cobra.

Switching to coxed fours, Monmouth Rowing Club (WinTech International) secured a win in the W.MasD 4+ over Milton Keynes Rowing Club whilst Endeavor Racing Alliance of the USA crossed the pond to win W.MasF 4+ over Marin Rowing Association, also of the USA. The two crews will doubtless have faced each other before but renewed acquaintances on fresh pastures. Endeavor Raced in a King SE & Marin in a WinTech International.

Wallingford Rowing Club won W.MasB 2- in a WinTech International, defeating a Strathclyde Park-St Andrew Composite. A composite from Hollingworth Lake and Newark won the O.MasG 2x, seeing off the keen interest of a crew from Norwich Rowing Club in a WinTech Cobra FLX. Our final win came in the W.MasB 1x, where Thompson of Upton Rowing Club took the prize in her WinTech International ahead of Anderson of Cantabrigian Rowing Club.

WinTech and King crews also made the finals in seven additional events. Marin Rowing Association were losing finalists in the W.MasD 8+, racing in a King, whilst Cimarron Rowing Club, also of the USA, lost in a WinTech in the final of O.MasG 4x. The Deben-West End Rowing Club Composite missed out on the top prize in the O.MasF 2x whilst Poole Amateur Rowing Club were defeated by Upper Thames in the final of O.MasF 2-. 

On the single sculling side, City of Bristol’s Drew came up short in O.MasE 1x, Cassini of Mortlake Anglian & Alpha Boat Club was defeated in the W.MasE 1x and Sowman of Dart Totnes Amateur Rowing Club lost out in the final of O.MasI 1x. All of the above raced in WinTechs.

Our UK distributor Oarsport will be on-site at the British Rowing Junior Championships and look forward to supporting athletes through the close of this domestic season.

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WinTech Racing Shells

King Racing Shells 

Team WinTech & King had a superb week at the 2023 edition of Henley Royal Regatta. Across six days of fantastic racing and 26 events, WinTech and King shells were represented across a swathe of categories, and we had five semi-finalists and one finalist crew in the regatta. 

Our leading boat was the junior men’s quad from Hinksey Sculling School. Selected in the Fawley Challenge Cup, they raced superbly to see off Leander ‘B’, Sydney Rowing Club, Australia and Los Gatos Rowing Club, USA to set up a Sunday showdown with Leander Club ‘A’. In the end, the boys from the pink palace were too strong for Hinksey but to progress that far into the premier schoolboy sculling competition in world rowing was a glowing testament to the strength of the program.

Bodo Schulenburg, Director of Rowing at Hinksey, expressed his satisfaction with the performance. “I thought the boys stepped on immensely,” he said. “We came into the Regatta knowing we were moving well and picking up speed and I knew that the Fawley had a range of dangerous opponents. For Hinksey to make a second Henley Royal Regatta final in three years is a fantastic tribute to the whole team, across our coaching staff and athletes. Hopefully we can make the final step in 2024.”

We also had four semi-finalists across various categories. Racing in a King shell, Winter Park Crew, USA just lost out to Deerfield Academy on the Saturday in the Prince Philip Challenge Trophy, a result that will naturally have been a tough blow for Mike Vertullo’s girls. They can take some consolation after setting a record in the event on the Thursday of racing against Hinksey Sculling School.

Henley Rowing Club, in a WinTech Cobra progressed to the semi finals of the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup where they were beaten by Wycliffe College whilst Sophia Luwis (fresh from her silver medal win in the Lightweight Women’s 1x at World Cup II in Varese racing in a Cobra SE FLX 1x) made the semi-final stage of the Princess Royal Challenge Cup, eventually losing out to Wieliczko of Poland.

Our race of the day on Saturday was a match-up for the ages in the Fawley Challenge Cup between the mighty Leander Club and Windsor Boys School, who were racing in a WinTech Cobra SE. The two tussled all the way down the course, with Leander prevailing by a matter of feet across the line.

We also had a smattering of crews who exited in the earlier rounds of other events; Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association and Nottingham University were beaten in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup by Edinburgh + Newcastle and DSR Laga + ASR Nereus respectively whilst Hereford Cathedral School were dispatched by Leander and Lea by Los Gatos in the Fawley Challenge Cup. Deerfield Academy USA who were racing  in a King SE in a heat of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup got knocked out by Shiplake College who went on to progress to the semi-finals. 

Our UK distributor Oarsport was on site alongside our North American team from the week before the regatta supporting athletes and coaches from both sides of the pond as they prepared for and competed in this prestigious competition. 

Oarsport & WinTech/King will also be in attendance at both The Henley Masters Regatta & The British Rowing Junior Championships and look forward to rounding out a fantastic 2023 season!

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Come and join #TeamWinTech & #TeamKing today! Our value goes beyond that of just a great product for a great price.

WinTech Racing Shells

King Racing Shells 

Team WinTech had a fantastic weekend in the Thames Valley, taking in the sights and sounds of Henley Women’s Regatta. With the second-largest entry on record, the regatta threw open its doors to crews from across the United Kingdom and beyond, attracting competitors from Australia, Holland, Spain, Germany, Canada, and the USA. WinTech crews took home two wins and were beaten finalists in three races.

Laura Bates (WinTech International) was first off in the Aspirational Lightweight Single Sculls for The Fiona Dennis Trophy, a race she controlled from start to finish. Her opponent, Erin Meredith of Birmingham University, raced in a WinTech Cobra SE.

In the Championship Lightweight Doubles for The Haslam Trophy, Durham University (WinTech Cobra SE) swept all before them in a completely dominant display of sculling. They won the national title at BUCS at the beginning of May and put on a show at Henley Women’s Regatta, demolishing Reading in the final.

Our beaten finalists also include Marlow Rowing Club (WinTech International), who lost out to Wallingford Rowing Club in the final of Junior 16 Coxed Fours for The West End Amateur Rowing Association Trophy. Marlow were also losing finalists in the Junior 18 Coxed Four for The Groton School Challenge Cup (WinTech International), missing out to Glasgow Academy.

We had a range of crews reach the semi-finals; Nottingham University (WinTech Cobra) were knocked out by Reading University in Championship Lightweight Doubles; Headington (WinTech International) exited the Junior 16 Quads category for The Nina Padwick Trophy at the hands of Putney High School; Exeter University (WinTech Cobra) were beaten in Aspirational Academic Eights for The Colgan Foundation Cup by Newcastle University; Marlow Rowing Club’s Claudia Kerry-Roger (WinTech International) was defeated by eventual winner Jess Weir in the semi-finals of Junior 18 Singles for The Di Ellis Trophy; St Edward’s School (King SE) lost out to Glasgow Academy in The Groton School Challenge Cup for Junior 18 Coxed Fours.

Team WinTech & King had a fantastic weekend at Henley Women’s Regatta, taking in wonderful racing and wonderful weather in one of the most spectacular venues in the world. We’re very excited for the beginning of Henley Royal Regatta in a weeks’ time and will be cheering on all King and WinTech crews throughout.

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George Bourne’s rise to the top of domestic sculling has been nothing short of sensational. After breaking through and winning gold in the U23 men’s quad for Great Britain in 2019, he emerged as the country’s fastest sculler at the most recent set of British trials – a placing he had been striving towards for several years.

Having taken up rowing in his final year at school, via the GB Start scheme, George is now primed and ready for the Paris Olympics after collecting a silver medal in his first World Championships last summer (only six years after he first picked up an oar). We spoke to him about his journey to date, his motivations and how WinTech have supported him in his ascension to the fastest male sculler in the UK.

How did you first get into rowing?

I first started rowing in my last year at school when I was selected for the GB Start scheme. I had been a mediocre long-distance runner before I started rowing so I was enthusiastic about the endurance elements of the sport but had (and still have!) a lot of work to do on the more physical side of the sport. I was training once a week at Bewl Bridge Rowing Club down in Kent which wasn’t too far from my boarding school at the time and still enjoying my school sports including rugby, cross-country, hockey and cricket. I became great friends with a schoolmate, and we raced the National Schools Regatta together in early summer 2016, finishing 58th out of 63 in the double…

What kept you motivated and interested to stay in the sport?

It wasn’t till I went home for the summer holidays in 2016 that I really started to give any sort of true commitment to rowing. My family were living in Nottingham for a short time, and I was able to cycle to and from the Nottingham-based Start centre in Holme Pierrepont every day throughout my summer holidays. I had a great group of scullers to look up to and I started to actively enjoy the training and progress in the same way I always had done with my running training. My summer finished with my first ever rowing win at the Beginners Sculling Festival, a tiny event with very few entries, but it was somehow enough for me to suddenly believe in my potential and develop a passion for the sport! I enjoyed winning that event as much as any event I’ve won throughout my career so far! I chose to take a gap year and reapply to Durham university in order to pursue rowing as effectively as I thought possible, and I haven’t looked back since.

How have WinTech supported you on your journey so far?

I first rowed a WinTech when I arrived at Durham University in September 2017. The club had a small fleet of WinTech International singles, and I was assigned one for training and racing throughout my time at the university. The 2017-2018 season was my first year trialing and at February trials I came in as the fastest Under 23. That gave me good confidence that I could move well in the WinTech shells. After a few more great experiences in the Durham WinTech, including my first ever international vest at Under 23 Europeans in 2018, I decided that I wanted to upgrade to their elite racing shell as I tried to move towards selection for the senior GB team. I reached out to the guys at WinTech at the start of 2020 and came away with my first smart WinTech Cobra right before the start of the pandemic. As a result of the months away from rowing, I didn’t get a chance to race my Cobra until summer 2021 but its first season was an exciting one!

At the third World Cup in 2021, I lined up in my WinTech against the reigning World Champion, reigning Olympic silver medallist and the silver medallist from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. I finished eighth overall with a time of 6:49. Not only was I finding the Cobra to be a world-class racing shell, but the support I also received from the guys at WinTech UK dealer Oarsport over the course of that summer, including repairs and cleaning jobs, especially at Henley Royal Regatta, was equally epic and I am incredibly grateful for their support! I have since upgraded my Cobra to a newer Cobra SE model and achieved further success including a win at final trials in 2023 and several top-three finishes at trials throughout my time in the GB senior team.

What about the WinTech shells do you enjoy?

I think the important thing about racing boats is ultimately that they are fast and for me this is the biggest compliment that I can give the WinTech boats that I have raced in. I believe that the boats run incredibly smoothly through the water on the recovery, and they absolutely achieve the maximum run possible from the work that I put in. I have raced WinTech boats for a good number of years now and I am incredibly comfortable in them, across long sessions, full races, and short pieces. I have never had an issue with balance in the boats and they look smart too!

What are your overarching aims in the sport?

I am aiming to compete at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. It is unlikely that I will be racing in a WinTech on this occasion, given the possibility that I will be in a crew boat as part of the senior set-up, but Andrew and Jack at WinTech should take massive credit from any results that I might achieve!

What has been your highlight, excluding your recent Trials win?

I certainly love winning medals, so it is hard to look past last year’s silver medal at the World Championships in the quad as a career highlight so far. However, I feel most fulfilled by the moments in sport that are a successful accumulation of a lot of hard work and passion and these often happen away from the glare of the spotlight. The third World Cup in Sabaudia 2021 was an epic experience for me to find myself lining up against the great scullers of this generation and I took huge satisfaction in having worked my way up to compete at that level (even if only briefly before they disappeared out of view). Finally, I think the Under 23 World Championships were my most enjoyable period in rowing so far which concluded with a gold medal alongside a brilliant group of guys.

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Athletes racing in WinTech & King Racing Shells collected 31 medals in a stellar three days of racing at the 2023 edition of the National Schools’ Regatta. In glorious sunshine and a brisk crosswind, thousands of competitors took to the water in an attempt to be crowned national champion at Eton Dorney. 13 wins across a whole host of categories were achieved in our shells to re-establish ourselves as the UK’s leading junior boatbuilder.

The regatta opened with 1000m racing on the Friday to cater for the younger age groups. Amongst boat classes and clubs where WinTech have traditionally fared well, the opening salvo of the weekend delivered 12 medals including five golds. Our opening victory came in the Junior 14 Open Second Octuples, as the Windsor Boys School (WinTech International) won gold over St Paul’s and another crew from Windsor Boys. Following that, our next win came in the Junior 15 Open Coxed Four as Great Marlow (WinTech International) defeated crews from Mossbourne Academy and Kew House School. Headington raced in a new King shell to take the title in the Junior 15 Girls Second Eights and followed that up by winning the Junior 15 Girls First Coxed Quads in a WinTech International. Windsor Boys rounded out our day by triumphing in the Junior 15 Open First Coxed Quads, reclaiming their title ahead of Molesey Boat Club and Tiffin School. 

Saturday’s ‘A’ finals started with a bang for WinTech as we collected two consecutive golds inside the opening two contests. Marlow Rowing Club (WinTech International) took the win in the Junior 16 Girls Coxed Fours before Great Marlow School (WinTech International) won the equivalent boy’s category ahead of Westminster School and Reading Blue Coat. The final gold of the day was achieved by St Edwards School (WinTech International) beating Godolphin & Latymer & Royal Shrewsbury School in what was the clubs first Championship Girls gold medal since 2003. 

Sunday also began in lively fashion, as the Windsor Boys (WinTech International) began what turned out to be a very successful afternoon by winning Junior 16 Open Second Quads in dominant fashion ahead of Kingston Grammar School (who collected silver in a WinTech International) and Sir William Borlase. The Junior 16 Open First Quads ended in similar fashion, as Windsor Boys (WinTech International) streaked away from the field to win gold ahead of Molesey and Sir William Borlase. Our next win came from St Andrew Boat Club (WinTech Cobra SE); the Patton brothers returned to the domestic racing scene as their club’s only entry, winning Championship Open Doubles in decisive fashion ahead of Reading Rowing Club and the Windsor Boys, who competed in a WinTech Cobra SE FLX.

The Championship Open Singles title also returned to WinTech hands as Ben Mead of Cambridge 99 (WinTech Cobra SE) blew the field apart to record a commanding victory. For the 7th regatta in a row a WinTech has been used to win this event.

Our last win of the weekend was served up by Windsor Boys (WinTech Cobra SE), who recorded their fifth gold medal victory in retaining the Forest Cup for Championship Open Quads. Under intense pressure from both Marlow and Leander, Mark Wilkinson’s boys stay cool, calm and collected to scull away from their opposition and claim the win by two seconds. 

As well as the 13 gold medals a further 8 silver and 8 bronze medals were achieved in our boats across the spectacular weekend of racing. 

We thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many of you across the weekend and celebrating your successes. We’ll be continuing to attend all of the key regattas throughout the summer and look forward to supporting athletes, coaches and parents within the coming weeks.

A breakdown of results

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King Racing Shells 

1,250 crews from 72 universities took part in BUCS Regatta, Europe’s largest student regatta over the bank holiday weekend staged at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.

