Thrills and spills at fun regatta

HUNDREDS of people took to the Thames — and many ended up in it — at Hurley Regatta on Saturday.

The 43rd annual event featured dongola and dinghy racing as well as the popular raft race.

Competitors had built their own rafts out of wood and plastic barrels earlier in the day and, perhaps surprisingly, all of them stayed intact until the finish line.

That didn’t stop some paddlers tumbling into the water and one team had to be towed to the finish after running out of energy mid-way through the race.

The event was won by Hurley Hayseeds for the second year in a row, finishing more than 30 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals.



Other team names included Funky Cheeses, Usain Boat and Pip Ahoy.

In the bathtub race We Love Alan Shearer romped home, while the tug of war was won by Aylesbury Ducks.

Several teams had to scoop water out of their vessels during the bathtub race and one crew came perilously close to capsizing after they stood up in the tub to row faster.

There were also some more serious races including punting and canoeing. There were crowds of spectators on the banks, enjoying barbecues and picnics in the sunshine.

Entertainment included dog racing, egg throwing and water carrying and there was a miniature train ferrying children around the site and fairground rides provided by Pelham’s Funfair. Hurley band Fighting with Kites played during the day and folk singer Steve Carroll performed in the evening.

The regatta was raising money for Maidenhead and Windsor Citizens Advice and Sayonara Luxton, deputy mayor of Maidenhead, handed out the prizes at the end of the day.

Regatta chairman Martin Fry said: “All the wet races were really good and we had the usual children’s entertainment. My granddaughter Abigail, who is 14, was selling doughnuts where you could choose your own toppings and she sold a lot. Lots of people entered races at the last minute. Of course we had people falling in the river but we also had some quality racing.

“The regatta is still getting better every year but we want to keep it as a village event as it works well.”



RESULTS:

Novice single scull: C Whysall

Gents’ single scull (Peter Freebody Cup): T Love

Ladies’ single scull (Collins Cup):  M Freebody

Coxed single scull (C Scott-Hopkins Cup): M Burfitt and H Burfitt

Ladies’ and gents’ Canadian canoe (Floate Cup): V Bosley and  M Burfitt

Damsel in Distress: M Burfitt and  C Burfitt

Open novelty canoe: W Brewer and J Cripps

Open double Canadian canoe: S Burness and J Cripps

Residents’ double Canadian canoe: (Small Silver Cup): T Carter and  D Merrell

Poddling in canoes (Poddling Cup): P Burness and S Burness

Newcomers’ double Canadian canoe: K Redmile and J Pritchard

Residents’ coxed single dinghy (Brigg Memorial Cup): R Moody and Z Reichman

Coxed single dinghy: P Burfitt and  I Burfitt

Ladies’ tandem dinghy (Jackson Challenge Cup): C Nunan and  H Kilsby

Little and large tandem dinghy:  P Burfitt and G Burfitt

Veterans’ single dinghy: P Bosley

Newcomers’ tandem dinghy: Tschiede and Farmer

Paddleboarding: T Love

Open cobra kayak: A Willis

Little and large cobra kayak:  J McLennan and T McLennan

Junior single dinghy (D R Burfitt Cup): P Burfitt

Intermediate single dinghy (Nolder Cup): J Kilsby

Intermediate Canadian canoe: J Cadwallader and C Rollet-Manus

Under-18s double cobra kayak:  J Cadwallader and C Rollet-Manus

Single punting (Ed Emery Cup): E Emery

Residents’ dongola: I Like Big Boats And I Cannot Lie

Thames dongola (L A Burfitt Cup): Hurley Hayseeds

Tug of war (on water) (Tug of War Cup): Aylesbury Ducks

Bath race (Bath Stand): We Love Alan Shearer

Raft race (ICIPP Shield): Hurley Hayseeds

Dragon boat race (Henley Dragon Cup): Dewdrop Pirates and Young

Scratch double Canadian canoe: Staunton and Cleaver

Scratch coxed dinghy: Howard and Howard

Scratch dongola (a): Bracknell Forest

Scratch dongola (b): Dad’s Army

Water carrying (a): The Best

Water carrying (b): JAWC

Dog racing (on lead): Cocco and Ollie

Dog racing (off lead): Daisy and Abbie