SEPTEMBER 2017 NEWS Above – Kat Werry celebrates her World Cup win at Lucerne in July – second from left News covered below: • Time trials this weekend • World Championship Day 3 • Road Closures • World Championships Day 2 Results • World Championships Day 1 Results • Men’s and women’s fours preview for World Championships • Our Captain wins at Bled • New Member Profiles • From the Archives – Club Emblem • RA underage Event Requirements • World Championships are on in Florida • Updates on Word Championships in Florida • Results from Saltwater Classic • News about World Championships and Hurricane Irma • Regatta entries for Saltwater Challenge • Arthur Atkins celebrates his 100th at Government House • Photos from Trans Tasman Under 21 series – one bombed • JDS at Sarah’s Super Saturday • River works • Sarah’s Super Saturday – JDS in world record attempt • Reminder – AGM 22nd October 2017 • First Thursday of the month row goes gourmet • Tuesday night ergos • New Mercs tie • Member Profiles Time trials this weekend Published 27th September 2017 The following club members have been entered in the time trials this weekend. Event Crew Athletes MO1X Mercantile Carl Tomczak MO1X Mercantile Michael McNamara MO1X Mercantile Alexander Kinsella FO1X Mercantile Meghan Hester FO1X Mercantile Madeleine Thomas World Championships Day 3 Published 27th September 2017 Club member Red Matthews raced through to the semi-finals today whilst James Rook coxed the eight through to the rep. However, it was the day for our one adaptive rower today, Eric Horrie who dominated his heat. Above: Eric Horrie – photo World Rowing Rowing Australia reported as follows: Hot and humid conditions once again greeted the Australian crews competing on day 3 of the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota. The action for Australian crews today saw defending World Para-rowing Champion, Erik Horrie, and the Men’s Eight commence their campaigns with the heats of their boat classes and the Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Scull racing in the repechage. On a cloudless day in Sarasota, Horrie, the three-time World Champion and 2016 Rio Paralympic silver medallist, showed the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls field that he has comfortably stepped up from 1000m to 2000m racing. The 37-year-old took off from the starting blocks with Jaroslaw Kailing of Poland in hot pursuit but it was the Australian in the lead as they crossed the 500m marker. Horrie continued to lead and then moved away from the rest of the field and was well out in front by the halfway point of the heat. Looking effortless on the water, Horrie crossed through to the red buoys rating a low 27-stroke rate and then dropped down to 24 strokes per minute. Despite the relaxed finish, Horrie comfortably progressed to the semi-finals, record the fastest qualifying time of the three heats, 10 min 01 seconds. “It was good, although I don’t think you can really look at the times compared to all the different heats. This is only the first lot of racing so nobody is really showing their true hand and I expect, as we move through the program, it’s going to get faster and faster. “Conditions were fine, everyone has to deal with the same situation with the heat and everyone seems to be dealing with the heat quite well, it certainly didn’t really affect me. I think all the training I’ve been doing back home is paying off. Between now and the semi-finals it is about continuing training. One box is ticked and there are two more to go,” said the 37-year-old Horrie. Above: Lightweight quad start – photo World Rowing The Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Scull of Cameron Fowler, Redmond Matthews, James Kerr and Hamish Parry needed a top three finish in their repechage to ensure a place in Thursday’s semi-finals. The young crew took to the water in the midday sun and by the halfway point of the race, they had muscled into second place with Japan in the lead and Brazil in third place. As they approached the final 500m, the Swiss crew passed both Australia and Japan to take the top spot, leading to the other two crews to sprint to the line and book themselves a place in the semi-finals ahead of Brazil and Norway. “Today’s repechage was a step up from our heat performance. We tackled the race with a little less nerves and a much larger focus on holding onto the front-runners out of the blocks,” admitted James Kerr. “We trust that Ian’s [Wright] program has given us enough steam to hold it on the limiter, to the line, even if we spend a bit more fuel in the initial phase of the race. Semi-finals