Head of the Charles – Results

Oct 19, 2024

We have results for our boats racing in the Head of the Charles yesterday and today. Yesterday Tom Bishop was competing in the Senior Veteran II single sculls category and finished second out of 18 scullers in a time of 22 min. 32.253 sec, approximately 16 seconds behind the American ex-Olympic sculler Jim Dietz. Tom was also 7th overall in the Men’s Senior Veteran/Grand Veteran Singles[70+, 80+, 90+] race. Today our eight were competing in the Veteran 70+ category and finished second out of nine crews in a time of 18 min. 2.239 sec, approximately 16 seconds behind the Australians, Upper Yarra, and 16 seconds ahead of Penn AC. They were also placed 18th overall in the Men’s Grand Master Eights [60+] race.

Full results for Tom’s race may be found at https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/results2/eventResults.jsp?job_id=8995&event_id=53 and for the eight at https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/results2/eventResults.jsp?job_id=8995&event_id=61.

We are hoping for a full account when our intrepid rowers return home.

While in Boston, our crew met former Quintin member Hugh Slee, who rowed in various crews back in the 1980s and 1990s with, among others, Huw Jones, Charles Harrison and Pete Meaney from the current veteran crew. Hugh runs a photography business in Boston and sent us a number of pictures he took before and during the race (see https://quintinboatclub.org/gallery/index.php?ref=3532).

A footnote from Tom Bishop

Directors’ Challenge Men’s Quads Event, three old folks – Ali Boileau (Putney Town) Mark Alloway (TSS) Tom (QBC) and the 22-year-old winner of the HOCR Championship Singles, Finn Hamill from NZ, winner of the Beach Rowing Worlds 2024, who jumped into the crew as Saman Majd who organised the crew was injured. Magic to row behind such a raw talent. One to watch for the future.

The quad knocked the fin out on the way to the start (second time I have had that happen) and the organisers got the crew over to the MIT Boathouse dock below the start, where the boatman mended the hole in the boat and re-glued the fin, straightened the remains of the rudder and sent us off to race. We had a storming row (and a boat stopping crab – not me) passing half a dozen crews with clashes and stopping, and ended up 10th in the highly competitive event. Finn wouldn’t let us go slowly. Oh, to be young again! Thank you Finn.

The results of this event may be found at https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/results2/eventResults.jsp?job_id=8995&event_id=30.

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