The Queen attends one-off Coronation Regatta
Her Majesty The Queen and Sir Steve Redgrave were both on hand to witness a one-off Regatta on the Thames over the weekend – the Coronation Anniversary Regatta.
Held in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June, the one-off regatta celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.
“We have been blessed with a fabulous weekend of rowing in a spectacular setting” exclaimed Head Umpire Mark Blandford-Baker as the last race crossed the line on Sunday, in which the Army took the Military Eights title.
Sunday’s racing was predominately dedicated to junior events, with the Queen on hand to witness a number of fiercely-contested 1000m races. Those who competed in the over-subscribed events had a great day, in particular the Tideway Scullers School’s juniors who took home the Victor Ludorum and a 42” TV courtesy of Samsung.
After inclement weather conditions forced the cancellation of the majority of J14 events at May’s National Schools Regatta, it was fantastic to see so many top crews from all over the country compete against magnificent backdrop of Windsor Castle.
Local crews from Marlow RC took two of the four titles on offer – the J14 quadruple sculls and the girls’ J14 octuple sculls. Abingdon School, winners of the Championship eights at Nat Schools, also dominated the J18 eights event here.
Sir Steve was on hand to chat to competitors and present a unique range of commemorative medals and trophies to the winning crews. One winning junior added “it was great – no one else will get medals like this!” Non medal-winning junior rowers also received a one-off embroidered badge, commemorating their participation in the event.
Sincere thanks go to the Queen – who kindly allowed the one-off event to be hosted in the grounds of the castle – and also to all those who conceived the event and subsequently planned and executed a memorable regatta, including Eton Excelsior Rowing Club and The Windsor Boys School Boat Club.