are the next step for us, with our goal being to race the A final. If we can take the same approach [as we did for this race] to another level, I am confident we can get the job done,” admitted the West Australian. The young Men’s Eight crew of Hamish Playfair, Nathan Bowden, Ben Coombs, Tim Masters, Angus Moore, Simon Keenan, Campbell Watts, Alexander Purnell and coxswain James Rook faced more experienced crews from Italy, Great Britain, Russia, the Netherlands and China in what was to be a hotly contested heat. Needing a first place finish to automatically qualify for the A-Final, Italy took the lead early on and held off any challengers. As the race progressed, reigning Olympic champions Great Britain attempted to chase down the Italians to no avail, while Australia battled it out with Russia and the Netherlands for third place. The excitement came as Great Britain approached the final 200 metres and Australia’s crew began to charge. James Rook gave the call and the Australians dug deep, however they had left it a little too late with the British clinging on to take second with Australia in a close third. Australia’s Men’s Eight will now contest Thursday’s repechage, with only Italy qualifying for the A-final from this heat, as the winner. Above: Australian eight – photo World Rowing Road Closures Published 26th September 2017 Bicycle Network has informed us of the traffic management arrangements surrounding our upcoming event – Around the Bay – held on Sunday 8th October. There will be in force altered traffic conditions which includes some partial and full road closures. This will affect Boathouse Drive and Linlithgow Avenue. From Wednesday 4th Oct there will be limited access to Boathouse Dve. From Friday 6th there will be no access to Boathouse Dve until 9.00pm on Sunday 8th, except in emergencies. From 4.00am on Sunday, Linlithgow Ave & Alexandra Ave will be closed from Swan Street Bridge to St. Kilda Rd. World Championships Day 2 Results Published 26th September 2017 The Women’s four had their chance to shine on day 2 and did not disappoint us winning their heat and progressing straight through to the final. This crew contains Club member Kat Werry. Go Mercs. Above: the women’s four off the start with Kat in the two seat – photo World Rowing Rowing Australia reported as follows: The Women’s Four of Lucy Stephan, Katrina Werry, Sarah Hawe and Molly Goodman proved once again how powerful they are at the finish of a race. With the USA having led for the first half of the heat, Stephan called to Goodman to up the rate as the crew crossed the halfway mark and that she did, with the Australians surging into the lead. As the crews approached the final 250 metres, the USA attempted to make a move on the Australians but the advantage set up by the crew, coached by Tom Westgarth, was too much for the Americans and Australia crossed the line in a time of 6 mins 33 secs and in turn secured a place in Saturday’s A-Final. “I felt we really nailed it in the final five hundred, when we really started to move. It’s been a while since we have had an international hit out, since World Cup 3, so it was good to get the nerves out and then be ready to attack the final on Saturday,” said Lucy Stephan. “Our real strong point is the middle kilometre and it was interesting to have not moved through the pack at that first kilometre, but I put that down to nerves. We have worked on there always being a step up at Worlds and knowing that we are not hunting, we are the hunted [as the winners of the World Cups 2 and 3]. “We do hold speed well and so that final five hundred was about sticking it out and staying in our boat, I think that’s what really happened for us in that last section. I gave the direct call that we were inching back, but we needed to go now. We swung through and held on to take the win, but we’ll need to step it up again on Saturday,” admitted the 25-year-old. The women’s lightweight quad also progressed through the final but finished second in their heat. Above: The Light quad off the start – photo World Rowing Rowing Australia reported as follows: In picture-perfect conditions, Amy James, Alice Arch, Georgia Miasarow and Georgia Nesbitt, of the Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Scull, saw China jump out from the start, but it was the tussle between the Australians and Italians that saw Australia take the lead for the middle thousand of the race. At the halfway point, things were tight between Australia, Italy and the China, with the Italians making the biggest push in the final 500m to nip ahead of the Australians at the line.