DW Team Baulked by Weather

The Devizes to Westminster Race is always a real challenge, but sometimes that challenge has less to do with the efforts of those who enter it, and more with circumstances beyond anyone’s control.

This year it was all the rain we had, both before and during the race, that dashed everyone’s hopes. The Thames section of the race, from Reading onwards, had such high water levels that locks were almost impossible to land at, and weirs were flowing well above their normal rate.

Our 7 boat team, along with everyone else, had to stop at the first available point on the river, at a place called Dreadnought Reach. This was not only hugely disappointing but also very frustrating, as the girls’ team of Sarah Moses, Lily Rawlings, Anya Pigden, Flo Anderson, Pea Rushin and Tildy Billsberry-Grass were the first placed Junior Ladies Team at that stage.

They were well ahead of the opposition, being the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed school Junior Ladies boats. The boys had also been doing well, with Ben Colgate, Will Allen, Max Sutcliffe and Theo Ehrmann going particularly strongly. Unfortunately, Marcus Davies and Zac Rodber were badly delayed by a broken rudder and Ethan Ogilvie and Matt Price were held up even more after Matt’s nose had an argument with a low bridge (and lost!).

However, despite being stopped halfway through Day 2 after 54 miles, it is still congratulations to all the paddlers; they were well-motivated but dealt extremely well with the huge disappointment of the cancellation.