Athletes and crews racing in WinTech & King Racing Shells collected 12 wins and 21 medals establishing ourselves firmly as one of the UK’s premier boat-builders for student athletes. What was particularly pleasing was that our medal collection came from across genders, boat classes and abilities to demonstrate that if winning on a national stage is your ambition, WinTech & King are an ideal partner to help you achieve your aims.

Durham University took home the overall Victor Ludorum with 5 of their gold medal wins achieved in our shells.

Saturday

Our first win of the weekend came in the third final off the blocks, where De Montfort University took gold in the Women’s Beginner Single (WinTech International). Close behind was the sculler from Edinburgh University, who also competed in a WinTech International.

The following final saw the University of Nottingham take gold (WinTech Cobra) ahead of two crews from Cambridge in the Women’s Intermediate Pair.

A few races later, Queen’s University Belfast ‘A’ took the win in the Men’s Intermediate Single (WinTech Cobra) shortly before the University of Nottingham secured a well-earned bronze in the Women’s Beginner Eight (WinTech Medalist).

Immediately afterwards, Durham University raced home to a gold in the Women’s Championship Lightweight Double (WinTech Cobra SE) ahead of Surrey and Reading. Our final medal of the day came in the Men’s Beginner Quad, where Bournemouth University finished third in a WinTech International.

Sunday

Not to be outdone, Sunday’s gold rush began early too as Liv Bates from the University of Nottingham roared home to a dominant gold medal in the Women’s Championship Lightweight Single (WinTech Cobra SE) winning the event for the third year in a row!

In the following final, for the Men’s Beginner Single, Edinburgh ‘A’ won a silver in a WinTech International before De Montfort University added to the second-placed finishes with a silver in the Women’s Beginner Quad (WinTech International).  

Reading University ‘A’ won gold in the Women’s Intermediate Single in a WinTech Cobra SE before Liv Bates, fresh from her lightweight triumph, carved open the heavyweight field to win another gold in her WinTech Cobra SE. A huge congratulations to her and coach Declan Gamble who was recently awarded Club Performance Coach of the Year at the British Rowing Awards 2022. You can read more about Dec’s coaching journey here.

Our next victory came in the Women’s Championship Lightweight Four, in which Durham University secured the win by over 13 seconds in a WinTech Cobra. Our last medal of the Sunday came in the form of a silver in the Men’s Championship Lightweight Double courtesy of the University of Nottingham.

Monday

The final day of racing begun with a bang as Team WinTech secured gold and bronze in the second final of the day; Durham University, resplendent in their WinTech Cobra SE, led the field in the Women’s Intermediate Lightweight Pair, ahead of Durham B and the University of Nottingham (WinTech International). The next win came in the Women’s Championship Coxed Four, as Durham squeezed home to win gold in a King. Durham also provided victory in the Women’s Intermediate Lightweight Quad a few moments later (WinTech Cobra).

Our final podium placing of the weekend was particularly special as WinTech crews crossed in first, second and third in the Women’s Beginner Double. The gold went to De Montfort University, who edged out Edinburgh in silver and Bournemouth University in bronze (all in WinTech Internationals).

As always, BUCS Regatta was a fantastic event for us to attend and we were delighted to see so many crews representing their boat clubs in WinTech shells. We look forward to watching these crews develop over the coming weeks and months.

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WinTech Racing Shells

King Racing Shells 

Team WinTech enjoyed a great opening to the 2023 regatta season as hundreds of juniors descended on Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham to compete at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta. WinTech crews achieved 10 wins alongside a further 17 minor medals across 28 categories.

WinTech boats were particularly prominent in the Women’s Junior 16 Pairs race, coming home first, second and third. Sir William Perkins (WinTech International) ran out winners, representing the Thames Upriver region, ahead of Kings School Worcester (WinTech Medalist) and Nottingham & Union (WinTech International).

A similar pattern emerged in the Women’s Junior 14 Doubles, where all three medaling crews raced in WinTech shells. Cantabrigian took home the gold for the Eastern region (WinTech International) with Great Marlow School (WinTech Competitor) and Nottingham & Union (WinTech Medalist) winning silver and bronze respectively.

Our other wins came in various categories across age groups and boat classes. Kings School Chester raced to gold in the Junior Adaptive Single in a race where silver went to Marlow Rowing Club – they were racing in the WinTech Club Racer and WinTech Explorer 24 respectively. Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association were winners in the Women’s Junior 16 Doubles in a Cobra SE ahead of Sir William Perkins School (WinTech International), in another category where WinTech took home both gold and silver.

Worcester Boat Club won the Women’s Junior 16 Single in a WinTech International whilst the Windsor Boys School (WinTech International) collected yet another victory in the Men’s Junior 15 Coxed Quads, a category they have dominated for years. Great Marlow School took home the Men’s Junior 16 Coxed Fours (WinTech International) and Windsor Boys collected their second gold of the day in the Men’s Junior 16 Quads (WinTech International) in a race where Lea Rowing Club, racing in a WinTech Cobra, took home bronze.

Wallingford Rowing Club (WinTech International) were winners in the Women’s Junior 16 Coxed Fours for the Thames Upriver region whilst our final win on the roster came from Shaklin Sandown (WinTech International) in the Men’s Junior 15 Doubles.

Other medals came in the Men’s Junior 16 Single, where WinTech Internationals collected silver and bronze courtesy of Hereford Cathedral School and Newark Rowing Club. Exeter Rowing Club were silver medalists in the Men’s Junior 14 Single (WinTech International) whilst the City of Bristol came home second in the Women’s Junior 15 Doubles (WinTech International).

We won bronze in the Men’s Junior 16 Pairs via a WinTech Cobra SE raced by Great Marlow School whilst King’s School Chester (WinTech Competitor) finished up third in the Women’s Junior 15 Coxed Fours. Great Marlow School (WinTech International) continued their strong form by finishing second in the Men’s Junior 15 Coxed Fours and City of Bristol collected another medal (bronze) in the Women’s Junior 14 Coxed Quads.

Nottingham Rowing Club were silver medalists in the Women’s Junior 16 Quads (WinTech Cobra) whilst City of Oxford (WinTech International) were second behind Trentham Boat Club in the Men’s Junior 14 Doubles.

This marks a phenomenal start to the summer racing season for WinTech and we look forward to watching these crews pit their wits against each other as the season unfolds. A full breakdown of all the results can be seen below:

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WinTech Racing Shells

Team WinTech had another successful weekend at Great Britain Final Trials, recording an outright win in the Men’s Single Scull alongside a host of A, B and C final finishes. These trials are a critical juncture for any athlete hoping to represent Great Britain on the international stage this summer and will form a key part of the selector’s decision-making process.

Our top result came from George Bourne of Leander Club, who came home as overall winner in the Men’s Single in his WinTech Cobra Special Edition. George has enjoyed a stratospheric rise to the top of domestic sculling, having only raced in his first World Championships last summer. In victory, George saw off fierce competition from the likes of Callum Dixon, Matt Haywood, John Collins and the Devereux brothers.

Racing for Leander, Rory Harris finished third in the ‘B’ final of Men’s Singles, behind Oliver Costley (also of Leander) and Aidan Thompson of Twickenham Rowing Club and the University of Surrey. James Forward of Oxford University Boat Club was third in the ‘C’ final whilst Sol Hewitt and Jacob Ioras were fourth and sixth in the ‘D’ final respectively.

Our top women’s result came from Liv Bates, who finished sixth in the ‘A’ final whilst representing Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association. Liv, who continues to scull her way into contention for the lightweight women’s squad, was behind Imogen Grant and Emily Craig in a final that was won by Lauren Henry of Leicester Rowing Club. Racing as a lightweight in an openweight field, Liv’s performance demonstrates how well-placed she is moving into the summer season.

Olivia White of Oxford Brookes University Boat Club was our other female competitor, finishing second in the ‘D’ final.

As always, Team WinTech are incredibly excited to see the finest domestic athletes taking our shells to the top of the racing pyramid. We’re looking forward to supporting these individuals on their journey to domestic and international glory.

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WinTech Racing Shells

Team WinTech enjoyed a fantastic day at the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head 2023, collecting four gold medals across 14 divisions and 14 medals in total. Our UK distributor, Oarsport, are the principal sponsor for the event which attracts thousands of juniors from across the UK who race two timed laps of the Olympic rowing venue.

Our first win of the day came in the Junior 16 Men’s Quad in the form of Windsor Boys School, who retained their title from 2022. This trophy has so often been monopolised by Mark Wilkinson and his team and the 2023 edition saw Windsor finish top of a 50-boat pile. We also collected silver and bronze medals in this category as Trentham finished second and Great Marlow School placed third, all racing in WinTech shells.

Our next gold medals came just under two hours later as Headington secured victory in the Junior 15 Women’s Coxed Quad. In the largest roster of the day – an enormous 72 crews in total – the Oxfordshire-based club beat out closest challengers Henley and Surbiton High School.

Our third victory came in the Junior 15 Men’s Octuple (the result of which remains provisional pending a video review). Hampton School were top of a 13-boat pile by nearly two seconds ahead of the Windsor Boys School (also in a WinTech) in second and Royal Shrewsbury School in third.

Our final gold medal came in the Junior 14 Men’s Octuple, where once again Team WinTech secured both first and second steps on the podium. Windsor Boys School collected their second victory of the day, defeating Hampton (also in a WinTech) and Abingdon School.

Other medals came in Junior 17 Men’s Quads, where WinTech shells were responsible for silver (Windsor Boys School) and bronze (Lea Rowing Club); Junior 16 Women’s Quads, where we won bronze with Headington School; Junior 14 Women’s Octuples, where a King shell rowed to silver with Headington and finally Junior 14 Men’s Quads with Henley collecting a bronze medal behind George Watson’s College and Wallingford Rowing Club.

We were delighted to see so many young rowers take to the water and race what is firmly established as the most prominent sculling event in the country. We look forward to watching these crews develop in the coming weeks as regatta season approaches.

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WinTech Racing Shells

Team WinTech had 36 crews in action at the 2023 edition of the Schools’ Head of the River which took place against the backdrop of thickset cloud and sweeping showers. Spirit was not dampened though as over 300 crews took to the water in a record roster for the event. WinTech took home one win and a smattering of top-five finishes.

Our victory came in Girls School J16 Eights as Bedford Girls School took the win over Sydenham High School in a time of 20 minutes and 38 seconds the girls will now be turning their attention to a solid training period over the Easter break.

We had three second-placed-finishes; Norwich School were runners-up in the Boys School J16 Eights, finishing 14 seconds behind Bedford School. Marlow Rowing Club were second in Girls Second Eights behind an impressive boat from Henley Rowing Club whilst Fulham Reach Boat were second in the Mixed School Eights, finishing around 36 seconds adrift of King Edward VI School.

We also secured four bronze medal finishes; Canford School were third in Boys First Eights behind a leading duo of Bedford School and St Joseph’s College, Ireland. Canford also secured third in Mixed School Eights. Mossbourne Academy, regular users of WinTech, were third in Boys School J16 Eights, some twenty seconds back on winners Bedford School. Finally, Headington School were third in Girls Championship 15 Eights but very close to the leading pair of Henley and Surbiton. This should prove to be a fascinating battle heading into the summer months.

We had a further four crews in the top -five of their respective events. Reading Blue Coat were fifth in Boys School J16 Eights whilst Hampton School came home fifth in Boys Championship 15 Eights. Emanuel School were fifth in Girls School First Eights and Monmouth Grammar School were the last of the top five in the Girls School J15 Eights.

We’re excited to see how all these crews develop over the coming months and look forward to watching many of these athletes join us at Dorney Lake on Monday for the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head sponsored by our UK distributor. 

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WinTech Racing Shells

For the second successive weekend, Team WinTech recorded a stunning set of results at the Great Britain rowing trials. With the focus now on juniors, Boston in Lincolnshire once again played host to hundreds of the country’s most talented athletes. Twenty four scullers competed in WinTech shells and across men and women we recorded nine top-ten finishes. 

Leading the way was Jack Cadwallader of The Windsor Boys School, who won the men’s event by seven seconds in a WinTech Cobra SE. After a stellar season for Mark Wilkinson and his team in 2022, this season continues to see the programme go from strength to strength. Jack, who raced in the ‘B’ crew for the Windsor Boys School last year, is yet another example of the incredible development curve on offer in Mark’s program and we’re delighted to support him in his efforts. Close behind was Bryon Richards of Leander Club, who also raced in a Cobra SE. Bryon won bronze at the National Schools’ Regatta in 2022, racing for Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association, and will surely be in contention to feature strongly come the 2023 edition. 

WinTech athletes also occupied spots four and five, as Nathaniel Gauden (also of Leander Club) and Ben Mead of Cambridge 99 closed out the top five finishers (both in Cobra SE models). Our next fastest competitor was Sam Gater of Exeter Rowing Club, who finished eighth. Innes Jackson and William Morgan-Jones, both of Hereford Cathedral School, were ninth and tenth respectively and could only be separated by 0.4 seconds. Their quad – or perhaps even their double – promises much this summer. Overall, WinTech athletes featured in seven of the top ten spots.

On the women’s side, the event was won by Olivia Cheesmur of Molesey Boat Club, whose junior girl’s program continues to mark itself out as exemplary. Our fastest finisher was Biba Rabjohns of Hartpury College, who was third and nine seconds back on the winner. Biba raced in a WinTech International and will be looking to make a play for her program’s top boat in the summer, where success has been found at key national events historically. Ailish Harkin of Henley Rowing Club was seventh in a WinTech Cobra SE and Kayleigh Batchelor of St Edward’s School was 11th in the same shell. Moving into the teens and twenties, we had a flurry of finishers; Mia Lawrence of Marlow Rowing Club was 15th overall, Chloe Sheppard of Hartpury College was 16th, Claudia Kerry-Roger of Marlow Rowing Club was 18th, Lucy Webber of Exeter Rowing Club was 21st, Emily Downing of Shiplake College was 22nd and Kathryn Burton of Wycliffe College was 23rd.

WinTech are delighted to have such deep and broad representation at the sharp end of domestic rowing and are honoured to support so many talented men and women in their pursuit of national and international honours. We look forward to many of these athletes returning to the bigger boats for the culmination of the head racing season.

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WinTech Racing Shells

Team WinTech  began 2023 with a stellar effort at the Senior Great Britain February trials, with multiple athletes competing in WinTech shells to further their advance on the national team. As always, the event was hosted across a five kilometer stretch in Boston and attracted a raft of senior names including double Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover and the men’s bronze medal-winning pair from the 2022 World Championships.

