On the Monday before the regatta we thought it highly likely that we would be cancelling our 2026 regatta. The Troon weather got us in 2025, and it was looking like it would get us again. That would have been a tragedy when you consider the amount of preparation that goes into getting ready for it. Preparation isn’t only on land when you stop and consider the amount of blood, sweat and tears that crews go through training for the day. Rowing in your own regatta brings that extra bit of pressure for these guys. We know all the participating clubs would be training hard also. So, in the remaining days, people were watching the sky and numerous dubious forecasting systems to guess what the weather was going to be. By Thursday there was a welcome improvement in the weather and we took the decision to go for it.
The days preparation started early on Saturday getting the boats ready. TCRC had agreed to loan Marr Voyager to Royal West / Royal Gourock for the day so we had double boat preparation. The TCRC machine was in full operation with beach litter picking, guest welcoming, marquee erecting and general movement of a mountain of equipment onto the beach.
An impressive 17 TCRC members were on the rowing schedule for the day.
Six teams competed in the regatta:
Stranraer
Ayr Renegade
Royal West & Royal Gourock
Troon
Wigtown Bay
FOCCRC
The regatta comprised of 10 races. The first eight started from the beach and head South to do a starboard turn around the first buoy heading for the next buoy for another starboard turn and a dash to the next buoy for a final starboard tun towards the beach. The last two races were a mad dash from the start line towards the beach.
The first race of the day was the Open Mixed. Sally took the Cox seat and Anne was in stroke. Euan was in 3, Derek in 2 and Jacqui was in bow. It was a tough race against great competition and Ayr Renegade crossed the line in first place. Wigtown Bay came home in second and FOCCRC in third place. Our Troon team gave it their all and finished in fifth place.
The next race was the 220+ Men and another fast race. Christine was in the Cox seat and Mike D in stroke. Paul rowed in 3 with Brian behind him in 2 and Michael in the Bow seat. What a race this was with the guys comfortably storming across the line in first place with Stranraer behind them in second place. Ayr Renegade crossed the line in third place.
Race 3 of the day was the Open Women. Sally returned to the Cox seat with Adrienne taking stroke for this race. Ruth was in 3, Lorna in 2 and Lizzie sitting in Bow. This was another tough one against strong competition. FOCCRC stormed across the finish line with Stranraer close behind and Troon following to take a fabulous third place.
The next race was Open Men. Christine took the Cox seat with Kevin in stroke. Adrian sat in 3, Euan in 2 and Mike D in Bow. Another tough and fast race with Troon crossing the line in first place followed by Stranraer in second and FOCCRC in third.
The fifth race of the day was the 220+ Women. Adrian was in the cox’s seat for this one and Ruth took stroke. Christine took seat 3, Adrienne took seat 2 and Louise was in Bow. A tough race with clashing oars saw Stranraer cross the line in first place. Troon raced across in second place with Wigtown Bay and FOCCRC charging across in joint third place.
It was time for a well-deserved break for everyone and the race was now to the tent for an incredible range of edible goodies donated by members. It was also time for Eilidh, our junior members champion, to convince even more people to part with their money for raffle tickets. When I heard her tell a lady “Yes we accept Euros” I knew it was in safe hands.
The next race up was the Mixed Decades. Christine was back in the Cox seat again for the day and Adrienne was in stroke. Michael took 3, Euan took 2 and Ruth sat in Bow. Another great race and every team fought hard. Troon triumphed and crossed the finishing line with Wigtown Bay in second place, followed by FOCCRC in third.
The seventh race of the day was the 240+ Women. Mike D jumped into the Cox seat with his aim of sitting in every seat in one regatta. Christine was stroke with Sally in 3, Louise in 2 and Jacqui in bow. No regatta would be complete without a wee adventure story, and this was no exception. Mike D decided to head for buoy 3 after turning at buoy 1 then realised his mistake and rerouted to buoy 2. Despite his little “Mike D-tour”, Troon crossed the line in first place with a few extra meters under their belts. If only his old job involved direction and navigation…. Stranraer raced home in second place and Ayr Renegade took third.
The last scored full team race of the day was the 240+ Men. Christine was back in her usual spot as Cox with Kevin in stroke. Adrian was in 3, Brian in 2 and Paul took the bow seat. The guys did us proud and crossed the line in first place to secure the TCRC 2026 Regatta trophy. Ayr Renegade finished second in the race beating Stranraer by centimetres across the finish line. What a great race that was for second and third place. Well done guys.
The last two races of the day were the Cox pairs. These were straight full-on races from the start line offshore heading for the beach, finish line and screaming supporters. Unfortunately our friends at FOCCRC had to withdraw when one of their seats broke prior to the race.
First up was the Women’s Coxed Pairs. Ruth was in the Cox seat with Lorna and Lizzie in the boat poised to row their hearts out. Everyone in their respective boats gave it their all with Stranraer romping home in first place, Troon in second and Wigtown Bay in third.
Next up was the Men’s Coxed Pairs. Ruth stayed in the Cox’s seat and Mike D and Euan took their place in the boat. The last race of the day was another success for Troon with the guys crossing the line in first place. A great finish for TCRC. Ayr Renegade finished second and Wigtown Bay took third.
Troon finished overall with 10 points to take first place in the regatta. Stranraer finished in second place with 16 points. Ayr Renegade and FOCCRC finished joint third with 21 points.
It was great to see many of our club members along to support the home regatta despite the weather. We also love it when family members pop along to say hello and cheer on the club. We think Lorna’s lovely gran, Margaret Campbell, might have been the oldest supporter of the day at a sprightly 95 but unfortunately, we failed to convince her to join the regatta crew. She was happy to cheer us all on though.
We think it was a great regatta, and the other clubs were fantastic competitors. The competition was fierce with teams often “giving away” many years to competitors and still winning or fighting all the way to the line. Feedback from the other clubs was hugely positive and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves on the day. A real success for TCRC and coastal rowing.
Forthcoming Regattas
The next regatta is on Saturday 13th June at Port Seton. The guys would love you to join them and support TCRC at the regatta.