Cantabs recently took two Masters crews to the 2017 Budapest Cup Regatta to compete on the River Danube.
Levente Kantor organised for the Poachers and Racks Out crews to spend a long weekend in the beautiful and very sunny city of Budapest. The organisers of the Regatta made all entrants very welcome at a Gala Dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel where International and Olympian Rowers met before the race.
Racing on the River Danube
Friday’s practice was eventful due to the fast stream on the Danube and technical issues for the Poachers in a borrowed Empacher, which required a number of adjustments to be made both on and off the water. The crew were grateful for the outing to iron out some these in advance of the race as well as enabling them to practice on the fast flowing river with the challenges of major shipping to be negotiated without a speaker-system in the boat. Despite this, and being pushed out of the stream by an overtaking boat, the race was very fast for the Poachers in a time of 14:59.14.
Stroke Gavin Swanson said:
“The course was run over 4500m, starting in a Cam-sized side channel to the main river on one side of an island. This channel met up with the rest of the Danube after about 2700m, in a confluence that created a mixture of both very turbulent and slack water. The almost sudden pick up once we hit the main stream after the slowing due to the turbulence, headwind, confused responses from the Bow end (caused in part by the absence of audible calls and concession of the racing line to an overtaking boat) was evidence of an extremely solid row. Given that the crew were all tiring by this point in the race and in an unknown boat which had been turned around from the previous division with changes being made on the way to the start it makes this an impressive performance from a masters C crew who row twice a week.”
Cox – Katrina Purser
Stoke – Gavin Swanson
7- Levente Kantor
6 – Phil Gunning
5 – Kelly Bolen
4 – Dave Meredith
3 – Tim Walker
2 – Nick Siragher
Bow – Mike Hunter
Racks Out’s crew organiser, Darcy Weaver, said:
“We crew enjoyed racing with local rowers from Budapest and competing against para-rowing crews and crews from across Europe and were extremely grateful for the two Hungarian subs Andrea Karaszi and Angela Pfiszter who stepped in last minute to form a scratch crew due to injury. It required last minute pre-race translations of several key commands as neither spoke much English. The whole crew performed admirably in a borrowed men’s Filippi suitable for men twice the size, a fact not lost on the Italian Men’s crew who with who, much good humour, handed the boat over, none of them being under 6ft and most considerably taller. Unfortunately the amplification to allow the cox to relay commands to the crew and on an unknown rive was not functioning meaning Eleanor relayed commands down the to Jenny at Bow”
Cox Katrina Purser
Stroke – Darcy Weaver
7 – Jane Gilbert
6 – Sub – Andrea Karasz
5 – Sub – Angela Pfiszter
4 – Elena Provenzano
3 – Jane Thorpe
2 – Anne McConville
Bow – Jenny Darsley
Katrina said:
“It was great fun but terrifying at times on such a huge fast flowing river so different from the Cam. I started coxing a Veteran Men’s Eight just over two years ago having never rowed and I never dreamt, at my age I would cox two crews on the Danube at an International regatta alongside Olympians – last week the Thames this week Budapest.”
