RYDE Rowing Club got their Hants and Dorset Championship Regatta season off to a positive start at Milford-on-Sea on Saturday.

The regatta, organised by Lymington Rowing Club, proved to be a very successful day for the Wightlink sponsored club.

First afloat for Ryde was the J16 coxed quad of Joe Bird, Isaac Gibson, Charlie Watts, Lars Groothuis and cox, Harry Watts.

Joe and 11-year-old Harry, were making their debut for the club. 

The crew performed superbly to finish a very close second — a canvas behind the winners.

In the mixed J14 coxed quad, in a composite crew with Southsea, comprising Ryde’s Mai MacKay, Lottie Roland and Joe, with a Southsea junior and coxed by the experienced Joel Smith, came a creditable third. 

It was the first race for Mai and Lottie.

They were followed by the club's ladies' coastal junior pair of Chloe Hughes and Stella Baisley, who led at the turn, but a mix-up allowed Poole to get ahead, eventually finishing an excellent second.

Ryde's coastal junior coxed four of Matt Chalmers, Bradley Whiting, Will Hunt and Paddy Kearney with Mai MacKay coxing will be slightly disappointed with their third place in the final, but Will and Paddy then went on to convincingly win the men’s coastal junior pairs event.

Finally, there was a fine performance by the young men’s novice four of Dan Sanderson, Isaac, Watts and Lars, with Joe coxing who, after finishing second in their heat to gain a place in the final, won with comparative ease after a fine racing turn by Joe.