Our most impressive result came from George Bourne of Leander Club, who finished second overall in the Men’s Single in his WinTech Cobra. He was less than seven seconds behind Tom Barras and ahead of seasoned international John Collins. George’s rise to the top of British Rowing has been nothing short of astronomical; he first represented GB in 2019, winning the men’s quad sculls (BM4x) at the U23 World Championships. After making his senior team debut in 2021 at the World Cup III regatta in the men’s single sculls (M1x), he was selected for the quad (M4x) in 2022.

We had six athletes competing in the men’s single overall and Rory Harris was our next participant to finish, coming home in eighth place overall. Louis Powell of Reading University Boat Club was 19^th but finished as the third fastest U23. Jacob Ioras, previously a Fawley Challenge Cup-winning schoolboy at the Windsor Boys School, was the fastest U21 and came home 21^st overall. Peter Goodfellow of Durham University Boat Club was 25^th whilst Jamie Leppard of Molesey Boat Club was 31^st.

On the women’s side, Olivia Bates continued her assault on the British senior lightweight team by placing as the third fastest lightweight and 11^th overall. Olivia won bronze at the U23 European Rowing Championships in 2022 and claimed the Godfrey Rowsports Trophy at Henley Women’s Regatta 2022 in what was the fastest time ever down the course by a single sculler in her WinTech Cobra SE.

Maddie Arlett was five seconds behind Olivia in 12^th place overall, representing Edinburgh University Boat Club. Molly Curry was our next fastest finisher, placing 22^nd in Queen’s University Belfast colours. Olivia White of Oxford Brookes University was 23^rd overall but placed as the sixth-fastest lightweight and third fastest U21. Finnola Stratton was 32^nd, Laura Bates was 34^th (seventh fastest lightweight) and Alice Ives was 41^st, representing Reading University, Newark Rowing Club and Leander Club respectively.

We had one representative in the Women’s Pair roster who placed 23^rd overall. The crew contained Laura McKenzie and Frances Hunt-Davies of Glasgow University and Leander Club.

Team WinTech look forward to continuing to support these athletes on their journey through the trials system and are excited to watch selection take place over the coming months.

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WinTech Racing Shells

Team WinTech & King were out in force at the Fours Head of the River last Saturday, as hundreds of crews took to the water to race the reverse championship course from Chiswick to Putney. It was an astonishingly good day for Leander Club, who took home a clean sweep of championship events with several notable names featuring from Olympic and world championship glory.

Crews racing in WinTech & King boats took home two wins, including a new course record in Women’s Championship Fours for the aforementioned Leander, who raced in a King. The record, which had stood for 24 years, was smashed by a crew stroked by Emily Ford and backed up by Lauren Irwin, Chloe Brew, Rebecca Edwards and cox Morgan Baynham-Williams. They won the event by nine seconds over a boat from Oxford Brookes.

Our second win came in the Women’s Academic Coxed Four, where Cambridge University – current Boat Race holders – took victory by just under six seconds ahead of the University of Surrey. Cambridge, who will be officially challenged to race The Boat Race by Oxford next week in London, performed well on the Tideway and collected another win in the Men’s Academic Coxed Four.

WinTech also secured two second-place finishes; Hinksey Sculling School were bridesmaids to a dominant Henley Rowing Club, who won every junior women’s category on offer, whilst St Paul’s Girls School were runners-up in the Women’s Junior Coxed Four. The latter raced in a new WinTech Coxed Four model and contained remnants of the crew who broke the course record at Henley Women’s Regatta earlier this year.

Our stronghold in junior rowing across the UK was in further evidence on Saturday as we collected numerous additional top-ten finishes, including sixth and seventh in Open Junior Quads (Hinksey Sculling School and Exeter Rowing Club), seventh and ninth in Women’s Junior Coxed Fours (Bedford Girls School and St Edward’s School) and eighth in Open Junior Coxless Fours (Emanuel School).

Racing in a WinTech shell in Women’s Championship Quads, the combination crew of Leicester Rowing Club, Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association and Twickenham Rowing Club finished third behind Leander and a Great Britain composite crew featuring current world and European champion Imogen Grant.

Our top-five finishes were rounded out by Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association – who you can read more about in our Club Spotlight – finishing fifth in Open Club Quads, Exeter University finishing fifth in Women’s Academic Quads and Nottingham Rowing Club placing fifth in Women’s Club Quads.

Once again, the Fours Head was a fantastically well-run event, and we were delighted to see so many WinTech shells in action. We look forward to the Women’s and Men’s Eights Heads in March to round out the Tideway racing calendar

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WinTech Racing Shells

King Racing Shells

Team WinTech were once again active in supporting numerous athletes at the first Open Great Britain rowing trial of the 2022/23 season. After an incredibly successful summer for GB at U19, U23 and Senior level, hundreds of athletes descended upon Boston, Lincolnshire to do battle on the River Witham and make an early mark on selector scrapbooks.

On the women’s side, all athletes were mandated to compete in the single scull. Helen Glover, fresh from her exploits at the World Rowing Coastal Championships, took top spot, around half a second clear of Lauren Henry, who finished fourth at the World Rowing U23 Championships. The fastest WinTech sculler was Olivia Bates, who placed fourth overall and was the fastest lightweight athlete of the day. Racing in a WinTech Cobra, Olivia is building an impressive reputation at both domestic and international level; she won bronze in the Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls at the U23 European Rowing Championships in September and finished second at the British Rowing Senior & U23 April Trials. She also set a course record in the Championship Lightweight 1x at Henley Women’s Regatta earlier this year.

Alexandra Watson of Molesey Boat Club and Juliette Perry of Leander Club were our next fastest finishers, in 17^th and 18^th respectively. Rachel Bradley of Newcastle University and Molly Curry from Queen’s University Belfast, also racing in WinTechs, were 23^rd and 24^th. Laura Bates of Newark Rowing Club also warrants a special shout, after placing 58^th overall in only her third-ever single scull race. Overall, Team WinTech had 14 athletes competing in our shells on the women’s side from other top rowing clubs and universities including Leander Club, Oxford Brookes & Durham University.

For the men, Callum Dixon of Twickenham edged out recent Wingfield Sculls victor Seb Devereux to take the overall win. Our fastest athlete was Rory Harris of Leander Club, who finished fourth and 16 seconds behind Dixon. Rory has senior international pedigree, having won a bronze medal in the Men’s Double Scull at the third World Rowing Cup in 2021. He also placed 2nd at this year’s scullers Head of the River in his WinTech.

Our next fastest WinTech competitor was Levin Graf of Durham University, who placed 14^th. Louis Powell and Solomon Hewitt, both of Reading University, were 22^nd and 26^th respectively whilst Peter Goodfellow, of Durham, Jacob Ioras, of Leander, and Jamie Leppard, of Molesey, were 34^th, 27^th and 42^nd to close out our roster.

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WinTech Racing Shells

Team WinTech and King opened its competitive account for the 22/23 season with a fantastic set of results at the Head of the Charles. 2022 was another blockbuster year for the world’s largest regatta as racing spanned across three days and numerous categories, involving everything from eights down to singles. We had a team of 20 staff taking care of crews from all over the world with over 100 boats rented. WinTech and King crews picked up 39 medals in total, including 11 golds.

Some of the key highlights included our first gold medal of the event which landed in the Women’s Senior Master Eights. Endeavor Racing Alliance ‘A’ took the win by 2.5 seconds over crews from Seattle and Texas. WinTech secured a further four gold medals across the Master, Senior Master, Grand Master and Alumnae categories, inclusive of Men’s Senior Master Fours, Women’s Grand Master Fours, Women’s Alumnae Eights and Men’s Master Eights. In the latter event, King shells were represented on every step of the podium as Marin ‘A’, Fat Cat ‘A’ and RCA Alumni ‘A’ took gold, silver, and bronze respectively.

In the Women’s Youth Eights event, RowAmerica Rye put on an absolute clinic, not only finishing first in their event, but setting a course record at the same time. It goes without saying that their KingSE shell held fast for their next-level performance.

Molesey BC executed a phenomenal race in their KingSE 4+, taking the lead over countless crews in the Men’s Senior Master Fours event. The crew of the 4+ told us that their KingSE shell was set up flawlessly and responded beautifully throughout the entire race, contributing greatly to their victory.

The Women’s Alumnae Eight event saw a commanding performance from the University of Washington, wherein their alumnae reunited to dominate the race course. We caught up with the stalwart crew after the race, and they were quick to inform us that their KingSE shell played an instrumental role in their victory.

In the Men’s Masters Eight event, Marin RA went on to secure their third victory in a row, crossing the line ahead of all in their KingSE shell. We caught up with them after the race to hear their thoughts on the boat, and they all agreed that it “responds quick” and felt great as they navigated the countless bends and boats of the Charles river.

In the Men’s Championship Doubles event, Frankfurter Rudergesellschaft Germania took a storming victory by over ten seconds ahead of a US composite. Racing in a WinTech, the crew contained Tokyo Olympian Marc Weber and recent U23 Single Scull World Champion Jonas Gelsen. We also picked up a bronze in Men’s Championship Singles as Finn Putnam secured third place by just over a second.

All our remaining golds were won at junior level, a demographic that WinTech and King continue to dominate globally. Maritime Rowing Club ‘B took the U17 Women’s Youth Coxed Quad title, whilst RowAmerica Rye took both the overall and U17 titles in the Women’s Youth Eights in a strong showing that maintains their status as frontrunners in this category.

New York AC ‘A’ took the win in U17 Women’s Youth Doubles, finishing second overall, whilst Tideway Scullers of the UK finished fourth overall in a WinTech. Our final gold came in the Men’s Youth Coxed Quad category, as Maritime Rowing Club ‘B’ finished fourth overall but won the U17 category.

Our other notable results were a silver medal in the Mixed Para Inclusion Double via Athletes Without Limits-DC ‘A’ and corresponding silvers for Kings in the Men’s Senior Master Eights [Marin ‘A’] and Men’s Grand Master Eights [Marin ‘A’]. The Windsor Boys School, who enjoyed an unbeaten domestic 21/22 season, finished second in the Men’s Youth Coxed Quad category whilst RowAmerica Rye ‘A’ were third [both in WinTechs].

Our last silver medals came in the Lightweight Eight category for Princeton University, in the Directors’ Challenge Parent/Child Doubles for SC Kuesnacht and in the Directors’ Challenge Mixed Eight for Club Nautico De San Juan.

Once again, The Head of the Charles did not disappoint as thousands of rowers from across the world descended on Boston to enjoy one of rowing’s bucket-list events. Team WinTech and King were delighted to meet so many of our customers and witness some phenomenal racing. Roll on 2023!

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On a blistering hot weekend at Holme Pierrepont, the junior season came to an unofficial end with the staging of the British Rowing Junior Championships. Team WinTech had one of our most successful events ever, collecting 15 wins alongside 12 silvers and 12 bronzes. Our victory count was by far and away the highest of any boat-builder and reiterated our status as the UK’s leading provider of high-quality racing fleet.

Our first win came courtesy of the Windsor Boys School in the J15 Boys Single (in a race where a WinTech athlete from Newark claimed the silver).

Mark Wilkinson’s program won six events across the weekend and five of those golds were in WinTech boats. Other wins included Junior 14 and 15 Boys Coxed Quads, Junior 18 Boys Doubles, Junior 16 Boys Quads and Junior 18 Boys Quads. This rounded off a sensational season for the Windsor Boys School, who won every single Championship Sculling event at the National Schools’ Regatta (all in WinTechs) before claiming both spots in the Fawley Challenge Cup final (again, in two WinTechs).

We claimed four golds in total on the Friday – two for the aforementioned Windsor Boys and one each for Shanklin Sandown Rowing Club and Marlow Rowing Club. Shanklin were winners of the Junior 14 Boys Doubles (in a final which also included a bronze medal-winning Windsor Boys crew) whilst Marlow claimed gold in the Junior 15 Girl’s Coxed Quads (completing the sweep in this category for WinTech).

Our Sunday got off to the best possible start as Shanklin Sandown Rowing Club claimed their second win of the weekend in the Junior 16 Girl’s Single in the first ‘A’ final of the day. We also picked up the silver medal in this category via Henley Rowing Club.

Race 311 saw Nottingham County Rowing Association – under the impressive stewardship of Declan Gamble – triumph in the Junior 18 Boy’s Single. Read more about that program via our club spotlight series.

After a 45-minute pause, the gold rush restarted in earnest. From Race 318 until the end of the day, WinTech were responsible for nine of the remaining 14 gold medals on offer. Winners included Marlow Rowing Club in the Junior 16 Girl’s Double, Newark Rowing Club in the Junior 16 Men’s Double, Claires Court in the Junior 18 Girl’s Double (freshly minted from their historic win in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup), NCRA in the Junior 18 Girl’s Pair, Great Marlow School Boat Club in the Junior 18 Boy’s Pair and Hereford Rowing Club in the Junior 18 Boy’s Coxless Four.

Our spread of clubs was another hugely rewarding theme throughout the weekend; a full breakdown of all medals won in WinTech Racing boats can be seen below:

Team WinTech have enjoyed an incredible season of racing, which has felt especially significant after nearly two years away from the conventional schedule. A 39-medal haul from the British Rowing Junior Championships felt like a suitably satisfying way to end the year, in an event that gave us ample opportunity to meet with so many clubs and schools and discuss their season and how we can set them up for even brighter success in 2023.

Enjoy your summers and we will see you next year!

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We had a fantastic weekend of results to celebrate at Henley Masters Regatta 2022. The event, which is typically staged the week after Henley Royal Regatta finishes, was established in 1994 and is hosted and run by Upper Thames Rowing Club. Crews racing in WinTech & King Racing shells delivered six wins, including three from crews from the USA who had traveled over to compete. After the slightly underwhelming weather a week earlier, this regatta was blessed with blistering heat and calm conditions as the iconic Henley course came alive in the summer sunshine.

Our first win of the Saturday afternoon session – which is typically reserved for finals – came in the Open Masters B Double Sculls; a Derby-Burton composite came away with the victory.

Open Masters E Double Sculls win also went to a WinTech crew, as Grosvenor Rowing Club from Chester secured the win by a length over a Chateau-Gontier-Manosque Composite.

Our third win came about half an hour later in the Women’s Masters D Eights final, as Marin Rowing Association of the USA who were racing in a King 8+ beat Broxbourne Rowing Club by ¾ of a length.

This marked one of Marin’s six wins across the event in a hugely successful weekend for the club from California. They secured another one of those in a WinTech shell, as they claimed the Women’s Masters E Coxed Fours over Worcester Rowing Club by half a length.

Our fifth win came in Race Open Masters D Coxless Fours as Monmouth Rowing Club beat Bewl Bridge Rowing Club by two lengths.

Our final win of the afternoon saw Chinook Performance Racing, USA take Women’s Masters G Eights by four lengths in the last race of the day racing in a King SE 8+ over a Walbrook-Weybridge Composite.

