Hamble River Raid sees boats from nearby harbours compete
Boats of types took to the River Hamble for a fiercely contested set of races
The Hamble River Raid is an annual event that draws interest from across the three local harbours. Saturday the rain stayed away and rowing boats of all shape and size took to the water.
Boats start in pairs at changing tidal state and as such it is difficult to apply tactics to win. Crews just have to give it their best shot for the duration of the race and then wait to find out the recorded finish times.
Tudor Sailing Club entered five gigs and all five finished in the top six places. The ladies crews won in Bursledon Gig Navigator and the men’s crew won in Bursledon Gig Kelpie.
There has been a significant growth in the number of Bursledon gigs now rowing in the area and clubs like Portchester, Hornet, Hillhead, Fareham, Seafarers and Mengham have now joined Tudor by adding Bursledon gigs to their fleets.
This of course means competition is becoming more intense and fixed seat rowing events both competitive and social are increasing across the area; providing more opportunities for everyone to get involved.