Spitfire and University of Kent RC fun race event

On Saturday 7th May, Spitfire held what was probably the first racing event at the boathouse in the past 5 years. Our club invited the University of Kent RC rowers and their alumni to take part in a short head race, open to coxed fours.

Upon arrival, the participants (from both UKRC and Spitfire) were all randomly drawn into several crews, who then raced each other over a short 650-metre course. In addition to the actual racing, we also held a short skills competition, in which crews were asked to spin their coxed fours as quickly as possible. First to three spins was the winner, which ended up being very entertaining to watch. 😀

Food and drink was on offer and in plentiful supply, courtesy of our talented volunteer bakers, Sarah and Sally. The cake stand was particularly popular, with hot soup, a variety of cakes, and even vegan options! 

The day ended up with the unveiling of a memorial plaque honouring Mike Kennedy, who was Director of Rowing of UKRC for many years, in addition to running Spitfire and the Plucks Gutter boathouse. The plaque was unveiled by Lynne Kennedy, Mike’s widow and an honorary member of Spitfire.

Overall, we had a brilliant time, and we thank UKRC for supporting and attending the event, especially Ewan, Will and Sasha. Special thanks should go to our team of volunteers, without whom the event would have not been possible: James, Jess, Bricey, Sam, Manny, George, Tom, Sarah, Keith, and our photographer for the day, Julien. And a big cheer to Pete for donating a lovely prize for the raffle! 😉

As the club grows from strength to strength, we will aim to run a “proper” head race at Plucks Gutter in the foreseeable future. Watch this space… 😊

Full photo gallery available below (courtesy of Julien Camard).