Crews racing in WinTech & King Racing shells featured in 12 finals overall with a 50%-win rate. We thoroughly enjoyed attending this fantastic regatta and meeting so many athletes, clubs and spectators. This event marks the typical end of the Henley racing series and we’re already very much looking forward to returning to this course in 2023.

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Team WinTech were once again winners at Henley Royal Regatta in an incredibly special year for both the Regatta (who enjoyed a huge record entry both domestically and internationally) and for the Windsor Boys School, one of our key customers and 2022 victors in the Fawley Challenge Cup.

Race 2 on the Sunday of Henley Royal Regatta was particularly distinct for everyone associated with the Windsor Boys School. Not only were the ‘A’ crew – who are undefeated in junior competition this season – winners by a comfortable margin but the opposition were their ‘B’ crew, who also raced in a WinTech. Such an achievement has not been seen in the Fawley Challenge Cup for many years, but this squad is one of the most talented in recent history.

These crews were both comprised of rowers from a squad that won every single Junior 18 sculling event on offer at the National Schools’ Regatta five weeks ago. Their ‘A’ crew featured Marcus Chute in the ‘3’ seat, who is a European junior champion in the single scull. The Windsor Boys’ School is an all-boys upper school and sixth form. The boat club is based in a boathouse situated on the Thames in Windsor, originally built by the Imperial Service College. Before yesterday, the club’s quad teams have won the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta seven times in recent history, with the last two wins in 2017 and 2018. They were beaten finalists in 2021.

Under the tutelage of Director of Rowing Mark Wilkinson – himself a former Windsorian schoolboy – the program has become one of the most revered junior sculling set-ups in the country. Yesterday was a celebration of success for all concerned with the boat club, as eight of the school’s athletes raced against each other at the very highest level. In the end, the result was a relative formality but the scenes on the finish line – where both crews were cheering each other and clapping in unison – was amazing to witness and a true testament to an astonishing season.

Elsewhere, Team WinTech had several other boats progress through to the quarter-final stage of racing. The Dolphin Boat Club from the USA were convincing winners on Thursday in the Fawley Challenge Cup but lost out to the Windsor Boys ‘B’ on the Friday.

Aitchison and Cracknell of Itchen Imperial RC in the Silver Goblets and Nickalls’ Challenge Cup also progressed to Friday. Trentham Boat Club made it through to the quarter-final of the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup for junior women’s quad – a fantastic achievement for the club.

Our other representative was Brown and Hodgson of Tideway Scullers School in the Goblets, who also lost after winning their Thursday race.

We were also proud to have representation in the heats with crews racing both in WinTech Racing Boats as well as our sister brand King Racing.

Congratulations to all athletes and coaches. Our team from UK & North America were on-site throughout the week and massively enjoyed meeting so many athletes from across the rowing community. We look forward to reconnecting through the summer and continuing to support various initiatives into the new season and beyond.

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Last weekend top rowers from countries around the world traveled to the Bosbaan regatta course (the oldest artificial rowing lake in the world) in Amsterdam to compete in Holland’s most renowned International regatta – the Koninklijke- Holland Beker regatta.

On Saturday, Olivia Bates competing in her WinTech Racing Super Lightweight Cobra SE placed first in the BW 1x event almost 15 seconds ahead of 2nd place in a time of 07:45.23. On Sunday, Olivia again competed this time in the LW 1x event claiming another win in a time of 07:51.31.

These two wins follow on from an extremely successful start to the season for Olivia. She placed 2nd at the British Rowing April Trial in the lightweight Women’s category and then went onto to win gold in the Women’s Championship Lightweight 1x and Silver in the Women’s Championship 1x at the BUCS (British University Colleges & Sport) Regatta at the National Watersports Center in Nottingham where she competed for The University of Nottingham. 

Just over a week ago and racing in Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association colours Olivia won the Championship Lightweight 1x event at Henley Women’s Regatta setting a new course record in the process in a time of 5:36.60. Incredibly this is the fastest time down the track for any single sculler at the event including openweight events.

Good luck for the rest of this season Liv!

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If you think about the best schoolboy sculling centres in the UK over the past decade, there are a few names that immediately come to mind. Sir William Borlase and their three wins in four years in the Fawley Challenge Cup from 2012 to 2015. The Windsor Boys School and their remarkable consistency at the summit of schoolboy sculling. And then, Claires Court School (CCSBC).

Ever-present with the big boys since re-emerging on the scene in 2013, the club has a proud history of launching young athletes into the national and international rowing community. The club was founded in 1985 and row out of Maidenhead Rowing Club, nestled in the Thames Valley. It’s an ideal location to produce a conveyor belt of sculling talent; the club have had numerous athletes represent Great Britain and have also collected three Fawley Challenge Cup trophies (two in association with The Windsor Boys School) in their 37-year tenure.

The quickest acceleration of the CCSBC program has come in the past decade, after Tom Jost and Chris Clark took over the program in 2012. The club’s first appearance as a complete CCSBC unit at the Henley Royal Regatta was in 2013, after a stellar season for their J16 cohort. Although they exited in the first round, it set their stall out as a club to watch.

CCSBC’s program is built in cycles, with development years beginning at J15/J16 level so that those athletes can pass through the program with every intention of winning national silverware when they reach J18. The club’s crowning glory came in 2016, when they not only won the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta but also secured the historic ‘Triple Crown’ – winning the boys quad title at both the Schools’ Head of the River and National Schools’ Regatta alongside their Henley triumph.

Like the boys, the girls are following a similarly patient, well-thought-out approach. Last year saw the club qualify their first female junior crew for Henley Royal Regatta whilst they won a silver medal in the double at the National Schools’ Regatta. Although the boys program is a little way ahead in terms of maturity, the girls squad are benefitting from the same impressive coaching regime and results are already beginning to show.

Entering 2022, as the world steps carefully out of the COVID-19 quagmire, there is perhaps nobody better suited to lead the club forward than a sculler who rose up the ranks to win Henley in 2016 in a CCSBC vest. Alex Richardson, who featured in every HRR CCSBC quad from 2013 to 2016, took over from Tom Jost at the beginning of the 2021/22 season and is already preparing his squad for a busy summer of racing. “We typically have our four fastest athletes in the quad, with a view to settling in the top three or four boats in the country,” explained Alex. “The eight is our second crew and is set up with the target of qualifying for the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup and potentially making it through a round or two”.

WinTech Racing have partnered with CCSBC for several years now, stretching back to Tom Jost’s takeover of the program. Although the club have several different brands in their boathouse, Alex described our shells as the backbone of the fleet. “Simply put, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the help and support of Oarsport and WinTech Racing,” he said. “We won the 2016 Schools’ Head of the River in a WinTech Racing International and they’re just phenomenal boats. Our whole squad train and race in their singles, doubles and quads throughout the season”.

For this season, Alex feels the club and current cohort are in a good place. COVID-19 disrupted their cycle of growth, after a very promising 2019, which meant 2020 and the possible culmination of years of hard work was ruined. The club are back on track now though and mixing it up with the top schoolboy quads again. “We’re really excited for the summer and I think we’re capable of having a strong season, in both the eight and the quad,” said Alex. “Critically, the depth is there and I’m hopeful that we’re going to be able to boat not only a highly competitive quad but perhaps one of the fastest eights CCSBC has ever backed”.

With multiple athletes, boats and priorities to juggle, Alex knows he can rely on the support and service of Oarsport and WinTech Racing. “They’re really responsive,” he commented. “Whenever we have an issue or a question, Andrew always responds incredibly quickly and is full of helpful recommendations and suggestions”.

Some might say that the golden years of CCSBC are behind them. A Henley win, backed up by a remarkable Triple, alongside another Fawley Challenge Cup final berth in 2017, represents a pretty lofty goal to match let alone exceed. But, as is so often the case in competitive sport, success breeds success. Tom Jost and Chris Clark put the club firmly back on the map. Alex Richardson wants to be the man to take them forward to greater, brighter, silverware-laden heights – and WinTech Racing are excited to enable that journey.

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​​Athletes racing in WinTech Racing boats claimed two wins and new course records at Henley Women’s Regatta 2022, the largest female-only rowing event in the world. This year the regatta returned with a record roster and races galore over three action-packed days stacked with talent from domestic powerhouses, provincial underdogs and international entrants.

The first of our wins came in the first final of the day – the Championship Lightweight Single Scull. Olivia Bates, who has had another stellar season domestically, took the win in a new record time of 5:36.60 beating the time set by Maddie Arlett of the University of Edinburgh by four seconds. Liv raced in a Wintech Cobra SE and defeated the sculler from the National University of Galway, Ireland by a comfortable 2.5 lengths. Incredibly this is the fastest time down the track for any single sculler at the event including openweight events.

The second win also came in the single sculls but this time from a rising star on the junior scene. Meg Knight in her WinTech Cobra, who rose to prominence after becoming an indoor rowing world champion in early 2021, emerged from a congested draw to claim victory in the Junior Single Sculls and in the process set a new course record. Her final, up against Bardsley-Taylor of Hartpury College, went the way of the Trentham sculler by nearly four lengths, reiterating Meg’s status as one of the UK’s foremost junior talents.

We also had crews racing in four other finals throughout the Sunday, demonstrating the depth of our fleet in international competition. Reading University were narrowly beaten in the final of Championship Lightweight Double Sculls, losing out to a crew from the Australian National University Boat Club.

In Championship Lightweight Pairs, Surrey University lost out to a superlative crew from Cambridge University whilst St Paul’s Girls School were beaten in the final of Junior 16 Coxed Fours by Henley Rowing Club. They did however set a new course record in their semi-final against Henley with a time of 5:23.3.

Our last finalists, Tideway Scullers School, were beaten in the last round of Junior Doubles by an excellent crew from Sydney Rowing Club, Australia.

Finally, St Paul’s Girls School set a new course record in the their semi-final of the J16 4+ in their brand new WinTech Racing International 4+ with a time of 05:23.3!

Our team were on-site all week supporting athletes and coaches in the competitor zone and were delighted to see the return of Henley Women’s Regatta in its full form. This event always marks the start of a fantastic run of races on the Henley stretch of the Thames and we’re hugely excited to witness further sporting drama unfold over the course of the next few weeks. Congratulations to all winners!

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The National Schools’ Regatta returned to Dorney Lake in its full format for the first time since 2019 this weekend. With athletes unable to double up between days, this allowed a wide range of competitors to enjoy the spoils of silverware right across Championship, Junior 16, 15 and 14 events. Athletes and crews racing in WinTech Racing & King Racing boats had a hugely successful three days, collecting ten gold, nine silver and ten bronze medals in total.

Friday Races

Friday began with a flurry of wins in both J14 Octuple categories (boys and girls) – Windsor Boys School and Headington School, long time partners of WinTech, took the respective victories.

The former race also saw Mossbourne Academy take silver 3.5 seconds back on Windsor Boys.  This was followed by another gold for Windsor Boys (the second of many through the weekend) in the Creber Cup for Boys Junior 15 Coxed Quads.

The fourth gold of the day in WinTech Racing boats came in the Boys Junior 14 Coxed Quads as Guildford Rowing Club took home the Canterbury Cup, finishing 1.5 seconds clear of second-placed Molesey Boat Club. Another silver medal was delivered by Marlow Rowing Club in the Girls Junior 15 Coxed Quads. Finally bronze medal-finishes were achieved in Boys Junior 15 Coxed Fours by Yarm School, Girls Junior 15 Coxed Fours by St Edwards and Boys Junior 14 Coxed Quads by Hinksey Sculling School.

Saturday Races

Saturday, the longest day of racing, brought with it a further six medals for Team WinTech; the Windsor Boys School maintained their impressive magnetism to silverware by bringing home golds in both the Championship and Second Quad categories. This puts Mark Wilkinson’s boys in pole position to mount an assault on the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in just over four weeks’ time.

Silver medals were achieved by Marlow Rowing Club in the Girls Second Quads and from Hinksey Sculling School, who also had a fantastic regatta, in the Boys Junior 16 Coxed Fours. A further two bronzes were achieved in the Boys Championship Coxed Fours by Canford School in a King 4+ and The Windsor Boys’ School in the Junior 15 Eights.

Sunday Races

Sunday was our most successful day as athletes and crews racing in WinTech shells returned a whopping 14 medals from a total of 14 categories. The gold rush began with the Boys Junior 16 Double from Marlow, who dominated their semi-final and final to establish themselves as runaway leaders and take home the aptly named Marlow Bowl. A bronze in this event in WinTech boats was also secured through a spirited performance from Newark Rowing Club.

The Championship Double categories saw crew racing in WinTech’s take both gold medals on offer, as Tideway Scullers produced an astonishing final sprint to claim the gold ahead of Sir William Perkins in the girl’s event.

On the boy’s side, the result was in no doubt as Windsor Boys simply sculled away from the field in our new FLX hulls to win by over 12 seconds – a course record!

Our partnership with the Windsor Boys School means a great deal to us and it was fitting that our final gold of the weekend came from the brilliance of Marcus Chute; the European champion did not panic when under early pressure from his opposition and simply turned on the afterburners in the second half to win by nearly seven seconds over James Graham of Leander Club.

Five silver medals were achieved in WinTech boats; Meg Knight from Trentham Boat Club in Girls Championship Sculls; Hereford Rowing Club in Boys Championship Coxless Fours; Great Marlow School in Boys Championship Pairs; Nottingham and Union Boat Club in Girls Championship Pairs and finally Sir William Perkins in Girls Junior 16 Seconds Quads. Four additional bronze medals came from Byron Richards racing for Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association in the Boys Championship Sculls, Newark Rowing Club in the Girls Championship Pairs, Monmouth Comprehensive in the Girls Junior 16 Second Quads and Windsor Boys School in the Boys Junior 16 Quads.

Our UK dealer Oarsport were delighted to be on-site all weekend, supporting athletes and coaches racing in WinTech & King Racing boats as well as meeting clubs from across the country. We were so happy to see so many juniors competing successfully in our boats and can’t wait for next year!

Results

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Last weekend the European Rowing Under 19 Championships took place at the beautiful Lago di Varese Regatta Venue in Northern Italy. All European Member National Federations plus Israel were eligible to compete. A rower may compete in an Under 19 rowing event until 31st December of the year in which he or she reaches the age of 18.

Marcus Chute of Great Britain took gold in the Junior Men’s Single scull event in his WinTech Racing Cobra 1x beating Boris Taeldeman of Belgium and Pierre Molins of France. This follows a similar performance at the recent Munich International Regatta and he will compete on home soil this coming weekend at the UK National Schools Regatta in the Championship 1x category. 

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Marcus and wish him all the best for the rest of this season!

Junior Men’s Single Scull

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The Cobra is designed for those looking for the stiffest and fastest racing boat money can buy with no compromises. Perfect for those who simply want the best-in-class. This shell is crafted from high modulus uni-directional pre-preg carbon fibre and is pared with our state of the art carbon bow wing rigger. Optional Upgrade: SE – One piece outer layer of carbon with a choice of matte black wet sanded for ultimate hydrodynamic efficiency

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Team WinTech had another successful day at the Munich International Junior Regatta last weekend, taking home four medals across various categories and nationalities.

On the GB side, Marcus Chute continued our strong momentum with The Windsor Boys School to secure gold in the Junior Men’s Single Scull. Racing in a Cobra, Marcus took victory by three seconds over Cornelius Conrad of Dresdner Ruder-Club 1902 e.V. He also doubled up to win bronze in the Junior Men’s Quad Scull. Marcus will now have his eyes firmly set on competing for Great Britain at the Junior World Championships this summer alongside claiming various domestic titles.

Megan Knight, who plies her trade at Trentham Boat Club domestically, took a fantastic silver medal in the Women’s Single Scull, finishing 14 seconds back on Lina Kuhn of the Swiss Rowing Federation. Meg, who recently secured a scholarship to Stanford University in the autumn, is also a World Virtual Indoor Rowing Champion. She rowed to a silver medal in a WinTech Cobra.

We also had two medallists crews amongst the German contingent. Lena Kirchner took the overall win in the Women’s Lightweight Single Scull on both days, beating out a number of her country’s women and a sculler from Austria. She was racing in a WinTech and we look forward to watching her progress this season.

The final medal came from the German Women’s eight; Germany actually took gold, silver and bronze but the winning crew came home in a WinTech. With traditional strength in the bigger boats, these girls will undoubtedly have their sights set on strong performances throughout the remainder of the season.

WinTech are delighted to support the cutting edge of European rowing talent and look forward to enabling these fantastically talented young men and women as they progress towards silverware.

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After a displaced and somewhat diminished event in 2021, this weekend saw BUCS regatta return to Holme Pierrepont on the May bank holiday for the first time since 2019. With the UK’s fastest student athletes competing across a variety of boat classes, Team WinTech were once again involved at the sharp end of racing. Three days’ worth of competition provided a perfect stage for old names to regroup at the summit, new victors to take a seat at the table and displaced opponents to refresh and reflect on a weekend that promises much for the rest of the summer season. Edinburgh University won the Victor Ludorum after a string of superb results across beginner, intermediate and championship categories.

Day 1

For WinTech, two silvers and a bronze was our haul for the first day of racing; Olivia Burns of Edinburgh University came home second in the Women’s Beginner Single in a WinTech International.

Reading University – competing in a Cobra – were silver medallists in the Women’s Championship Lightweight Double. They were only beaten by GB squad member and recent Boat Race winner Imogen Grant alongside Brigid Kennedy.

Our final medal of the day came in the Women’s Championship Quad, as Nottingham raced to a bronze medal in one of our Medalist shells.

Day 2

Sunday was our most successful day, with seven medals recorded across various boat classes including a one-two in Men’s Beginner Singles. Edinburgh University, who took all three medals on offer in the category, were led out by Cameron Baird and Lucas Leschynski, who were both racing in WinTech Internationals.

We also picked up a gold and bronze in Women’s Championship and Intermediate Lightweight Singles respectively; Olivia Bates saw off stiff competition from Imogen Grant to take the championship title in a Cobra. Racing up a weight category, Olivia also collected a silver medal in Women’s Championship Singles. Erin Meredith, racing for Birmingham University, won an impressive bronze in the intermediate ranking.

WinTech Racing Cobra

Beyond this, we picked up two bronzes in Women’s Beginner Fours, courtesy of Nottingham University, and Men’s Championship Lightweight Doubles with Oxford University.

Day 3

Monday saw Team WinTech collect a further four medals, including a stunning gold in Women’s Beginner Doubles. The Edinburgh University duo of Olivia Padwick and Emma Ramsay led from the front and came home four seconds clear of their opposition in our international shell.

We also picked up a silver in Women’s Intermediate Lightweight Quads as Exeter University finished a couple of seconds back on an impressive Cambridge boat.

Our final two bronze medals came from the Men’s Beginner Doubles (Edinburgh University) and Women’s Championship Doubles (Reading University).

Overall Championship Results

Overall Intermediate Results

Overall Beginner Results

A big thanks to James Lee and his team who put on such a great event and also to AllMarkOne for the amazing photos! 

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The GB Senior & U23 final trials took place over the Easter weekend, in beautiful spring-time sunshine and against the looming backdrop of a full roster of international events for the first time since 2019. Team WinTech once again had several athletes competing at Caversham and came away with a number of notable results in both heavyweight and lightweight single sculls for men and women.

Women’s Lightweight Single Scull

Our best results came in the form of a one-two in the lightweight women’s single scull, as Maddie Arlett and Olivia Bates continued their fine sculling form to finish first and second respectively. The women’s heavy and lightweight sculling was combined into one competition with four finals across 22 athletes and Maddie, racing in a Lightweight Cobra FLX for Edinburgh University Boat Club, finished fourth in the ‘A’ final, about 14 seconds back on overall winner Lola Anderson of Leander Club. Olivia, in a Super Lightweight Cobra, was third in the ‘B’ final but second in the lightweight category

Mens Lightweight Single Scull

On the men’s lightweight side, Jamie Copus of Oxford Brookes University is a well-established name on the circuit and showed his mettle once again by finishing second in a Lightweight Cobra FLX. His battle with overall winner Dale Flockhart of Edinburgh University was a fascinating one to watch unfold down the course, with Jamie closing the gap to a second at the finish line after trailing by nearly four with 500m to go.

Women’s Single Scull

On the women’s heavyweight sculling side, Team WinTech’s sole representative was Rachel Bradley of Newcastle University. She finished second in the ‘C’ final, a second back on winner Lauren Maddison. Katy Wilkinson-Feller of Tideway Scullers School was due to compete but had to withdraw through illness.

Mens Single Scull

We were due to have four heavyweight male scullers competing but through a combination of COVID-19 and illness, Jack Burns and George Bourne had to withdraw. After strong showings throughout the trialing season, it was a real shame to not see two of the UK’s foremost talents pit their wits against each other and the best of the rest. Despite that, we were delighted to support both Bryn Ellery of Leander Club and Finn Larkin of Nottinghamshire Counties Rowing Association. Bryn, who is an alumnus of Windsor Boys School and a long-time partner of WinTech Racing, finished third in the ‘B’ final and was the second-fastest U23 whilst Finn was fifth in the ‘C’ final.

We’re extremely proud of all of our athletes and look forward to seeing them hopefully competing in Team GB colours this summer and on the domestic circuit for their respective clubs and universities.

About The WinTech Racing Cobra 1x

The Cobra is designed for those looking for the stiffest and fastest racing boat money can buy with no compromises. Perfect for those who simply want the best-in-class. This full one-piece unidirectional carbon fibre hull paired with our state-of-the-art carbon fibre bow mounted rigger offers the highest stiffness and performance on the market. The Cobra is available with both a painted finish or for those who really want to maximise advantage in racing, our clear coat, friction reducing wet sanded hull finish.

LEARN MORE

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Rowing doesn’t have to be the preserve of the wealthy and elite. It’s a credo that we on the circuit should live by more forcefully and one that has gone into creating a number of new programs whose focus is on leveraging the incredible talent pool available in more socially and ethnically diverse communities. It’s also a philosophy, from an educational perspective, that went into the creation of Mossbourne Community Academy, a coeducational secondary school situated in leafy Hackney – one of London’s poorest boroughs. Founded as one of the first City Academies in the UK, the school is funded by the Department of Education and independent of local authority control. Designed to bring the glamour and privilege of a private education system without the eye-watering fees, Mossbourne has regularly been lauded as one of the top-performing inner-city schools in the country.

Which is where rowing arrives on the scene. When the school was in its infancy, then principal Sir Michael Wilshaw saw rowing as critical to building the school’s image and reinforcing their status as a premier academic institution. The rowing program has already garnered a fair amount of national coverage – not least from The Times as recently as a few weeks ago – and now, under the stewardship of former Leander athlete Tom Wilkinson, the school is beginning to make larger and larger waves on the domestic circuit.

And this is where we return to how and why rowing does not need to have financial barriers to entry. The sport is already encumbered with numerous stipulations – including the need to be of a certain height and frame to increase the likelihood of success – so we should be making strides to remove those barriers within our power. Mossbourne provide a free at the point of access rowing program to pupils across all years; boats, equipment, clothing and travel is all paid for by the school, with charitable support from foundations, corporate sponsors and individual donors, allowing children to experience the benefits of our sport without the burden of substantial bills.

Tom, who was previously Head of Rowing at Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School (an experience he describes as “miles apart” from his current posting) is focused on driving positive outcomes for the school’s broader mission statement. “The diversity we have in our squad is so different to any other rowing club in the country,” he explained. “If you look at British Rowing as a whole, around 4% are from BAME backgrounds whereas at Mossbourne we have BAME representation of well over a third”.

You’d be forgiven for attending a rowing event in the UK and not spotting a single competitor, supporter or coach who was not white. “I feel like we’re trying to change the perception of our sport,” said Tom. “We’re attending more and more events and getting more and more attention from different parts of the community, and I like to think that’s driving positive change”.

For those who have read anything about WinTech and the work we do to enable rowing as a sport for all, it will be very apparent why Mossbourne are such a natural fit for us to work with. The school had never previously owned a boat until they bought one of our WinTech International eights – the very same shell that, on its debut, carried their J15 boys to victory in the First Eights category at the Schools’ Head of the River.

“The shell is amazing,” said Tom. One day, I jumped in a WinTech and went sculling with another coach. He used to beat me regularly but I had an amazing row that afternoon, came out on top and decided to try them more regularly from then on in”.

After taking delivery of the eight, Tom debuted it in winning style and was effusive in his praise for the support and aftercare provided by  WinTech Racing’s UK Dealer Oarsport. “Jack and Andrew are fantastic,” he said. “Whenever I have an issue, they’re on the end of the phone. If I need a new part, it’s in the post and in my letterbox within a couple of days. I’d never had that type of service before and it has really impressed me”.

Although this is just the start of our relationship with the school, they’re a blueprint for how rowing can be mobilised to create vast opportunities for people who may not ordinarily get access to the sport. The results are beginning to speak for themselves; after very strong showings at both the Schools’ Head and the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head, Tom has his sights set firmly on representation at the National Schools’ Regatta and, for the more senior boys and girls, Henley Women’s and Royal Regattas.

Mossbourne named their eight ‘No Excuses’ – one of three principles the student body live by. It’s a moniker that fits well into the context of competitive rowing – with the right amount of effort and a tenacious attitude, one can achieve whatever they hope to, provided there are no insurmountable barriers blocking the path to progression. Mossbourne are tearing down those barriers one by one and we’re excited to support them on their journey.

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Today saw the return of the second of the UK’s big junior head races, in the form of the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head. Back at Dorney Lake for the first time since 2019, racing took place across age groups ranging from J18 down to J14, in both Quads and Octuples, over 3600m (two 1800m pieces strung together). WinTech and Oarsport are proud to be the principal sponsor for this fantastic event and it was no surprise to see numerous crews returning strong performances and silverware in our boats, including five golds.

It’s great to see success in our boats but more importantly participation in a great sport for all of the 2900 young scullers out there on the water and everyone smiling despite the rain!

The Windsor Boys School picked up where they left off at the Schools’ Head of the River on Monday, taking the title in the J18 Men’s Quads category by nine seconds. The ‘A’ crew, who raced in a WinTech Cobra, were closely followed by the schools’ ‘B’ crew, who finished second in a WinTech International and were 23 seconds ahead of third-placed Kingston Rowing Club. The Windsor Boys’ ‘C’ crew came home fourth overall, reiterating the astonishing depth available to Mark Wilkinson and his remarkable program.

On the J18 Women’s side, Wycliffe College came away with the overall win ahead of Henley, who have enjoyed a stellar winter racing season. Headington, racing in a WinTech International, finished in third and will undoubtedly look to use this as ammunition to drive forward over the coming months.

The Windsor Boys School continued their fantastic momentum to take the J16 Men’s Quad prize by nine seconds over Marlow Rowing Club. Racing in a WinTech International, they clocked a time that would have seen them complete a one-two-three in the J18 category had they raced in that bracket. Keeping within the J16 age bracket, we had representation with both silver and bronze medal-winning crews on the women’s side. Racing in WinTech Internationals, Sir William Perkins and Headington School took second and third respectively behind Henley RC.

Division Eight saw Headington take the win in J15 Women’s Coxed Quads, over Surbiton and Marlow, in a WinTech International. Under the stewardship of Director of Rowing, Ryan Demaine, Headington’s program has become one of the dominant fixtures throughout the country and they always enjoy success across the age groups and disciplines. Marlow’s bronze medal-winning boat also raced in a WinTech International.

In Division Nine, where J15 Men’s Octuples took centre stage, WinTech boats took home gold and silver. Once again, it was The Windsor Boys School who claimed top spot in a WinTech International whilst Hampton School finished in second in the same shell. WinTech boats appeared a further three times in the top ten with representation from Mossbourne Rowing Academy (4^th), Yarm School (7^th) and Whitgift School (9^th).

On the women’s side, WinTech shells took places four, five, six, seven and nine, featuring Mossbourne Rowing Academy, Yarm School, Nottingham and Union, Norwich School and Fulham Reach Boat Club respectively. The J14 Women’s Octuples, Hinksey Sculling School finished second overall in a WinTech in a field of nearly 40 boats. Division 13 saw Guildford Rowing Club’s J14 Men’s Quad finish second out of 42 crews in a WinTech International.

Despite the relentless rain and moody sky, we were delighted that our best results came in the final division where the J14 Men’s Octuples took to the water. Crews racing in WinTech Internationals were sole inhabitants of top three finishes; The Windsor Boys School collected yet another gold in a podium-topping, margin-busting win, finishing nearly 45 seconds clear of Winchester College in silver and Mossbourne Rowing Academy in bronze.

In total, WinTech crews came away with five golds, six silvers and four bronze medals to round off a hugely successful day both on and off the water at Dorney Lake.

Congratulations to all crews who competed and roll on 2023!

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The Schools’ Head of the River returned to the Tideway in its full racing format for the first time since 2018, bringing it with the full spectrum of British weather fronts and racing emotions. WinTech were once again heavily represented across the board, with numerous clubs and schools opting to race one of the most significant events of the year in our shells. 

There is no better place to start than the astonishing performance of The Windsor Boys School in the Championship Quad Category. Their top boat, racing in a WinTech Cobra, romped home to claim the title by a staggering 32 seconds over the 4-and-a-half-mile reverse championship course. Demonstrating the depth of the program, all four of their crews finished in the top ten boats, with their second crew coming home in third (half a second behind Leander A), their ‘D’ crew finishing seventh and their ‘C’ crew rounding out the fleet in tenth.

Mark Wilkinson, Director of Rowing at The Windsor Boys School, said:

“The boys have trained well through the winter with not a lot of racing so it was great to get out there. They raced really well and expressed themselves with real commitment and determination to execute what we have been working on – they were great today. Some really good results but that came from a consistent application. Onwards we go though!”

Continuing the theme of Championship boys quads, Claires Court had a great row in their WinTech International to finish sixth overall. This program is developing under the close eye of former pupil Alex Richardson and you can read more about their plans for success very soon in one of our upcoming Club Spotlight articles.

On the girl’s side, our highest finishing sculling crew were Claires Court (who are clearly building a significant program for both junior boys and girls). Racing in a WinTech International, they finished fifth overall but were less than 20 seconds back on overall winners, Shiplake College.

It was also a very special day for The Tideway Scullers School Girls Championship Eight, who finished ninth in their category. They competed in a King Racing Shell, one of the first of our sister brand to reach UK shores and after the sensational success of their women’s squad at the WEHORR on Saturday, they will surely be gearing up for a big summer. They also placed 4th in the School/Junior Girls 2nd Eights event in their WinTech Racing Cobra 8+.

It was also great to see Mossbourne Academy Win the School First J15 8+ under coach Tom Wilkinson in their brand new WinTech Racing International 8+. Rowing is an important part of the culture of the Mossbourne Federation where they offer talented sports pupils the opportunity to transition from their current school to Mossbourne Community Academy at the start of the Year 9 if they demonstrate an exceptional aptitude for the sport of rowing and they wish to pursue this path.

The Schools’ Head is one of the few races on the domestic calendar to offer mixed events and we were delighted to provide boats for the top three crews, in Hinksey Sculling School, Newark Rowing Club and Durham School respectively. Although there was over 30 seconds separating first from third, it was great to see WinTech shells competing in innovative new categories and coming out on top.

After several years off the water, it was wonderful to once again watch junior crews take to the Tideway in pursuit of glory. WinTech & King are proud to support so many fantastic clubs and schools and look forward to watching these programs develop.

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The Women’s Head of the River kicked off the Tideway racing season in spectacular style as over 250 eights took to the Thames to compete over the reverse championship course (Chiswick to Putney). Crews racing in WinTech Racing & King Racing shells  once again found themselves at the forefront of the action, with several of these crews achieving results of significant note.

Our highest finishing crew was the Leander Club ‘C’ boat, who placed 11^th overall and raced in a brand-new King Racing Shell. The King Racing 8+ has set records worldwide and is used in rowing clubs all around the world. King has quickly become a preferred racing shell in boathouses across the US and now the UK is starting to follow suit following its extremely successful results across the pond. 

Leander RC took the overall headship and all four of their crews finished inside the top 15, once again reiterating their status as one of the country’s premier rowing organisations.

We were delighted to see Notts County Rowing Association win the Provincial Small Club pennant, finishing 30^th overall in their King Racing 8+ & WinTech RDS Blades and continuing to build on the impressive momentum the club are currently enjoying. Read more about the amazing journey NCRA have been on over the past ten years in our latest club spotlight.

Tideway Scullers had a phenomenal day, finishing third overall and boating six crews across all categories to great acclaim. Their ‘F’ crew went off in position 247 but finished 35^th overall, racing in a King SE 8+, and placed fifth in School/Junior Eights. For the club to boat six competitive eights, with varying age groups and abilities on show, is a tribute to the strength and depth of the program and we look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership with this centre of excellence.

Finishing in 41^st place on-board a WinTech were Exeter University’s A crew, who placed second in Challenge Academic Eights in their WinTech Cobra 8+. There were numerous other strong finishes involving WinTech boats, across clubs like London RC, Glasgow University Boat Club, Vesta Rowing Club and Nottingham University.

WEHORR often signals the start of a flurry of head races involving the country’s fastest clubs, schools and universities. With the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head and Head of the River Race yet to come, we’re really excited to see more promising results and wins in WinTech shells and particularly look forward to watching racing narratives unfold over the coming months.

Looking to build a successful fleet?

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Is there anything better in sport than a comeback? The greatest returns mark timelines, define teams and signal turning points, for better or worse, in careers, chronologies and communities. Rowing is no stranger to the bug – think Helen Glover returning to take on a third Olympics, Greg Searle straining every sinew to clinch bronze in 2012, 20 years after first winning gold, or even Hamish Bond coming back to the sport to secure a third consecutive gold medal after spending years on a bike instead of on the water.

But what about comeback stories that feel closer to home? Perhaps one of the most profound of all is that of Nottingham County Rowing Association (NCRA), a bastion of elite rowing in the Midlands during the final two decades of the 20^th century. Founded in 1981 by members of local Nottingham schools and rowing clubs, the organisation was driven forward by Freddie Brooks, President of the club and a former local oarsmen and coach.

International success quickly followed – numerous NCRA athletes went on to compete at European and world level and Olympians sprang forth in 1984 at the Los Angeles Games. Over the following 25 years, the club enjoyed remarkable success and established itself as one of the foremost centres of rowing in the country; over 200 athletes won international vests, in lightweight men, and women’s events, Junior, U23, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. They also won an impress 23 Henley titles in 25 years!

And then, in 2006 and almost as quickly as it came, NCRA was gone. Funding ran dry and the club was forced to close its doors, for what many believed would be the last time.

Nottingham and the surviving local clubs continued to supply athletes into the upper echelons of rowing throughout NCRA’s absence but the glaring hole in the local community did not go unobserved. In 2016, after a decade away, the club was reborn and immediately set about rediscovering its seat at rowing’s top table.

Led by Declan Gamble, the club has already enjoyed success across the junior ranks over the past few years, including medals at the National Schools’ Regatta, the National Junior and Senior Championships and representation on the GB junior team at the World Championships in 2017.

“We had to play a bit of a waiting game to get it all approved by the various authorities,” explained Declan. “We raced under Beckett RC for a year and then the British Rowing Junior Championships was our first competition as NCRA. I think we picked up bronze in the J18 Women’s eight, which was a pretty good re-introduction”.

If it wasn’t obvious enough already, this club represents a fantastic partner for WinTech and an incredible opportunity for us to build strong relationships and enable the next generation of talent to pursue their rowing-related goals in our boats.

Through 2018 and 2019, the club were based out of two bays at Holme Pierrepont with a largely female junior squad before COVID hit in 2020. As they grew longer legs, juniors who matured became NCRA senior squad members and the club grew. “We actually gained quite a few members through lockdown,” said Declan. “Coming out of that period, we now have a pretty competitive junior and senior squad, which should put us in a good position for the summer”.

The club’s mantra, largely led by Declan, Ian Wilson and a tight-knit group of coaches, is to train athletes in single sculls through the winter before bringing them together in the summer in bigger boats for a tilt at national and international glory. “We’re very focused on trying to keep a competitive squad of athletes together,” said Declan. “We’re not really a club, in the tea and cake sort of way – we’re still just two concrete bays at the bottom of a lake. We just want to drive performance and help our athletes achieve their goals”.

So, how does WinTech fit into all of this? “Frankly, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the support of WinTech,” explained Declan. “We’ve got to the point where we’ve started to encourage people to buy WinTech if they want to purchase their own boat. Their support and service are always first-class, and our entire fleet of crew shells are WinTechs so it reduces chopping and changing”.

Olivia Bates, a name that has become almost household in the UK rowing community, is a great example of the quality of athlete to emerge from the NCRA ranks. “Liv was using a standard lightweight single before Andrew MD from Oarsport (WinTech Racing UK Distributor) asked if she wanted to use the super lightweight shell because he thought she’d go even faster in it,” said Declan. “WinTech loaned her that shell throughout her season, at Henley Women’s, Henley Royal and the Europeans and they were right – she did go faster”.

Our approach to clubs is predicated on flexibility and we want to encourage those who show potential to reach their ceiling and smash right through it. NCRA’s work to rise from the ashes and develop a program that exists to promote rowing in the local community is why we’re so proud to support their ongoing journey and look forward to watching from the bank as they collect silverware, smash records and help people achieve their sporting dreams.

Looking to join Notts County?

Nottinghamshire Country Rowing Association are always looking for new members to join the squad and are offering taster weekends. For more information get in touch with Head Coach – Declan Gamble here.

Looking to build a successful fleet?

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It was another outstanding day for WinTech athletes at the second Great Britain Rowing Open Trial last weekend, as both sculling and sweep took center stage in the form of men’s and women’s openweight and lightweight singles and men’s and women’s openweight pairs.

Athletes racing in WinTech Racing boats were particularly successful on the sculling side, with four top-five finishes secured. Following a lighter field in November, the February edition of the trialing process saw seasoned international athletes return to the fold including several who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.

Men’s Single Scull

George Bourne, racing for the Tideway Scullers School in a WinTechRacing  Cobra, built on his impressive third-place finish in November to finish second in the openweight men’s single, 1.5 seconds behind Harry Leask of Leander Club. George is a former U23 World Champion and raced at the third 2021 World Rowing Cup.

In fifth place was Jack Burns, also in a WinTech Cobra. Jack won the Openweight division in November and performed exceptionally over the weekend to see off several established names who had returned to the trailing process for the first time this season. Like George, Jack featured for GB at the third World Rowing Cup in 2021 and also competed in the 2020 Olympic Trials.

Other notable mentions should go to Bryn Ellery, a former Fawley Challenge Cup winner for the Windsor Boys School, who finished 13^th, and Matt Brigham of Leeds University and Leander Club, who came in six seconds back in 14^th place. Levin Graf, racing in Durham University colours, was in 17^th, Isaac  Workman of University of London in 23rd and Finn Larkin of Notts County in 24th.

Women’s Single Scull

On the women’s side, Katy Wilkinson-Feller led the Wintech charge by claiming third place in the Openweight Women’s Scull, coming 14 seconds behind overall winner Hannah Scott. Racing in a Cobra shell, Katy has built an impressive rowing CV that features numerous appearances in both international and domestic competition. She was competing for the Tideway Scullers School, one of the UK’s leading high-performance centers for promising British athletes.

Rounding out the WinTech representation in Openweight Women’s Sculls were Rachel Bradley of Newcastle University in 18^th and Abigail Dawson of Lea Rowing Club in 21^st place.

Lightweight Women’s Single Scull

In a slightly smaller field comparatively, Maddie Arlett was WinTech’s top-performing athlete in the Lightweight Women’s Scull. She finished in third place, behind Imogen Grant and Emily Craig who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in the lightweight women’s single scull. Maddie made her debut with the GB Rowing Team senior squad at the 2017 World Cup regatta in Belgrade and won bronze in the lightweight single scull at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.

The other WinTech athlete in this category was Zara Gautier-Price, who finished in ninth place representing Grosvenor RC.

About The WinTech Racing Cobra 1x

The Cobra is designed for those looking for the stiffest and fastest racing boat money can buy with no compromises. Perfect for those who simply want the best-in-class.

This full one-piece unidirectional carbon fibre hull paired with our state-of-the-art carbon fibre bow mounted rigger offers the highest stiffness and performance on the market. The Cobra is available with both a painted finish or for those who really want to stand out a special edition matte clear coat.

LEARN MORE

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You’d have to go a long way in the rowing community to find someone not yet familiar with the remarkable work of Fulham Reach Boat Club (FRBC). Despite the fact that the club was only established in late 2014, it has established itself as a key advocate in the fight to diversify and extend our sport to the farthest reaches of the United Kingdom.Seven years ago, Oarsport (UK dealer for WinTech Racing) delivered FRBC’s first fleet of boats to club CEO Steve O’Connor.

Created as collateral from a planning agreement between St George PLC and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), the original contract allowed St. George to build 744 luxury flats in return for building and funding the launch of a new community boat club. Steve O’Connor, former Captain at London Rowing Club, was brought in to devise the strategy around what FRBC could and should become.

FRBC required a fleet of boats that would appeal to a cross-section of rowers from beginners right through to experienced racers looking for results on the water. They also wanted to work with a supplier who would facilitate and help manage a longer-term relationship in the knowledge that the club required a comprehensive fleet replacement plan as well as regular service and maintenance availability given the numbers they wanted to get on the water. 

This is where Oarsport & WinTech Racing came into the picture. Our scale, reputation for durable long lasting boats at fair prices along with our strong support for grassroots rowing communities in the UK meant we knew from the outset that the project Steve was building was something that we needed to play a role in. This along with our world-class customer service and athlete-orientated approach put us in prime position to cater for all of FRBC’s needs and they subsequently went on to purchase a full fleet of the following to get the project off the ground.

• Singles x5
• Pair Doubles x5
• Fours/Quads x4
• Eights x3

Reflecting back, it is hard to conceive just how far Steve and his team have brought the club in such a short space of time. Just recently the club took delivery of a second similar sized fleet of boats. The opportunities that FRBC have provided for thousands of local school children simply would not have existed were it not for the tireless commitment and broad strategic vision of key FRBC stakeholders and supporters. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, FRBC were able to help every state school in the LBHF get some level of access to the river, something that is widely thought to be a first in the UK.

The figures speak for themselves. Between September 2019 and March 2020, the club played host to a thousand participants from 10 schools – 61% were female and 53% were Black, Asian or a Minority Ethnicity. As for their experiences passing through the FRBC doors and out onto the glistening waters of the Thames, 91% enjoyed the course, 78% felt more confident on the water and 67% would love to continue rowing.

Steve and his team have created a simple framework for measuring success – they want to provide access to rowing for a cross-section of the local community, especially those who are most in need because of financial hardship or social circumstance, and help them realise their full potential both on and off the water.

‘Boats not Bars’, the newest initiative to cross the FRBC threshold, is championed by double World Champion, Imogen Walsh. The program is focused on delivering rowing-related sessions at local prisons and then offering free memberships at FRBC to the participants on their release. The effect is clear to see – several of the graduates have gone on to become coaches at FRBC.

It goes without saying that our support for FRBC is something we’re immensely proud of. They’ve achieved something that represented a first in our community and our country and the precedent they’ve created can now be replicated in other under-served areas of the UK.

“FRBC has a vision of ‘Rowing for All’ and the WinTech fleet and Oarsport team have been a key part of us being able to deliver this,” explained Steve”.  From our first conversations through to our initial fleet delivery and beyond to the latest second fleet of boats, the working relationships we have in place have meant that we have been able to provide for both competitive rowers and beginners in the sport at the same time with a competitively priced fleet and great after-sales support.”

FRBC are a standing example that we can and should actively work to change the face of our sport. “We want to expand our impact,” said Steve. “Our vision is to open up the river to thousands more young people. Ideally this would be via a second site but we’re looking at any and all ways of making it easier for people to get out on the water”.

Continued success for FRBC seems a guarantee – and we’re hoping to be with them every step of the way.

Looking to build a WinTech Fleet?

Come and join #TeamWinTech today! Our value goes beyond that of just a great product for a great price. Our sales advisors can help you put together an equipment buying strategy with finance and leasing options  to help work your budget harder and smarter.

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It was another hugely successful day for Team WinTech at the Early ID junior GB Trials as athletes racing in our shells came away with first-placed finishes in both the U19 men’s and women’s divisions. After a great showing at the Senior and U23 edition a couple of weekends ago, the country’s best juniors took to the water in Boston, Lincolnshire on the first step towards a Great Britain vest in the summer.

On the men’s side, Marcus Chute took the win in a special edition Cobra. Marcus is building quite the rowing CV at The Windsor Boys School (TWBS), with medals at numerous national events and a finalist berth in the Fawley Challenge Cup in August. WinTech’s affiliation with TWBS stems back several years and has encompassed support at Henley Royal Regatta, the National Schools’ Regatta, the British Junior Championships and, now, a win at the Junior GB Trials. “I’m happy with the result and how the race went overall,” commented Marcus. “It was my first time racing at Boston so it was good to see what it’s all about. But this was just the first step in a season-long process so there’s plenty of work ahead”.

In an incredible show of strength, Marcus covered the course nearly a minute quicker than any of his competitors, finishing in 18:27. Mark Wilkinson, TWBS Director of Rowing, was pleased with the performances of his impressively robust squad, as his other athletes finished as high as 6^th, 11^th and 13^th. “TWBS had 7 athletes competing and there were some excellent performances all round. We’re in a good place to be at this point in the season but as ever it’s a marker and it’s time to get our heads down for the winter training months ahead. All our athletes raced in WinTechs and the exceptional design and quality of their boats undoubtedly played a part in the results”.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Meg Knight took the victory in impressive style as she builds on-water credentials to match an astonishing off-water CV.

The sixth form student from Trentham Boat Club took a silver medal in the 500m Women’s Under 19 race and gold for the 2000m Women’s Under 19 final at the World Virtual Indoor Rowing Championships last March. Her triumph on Saturday, facing the very best scullers in the country, puts her firmly on course to represent Great Britain in the summer and continue her remarkable ascension to the summit of schoolgirl rowing. Racing in a white-painted Cobra, Megan finished over 11 seconds quicker than her nearest rival and will be looking to build on this performance as she heads into the longer winter training months.

Congratulations to all athletes who competed and thanks to those who have chosen to race in our boats.

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The first round of trials for the GB Rowing Team began in earnest last weekend, with hundreds of athletes making the pilgrimage to Lincolnshire and the twisting River Witham. With returning Olympians exempt from this first open trial, motivation differed across the ranks; for some, this was a chance to iron out the early-season kinks whereas for others it was the first step on the long road to Paris and the Olympic Games. The on-water testing began on the Sunday, after all athletes were asked to participate in a 2km ergo on the Saturday. The grueling nature of testing for the national squad reflects both the physiology and psychology required to excel at the highest level of our sport.

21 athletes raced in WinTech Racing boats with several finishing in the top ten for their respective categories. WinTech sculls took athletes to 1^st, 3^rd and 9^th in the M1x alongside an 8^th and 9^th placed finish in the LM1x. On the women’s side, Rachel Bradley was our highest finishing openweight sculler in 10^th whilst Olivia Bates took 2^nd in the LW1x and the fastest U23 1x overall.

Competing for Edinburgh University and Leander Club, Jack Burns took the win in the Openweight Men’s Single in our Cobra shell. Jack competed in the 2020 Olympic Trials and featured for GB at the third World Rowing Cup in June of this year. He’s a regular on the domestic rowing scene and his success at the weekend should continue to build the narrative around inclusion in the senior squad for Paris preparation. Burns was one of several Scottish rowers impressing over the two days in Boston including several athletes from Scottish Rowing’s national performance programme.

Close behind in third was George Bourne, a former U23 world champion and fellow participant at the third 2021 World Rowing Cup. George was racing for Tideway Scullers School, a club he joined to pursue the senior squad. Whilst at Durham University, Bourne won several BUCS medals in both sweep and sculling events and collaborated with several other notable athletes to win the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2019.

On the women’s side, Olivia Bates led the charge for Team WinTech with a second-placed finish in the Lightweight Women’s Single Scull and the fastest U23 LW. Olivia turns 21 in December and is currently studying veterinary medicine at the University of Nottingham. She began rowing at Trent Rowing Club in Burton and was the winner of Championship Lightweight Single Sculls at the Henley Women’s Regatta in June (again, in a WinTech!). Her latest foray into international competition was a silver medal at the 2021 European Rowing U23 Championships in September in a Cobra single.

Other notable shout-outs go to Zara Gautier-Price and Olivia White (8^th and 9^th in the LW1x from Grosvenor and Oxford Brookes University respectively) and Bryn Ellery, who finished ninth in Openweight Men’s Singles.

A full breakdown of the results of athletes racing in WinTech Racing boats can be seen below:

Congratulations to all athletes and thanks to those who have chosen to race in our boats. Also a big thanks to AllMarkOne for the amazing photos!

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This weekend the 1972 Olympic Rowing venue in Munich played host to this year’s European Rowing Junior Championships. 500 rowers from 27 European nations took part with the chance to become European Junior Champions. 

Four WinTech Racing boats were used at the event. Athletes racing in three of the four boats won medals with a Gold in the Men’s 2x won by Poland and bronze medals  in the Women’s 8+ & Mens 4+ from Czech Republic.

Men’s Double

Women’s Eight

Men’s Coxed Four

A big thanks to all who made the regatta possible and also to MyRowingPhoto for the amazing photos! The 2022 edition of the European Rowing Junior Championships will be held in Sabaudia, Italy from 21 to 22 May 2022.

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One of the oldest sporting events in the world, Doggett’s Coat and Badge, has been a mainstay of the Thames Calendar for over 300 years. Conducted under a rolling river closure, scullers battle along a 7.4km course that snakes through arguably the best riverscape in the UK, beginning in the shadows of London’s financial district, and ending 11 bridges later at Cadogan Pier in Chelsea.

WinTech Racing have been a key supporter of the race since 2015, providing a WinTech International single scull for the competitors to train and race in. 2021 has seen two editions of the Doggett’s Coat and Badge staged, after 2020’s disrupted calendar meant pushing that race back. Whilst James Berry won in June, September saw four oarsmen entered: Coran Cherry, Lucas Brittan, Max Carter-Miller and George Gilbert.

Under a beating sun, in 26-degree heat, the four scullers lined up to take on the grueling course in front of a flotilla of media, officials, delegates and fervent support. It was clear in the opening 20 strokes that Max Carter-Miller, pre-race favourite and competitor in June, was going to take some stopping – he’d already established several lengths worth of lead by Cannon Street Bridge and had further extended this passing underneath Southwark Bridge.

Behind him, the contest for minor positions was more tightly contested as George Gilbert and Coran Cherry started to make their claims for podium finishes. As the cityscape fell away to be replaced by the long curving sprawl of Victoria Embankment, Carter-Miller continued to scull with superior poise and power, extolling the virtues of a long, calm stroke in perennially testing conditions.

For supporters, the spectacle of the racing is matched by the incredible scenery laid on by England’s capital city. Ticking off race landmarks is like flicking through the pages of a tourist guide to London, as the scullers made their way along the South Bank, passing the London Eye and closing on the Houses of Parliament. By this stage, the umpire – Bobby Prentice, winner in 1973 in a record time – had passed Lucas Brittan and the positional element of the race looked sewn up. Carter-Miller had established an insurmountable lead, followed by George Gilbert who had, in turn, opened up a dominant margin over Coran Cherry.

As the canyon-like metropolis of Vauxhall loomed into view, the scullers were now battling brutal conditions as well as the race itself. Instead of ushering in the first swells of winter, September in London had brought with it searing heat, shorts, sandals (sometimes with socks) and a sense of summer passing overhead. The scullers admirably battled on but the race for some time had been decided – it was to be Carter-Miller’s day in the sunshine.

The final few landmarks of distinction passed without incident and the ranking remained unchanged – the final jaunt up to Cadogan Pier (the official finish line) was something of a formality for the leading pair, though a battle did emerge between Cherry and Brittan for third place. The former eventually came out on top; perhaps not surprising given Brittan only recently stepped back into the boat after a three-year hiatus.

The 307^th edition of the Doggett’s Coat and Badge finished much like how it had started – with one sculler in clear ascendancy. On the podium, Carter-Miller made clear his ambition to continue in the sport with a target of racing at the much-acclaimed Henley Royal Regatta within four years. He will be presented with the traditional Coat and Badge in a special dinner at Fishmongers Hall later in November but left the pier with more than just ceremonial attire to hand. Soaked in champagne and the perspiration of his own campaign to win, his is a name to watch in the rowing community as our sport welcomes another winner to its ranks.

WinTech Racing are delighted to play a part in the staging of this unique event and look forward to another trip down the Thames in 2022.

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If we were to tell you that the world’s oldest and longest continuously-running race is still happening to this day, taking place every year on the beating heart of London’s waterways, you probably wouldn’t believe us.

But that is exactly what the Doggett’s Coat and Badge Race is – a 7.4km trial of endurance and watermanship that has been staged for over 300 consecutive years between London Bridge and Cadogan Pier (Chelsea). The race remains an integral part of our sport’s history and the important role rowing has played in the development of our country’s capital city.

WinTech Racing in collaboration with our UK Dealer Oarsport have been proud supporters of the race since 2015 and have provided our high performance WinTech Racing International 1x for each competitor to train and race in each year.

Beginning in the heartland of London’s looming financial district, all grey concrete and overwhelming metal, the reds, blues and oranges of the assorted scullers stands at odds with the immediate surroundings and aptly paints a picture of an event that has endured even as London has risen up towards the sky around it.

The Doggett’s Wager was started in 1715 by Sir Thomas Doggett, local actor and theatre owner who (legend has it) enjoyed a drink. One stormy night, he was rowed across the tempestuous Thames by an apprentice waterman as he himself was too inebriated to make safe passage alone. Doggett was so impressed by the skill of the apprentice that he instituted a race in their honour, promising that the winner would receive the coat and badge – a prize that still exists today. Naturally, Thomas is not still around to ensure the longevity of the race, so the Fishmongers Livery Company took up that mantle upon his death in 1722.

The Race for Doggett’s Coat and Badge is competed by Thames watermen and lightermen. Watermen are those who are licensed to drive passenger boats, and lightermen are licensed to drive cargo holding boats. 2021 will see four scullers compete for the prestigious prize – three who have raced previously, and one who enters for the first time. Competitors must be under 28 when they first enter and can race a maximum of four times in pursuit of glory.

Races have never been cancelled; postponement happened during the war years. Nine races were held in 1947, for those who missed their chance to row. This means that the list of winners has remained unbroken since 1715. The race record of 22 minutes and 23 seconds was set in 1973 by Bobby Prentice, who is now race umpire.

At WinTech Racing, part of the reason we love the race is the tradition that courses through it. Generations of watermen, hailing from the same families in many instances, take to the Thames in an effort to write their name into Doggett’s folklore. For many, the race is their own personal World Championships – a pinnacle of personal sporting merit, one shining moment to become part of history.

Part of the unique and enduring appeal of this race is the exposure to the elements. With eleven bridges to negotiate, competitors must use every ounce of skill and intelligence to stay afloat and navigate a potentially treacherous course.

Like all rowing-related exertion, the battle takes place in the mind as much as it does on the water. The grueling, unforgiving nature of the Thames makes for a fascinating watch and the flotilla of craft that follow the race coupled with the spectators who line the bank (often strategically close to a pub of some sort) pay tribute to the unique appeal the contest holds in Londoner and waterman hearts.

In a few days’ time, the race will crown its 307^th winner after James Berry claimed victory in a rescheduled 2020 edition. What lies in wait for the four entrants remains to be seen – the Thames can be a cruel mistress. Whatever happens and whoever comes out on top to immortalize themselves in yet another chapter of Doggett’s history, WinTech Racing will be there to support every stroke of the way.

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The fifth European Rowing U23 Championships were held this weekend in Kruszwica, Poland which featured entries from 30 European countries including Olympians and World U23 Champions from earlier this year. 22 boat classes are included in the event with athletes competing to become European Under 23 Champions.

Five WinTech Racing boats were used at the event. All athletes using WinTech boats made the A finals with 3 of the 5 boats coming home with medals. A Gold and Silver in the lightweight women’s single sculls and a bronze medal in the men’s pair.

Lightweight Women’s Single

Lightweight Men’s Pair

Lightweight Men’s Single

A big thanks to all who made the regatta possible and also to AllMarkOne and MyRowingPhoto for the amazing photos!

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There’s something in the air!

It’s like the slow burn of a pink dawn after a long night. The stirrings and murmurings of something returning. Something good, powerful, exciting – and new.

In the rowing community, we’re not immune to the intangible energy coursing through the country. COVID-19 laid the world low and stole away our liberties in the most brutal fashion. The simple pleasure of taking a single scull out on flat water at sunrise never felt as far away as it did at the turn of the year.

The return of Henley Royal Regatta is perhaps the unspoken, untendered, unregulated vaccine that we all need. That famous old battleground, nestled in the sprawling English countryside and resting on nearly 200 years of tradition, welcomes competitors and spectators back in a few short days’ time, after over two years in the cold.

It’s fairly easy to see why we’re excited. Henley Royal Regatta represents the best of our sport on and off the water – a quasi-world cup in terms of calibre, all fettered and fitted into one-on-one racing on the straights of the Thames. Off the water, it’s a festival of colour and culture – and 2021 promises to double up as a long overdue celebration.

Of course, it’s easy to enjoy the event when you enjoy a special relationship with one of the most successful competitors of recent times. The Windsor Boys School (TWBS), led by Mark Wilkinson, have won two of the past three Fawley Challenge Cup titles and currently hold the course record established in 2018 (6:27).

We’ve enjoyed a phenomenal relationship with Mark and his team since 2013, when The Windsor Boys School were seeking a new supplier of racing boats and equipment. As a leading proponent of the junior rowing community, it was clear why we were a fit for TWBS on paper – but the synergies have only grown as our cooperation has extended across boats, repairs, support and service.

The following successes achieved on the domestic scene by TWBS came as no surprise to us. Mark’s incredible eye for detail and approach to speed reaps results and TWBS crews have gained national titles at the National Schools’ Regatta and the British Rowing Junior Championships (as recently as a few weeks ago in the latter’s case). Mark and his team have a remarkable, largely unsung ability to develop and nurture class after class of young schoolboys from dreamers to winners on the grandest of stages.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this group of young athletes is their resilience and whole-hearted belief in the program. In 2014, TWBS lost in the final of The Fawley Challenge Cup. They learned and returned, stronger. In 2016, again, the bitter taste of a final defeat to Claire’s Court School galvanized the next generation of rowers to step on.

And that’s how we find ourselves, eagerly awaiting the outcome of yet another Henley battle for the Fawley Cup title among the best of schoolboy scullers. Such is the strength of the program that even after a silver medal at the National Schools’ Regatta in May, most of the rowing community knew that TWBS quads only get faster as the season goes on.

A truly exceptional group of young people cannot succeed without the right infrastructure to back them up. That is where we at Oarsport (WinTech Racing’s exclusive UK dealer) come in. Rewind to 2013 where TWBS were in desperate need of replacing an ageing fleet of several different makes and a plan was put in place to streamline these obvious shortcomings to one realistically priced brand. Together, we embarked on a new purchasing approach – without breaking the bank and protecting the future direction of the club. 

WinTech Racing Cobra 4x Testimonial: Mark Wilkinson – Director of Rowing – The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club

As of today, we have supplied over 40 boats for Mark and his squad, ranging from singles for the long-distance winter morning sculls to top-of-the-range Cobra racing boats, designed with a sole purpose – to support their incumbents to victory at the summit of junior rowing.

WinTech Racing’s mission has always been to promote the growth of rowing by making it easier and more affordable to buy quality shells that improve performance at all levels. In TWBS, we believe we’ve found the perfect partner to embody our operating principles.

On the eve of Henley Royal Regatta 2021, TWBS will be under no illusion about the scale of the challenge that lies before them. Stiff competition is expected from current holders Leander Club alongside a very smart outfit from The Tideway Scullers School. Crews from Lea, Henley and Wallingford will also form obstacles that TWBS must overcome if they’re to prevail on those dappled, sacred waters. Uno animo (with one spirit) is the school’s core value, something that emphasizes the importance of teamwork, ambition, determination and leadership – all values that are intrinsic to sporting excellence. 

We cannot wait to see the crews put that into action on the Henley stretch and wish all athletes and coaches the very best of luck!

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Last weekend saw the 2021 British Rowing Junior Championship take place at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham. Over 1,500 competitors from 115 clubs took part from across the country with events for J15, J16 & J18 athletes. 

Some amazing results were achieved over the weekend by athletes racing in WinTech Racing Boats. More gold medals were won in WinTech Racing boats than any other boat brand. 

A summary of the gold medal winners can be seen below:

Boys J18 Single Sculls

Boys J18 Double Sculls

Girls J18 Pair

Boys J18 Quad

Girls J16 Double Sculls

Boys J15 Single Sculls

Girls J15 Single Sculls

Boys J15 Double Sculls

Boys J15 Coxed Quad

All WinTech Wins…

A big thanks to British Rowing staff, volunteers, athletes and coaches. It was brilliant to see the junior rowing community come together again to enjoy our sport. 

To see the full results, click here.

A big thanks to all who made the regatta possible and also to AllMarkOne for the amazing photos!

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It was so great to be back at Henley Women’s Regatta this weekend supporting athletes and coaches from across the country competing in this very special event. Some amazing wins were achieved in WinTech Racing boats. Congratulations to all athletes and coaches.

Championship Lightweight Single

Championship Lightweight Double

Aspirational Single

⁣If you missed the racing you can watch back the Livestream on the Henley Women’s Regatta YouTube Channel on the links below:

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

A big thanks to all who made the regatta possible and also to AllMarkOne for the amazing photos!

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It was fantastic to see such wide representation from universities from across the UK at this year’s postponed BUCS Regatta. Some amazing results were achieved over the weekend in WinTech Racing Boats. A full breakdown of the championship results is below. Congratulations to all athletes and coaches as well as those medal wins in the Beginner & Intermediate events.

Women’s Championship Lightweight Single

Men’s Championship Lightweight Pair

Women’s Championship Lightweight Quad

⁣If you missed the racing you can watch back the Livestream on the BUCS YouTube Channel on the links below:
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3
A big thanks to James Lee and his team who put on such a great event in difficult circumstances and also to AllMarkOne for the amazing photos!

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WinTech Racing in collaboration with our UK distributor Oarsport have been proud supporters of the oldest rowing race in the world since 2015. Each year we have provided a WinTech Racing International single scull for all competitors to train and race in.

On Friday 24th June 2021 James Berry won the delayed 2020 306th  Doggett’s Coat and Badge Wager. Only the second world war has previously led to the postponement of the annual challenge, from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier, Chelsea.

This historic race was founded by Thomas Doggett Doggett, an Irish actor, in tribute to the skill and bravery of newly-licensed watermen, the London cabbies of their time, who rowed him home along the course route late one night in bad weather, when he would have otherwise been left stranded in the City.

The race was first contested on 1 August 1715 to commemorate the first anniversary of the accession of King George I to the British throne. The 4 mile 5 furlong (7.44km) race passes under a total of 11 bridges a gruelling test of the participants’ knowledge of the river and sporting prowess.⁣

The winner’s prize is a traditional watermen’s red coat with a silver badge added, displaying the horse of the House of Hanover and the word “Liberty”, in honour of the accession of George I to the throne.

A full race report can be seen on Hear The Boat Sing.

The 307th Doggett’s Race for 2021 should take place on 8 September 2021.

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With the 2020 National School Regatta cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic the last time we were at this event in 2019 feels like a lifetime ago. Despite the restrictions this year including the lack of spectators it was an absolute pleasure to be back supporting athletes and coaches.

With an impressive set of results in previous years #TeamWinTech had a lot to live up to but again did us proud. The key highlights were gold medals in the Boys Championship 1x, 2x and 2-. A full breakdown of the results is below. Congratulations to all athletes and coaches.

Championship Boys 1x

Championships Boys 2x

Championship Boys 2-

Congratulations to athletes and coaches! A full breakdown of all results is below:

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This weekend saw the UK Pairs Head of the River Race take place in London UK, which is an annual event proudly managed and run by Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club. It was one of the first events run in the new phase of British Rowings Return to Rowing.

Although strict restrictions were in place competition was still fierce. 1st and 3rd overall were won in WinTech Racing’s brand new FLX hull shape by athletes from Tideway Scullers School winning both the Open Championship 2x and 2- events. 

Other notable results in WinTech boats include:

• W Junior 2- Win – Tideway Scullers School
• Op MasE/G 2- Win – Putney Town Rowing Club
• Op 2-Champ 2nd – Tideway Scullers School
• W2x Champ 2nd – Tideway Scullers School
• W2- Champ 2nd – Tideway Scullers School

So great to be watching some racing again and congratulations to all athletes!

About The WinTech Racing FLX

Designed by renowned shell designer and naval architect Klaus Filter our this all new Our all new revolutionary design is born out of the desire to create the most efficient hull on the market optimised for current and future elite level racing where demand and expectation for the highest performance level is sought.

Building on our industry defining Klaus Filter Hull shape the FLX is the culmination of years of painstaking research, analysis and improvement, designed to match heightened athlete fitness and technique parameters. Independent testing against other leading elite level brands proves unmatched performance – vital seconds which are the difference between winning and losing.

Learn More

Henley Women’s Regatta is the premier regatta for women in the United Kingdom. Each year more than 1,500 rowers travel from all over the UK and from across the world to compete in this prestigious event.

This year saw 2 Gold Medals for crews competing in WinTech Racing Boats.

Congratulations to athletes and coaches!

Next year our UK Dealer Oarsport will be providing boats for rent allowing more athletes a chance to compete in our record breaking shells.

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Another National Schools Regatta and another fantastic set of results from junior athletes here in the UK racing in WinTech Racing Boats.

You really did us proud #TeamWinTech. The key highlights were Gold Medals in both Ch1x and ChG1x in WinTech Racing Cobra Singles as well as in ChG2x in a WinTech Racing International 2x. Congratulations to all the medal winners and well done to everyone who took part!

Results

A full breakdown of the medals won by #TeamWinTech is below:

6 Gold Medals

Event: Ch 1x

Club: The Windsor Boys’ School

Event: ChG 1x

Club: Coleraine Grammar School

Event: ChG 2x

Club: Gloucester Hartpury

Event: J16 2x

Club: Exeter Rowing Club

Event: J15 4x+

Club: The Windsor Boys’ School

Event: J14 4x+

Club: Kingston Rowing Club

7 Silver Medals

Event: ChG 2x

Club: Notts County Rowing Association

Event: ChG 2-

Club: Notts County Rowing Association

Event: J16 4x

Club: Trentham Boat Club

Event: J16G 4+

Club: St Edwards School

Event: J15 4x+

Club: Maidenhead Rowing Club

Event: J15G 4+

Club: The Grange School

Event: J15 2nd 8+

Club: Norwich School

5 Bronze Medals

Event: ChG8+/G2nd 8+

Club: Marlow Rowing Club

Event: Non ChG 4+

Club: Sir William Perkins School

Event: J16 2x

Club: Lea Rowing Club

Event: J15 4x+

Club: The Grange School

Event: J15G 4+

Club: St Edwards School

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WHY WINTECH

As well as being the most popular brand at Junior Trials, athletes racing in WinTech Racing Boats achieved more top 10 rankings at than those racing in any other boat brand, congratulations #TeamWinTech!

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This year we again supported the oldest rowing race in the world. The Doggett’s Coat and Badge Wager now in its 304th year!

The race (started by actor Thomas Doggett in 1715) takes place over 7,400m from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier, Chelsea. It is contested by up to six new waterman who have completed their apprenticeship to transport goods or people on thames and organised by the Fishmongers Company.

Simon McCarthy Immediate Past Master & Rowing Officer For the Waterman’s Company Talks About the History of The Doggetts Coat & Badge Wager

Not only is it a race, it is a test of determination and endurance for these young apprentice watermen, some of whom may have only been sculling for a few months, or even weeks and take on the tricky waters of the tidal Thames in a WinTech fine racing shell.

This year the race was contested by Alfie Anderson from Poplar, Blackwell & District Rowing Club and George McCarthy of Globe Rowing Club. Alfie Anderson took the lead between Southwark Bridge and Millenium Bridge and went on to win the race 19 seconds ahead of McCarthy in a a time of 25 minutes and 27 seconds.

The prize is a “Coat & Badge” which represents the costumer of an 18th century waterman complete with silver arm badge.

WinTech Racing are proud to sponsor the oldest annually held sporting event in the world with the latest technology!

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Great Britain achieved some incredible results last weekend in Shanghai at the FISU World University Rowing Championships bringing home six gold and one silver medal in what was their most successful university championship ever!

Both the men’s and women’s fours and eights won gold as well as the men’s pair and single with the women’s pair taking silver. All ten crews who were racing in our top of the range WinTech Cobra Racing Boats made the A finals with seven making the podium. A full race report is available on the British Rowing website here.

The team were supported by Team Manager Lee Boucher and Coaches Hugo Gulliver, Phil Bourguignon, Brendan Gliddon, Dan Harris & Will King. A representative and boatman from WinTech Racing also attended the regatta each day to support the team.

A full breakdown of the results can be seen below:

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We have been working closely with Windsor Boys’ School Director of Rowing Mark Wilkinson over the last few years. Last year they won and set a course record in the Fawley Challenge Cup in their WinTech Cobra Quad.

This year they won the event again beating their own record and local rivals Maidenhead RC who also raced in a Cobra Quad!

It says a lot when most of the boys train in WinTech singles and doubles and so making that transition into a crew boat with commonality of equipment and feel goes a long way to their success.

Director of Rowing: Mark Wilkinson’s WinTech Racing Testimonial

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Just 1 week after the eyes of the UK were on the Royal Wedding in Windsor the eyes of the UK Rowing Community were back on Windsor this time for the National Schools Regatta 2018. We had a great weekend as usual and it was great to see so many of you.

The Most Successful Boat Brand at National Schools Regatta 2018

You really did us proud #TeamWinTech! Crews racing in WinTech Racing Boats won more medals than those racing in any other brand of boat. Congratulations to all the medal winners and well done to everyone who took part!

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WHY WINTECH

Results

A full breakdown of the medals won by #TeamWinTech is below:

8 Gold Medals

Event: J15 G4+

Club: St Edwards School

Event: J15 G4x+

Club: Headington School, Oxford

Event: J14 G8x+1

Club: Nottingham & Union

Event: CH G2x

Club: Latymer Upper School

Event: Ch 4x

Club: Maidenhead

Event: J16 2-

Club: Kings School Canterbury

Event: Ch 2x

Club: Maidenhead

Event: Ch 1x

Club: Windsor Boys School

4 Silver Medals

Event: J15 G4x+

Club: Henley

Event: J14 8x+1

Club: Norwich School

Event: Ch 4x

Club: Windsor Boys School

Event: J16 4x

Club: Claires Court

9 Bronze Medals

Event: J15 G4x+

Club: Marlow

Event: J14 8x+1

Club: Windsor Boys School

Event: J15 2nd 8+

Club: Hampton School

Event: Sch G4+

Club: Marlow

Event: Ch G1x

Club: Exeter

Event: Ch G8+/G2nd8+

Club: Marlow

Event: Ch G4x

Club: Headington

Event: Ch G2-

Club: Lady Eleanor Holles

Event: Ch 2x

Club: Windsor Boys School

This time last week the Oarsport Junior Sculling Head at Dorney Lake. The event is quite a spectacle with over 500 Junior Crews competing across 14 events.

As always we were closely following the results to see how #TeamWinTech performed and you really did us proud!

• 5 Gold, 5 Silver & 3 bronze medals were won by crews racing in WinTech Racing Boats
• This accounted for >30% of all medals won.
• Crews racing in WinTech Racing Boats won more medals than crews racing in any other brand of boat.

Congratulations to all medal winners and well done to all competitors!

WinTech Racing vs Other Boat Brands

Results

A full list of results can be found on The Scullery Website

VIEW RESULTS

Photos

Rowing Photography did such a great job of getting the photos online (before boats were off the water). The photos from all divisions are all available to purchase on the link below.

VIEW PHOTOS

Thank You!

Finally a a huge thanks to everyone involved:

• The Scullery – For organising such a great event. With over 500 crews taking part the event is quite a spectacle and a real achievement.
• Rowing Photography – For being so organised with taking such great photos and having them available online before the boats were even off the water!
• Jonny Walton, John Collins, Angus Groom & Peter Lambert from Team GB for taking the time out to present medals and inspiring junior athletes.
• Family & Coaches – For all all the hard work and support.
• And finally the athletes. It’s great to see your passion and enthusiasm for our sport. Congratulations to all of you.

We hope you all had a great day and safe journeys back home. We look forward to seeing you all at a regatta soon!

Isn’t it time you joined the winning team?

Proof Is In The Performance- Come and join #TeamWinTech today.

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