Columba Rowing set off to Clyde last weekend for the Central Otago regatta.

Columba Rowing Squad has kicked started summer with a bang.

This past weekend, the squad traveled through to Alexandra to take part in the Central Otago Rowing Champs Regatta held on Lake Dunstan, put on by Dunstan Arm Rowing Club.

The girls had some jam-packed days with racing starting at 8 am and going until 1 pm, starting with the girls' senior doubles and ending with the mixed eights. With quick turnarounds, the girls had ample opportunity to improve both on and off the water. This weekend was a great chance for the girls to find their way and figure out how the rest of the season would work. It also gave the girls a slightly better understanding of racing, as the duration of the races were 2km.

One of the many fabulous races that will be a highlight for many was the composite Open Eights featuring a mixture of Columba girls, John McGlashan boys, and all three coaches participating either rowing or coxing.

The second day of racing started with a 30-minute race delay due to strong Central winds making the lake very rough. After the wind had died down, the entire squad had an awesome day racing, coming away from the weekend with some fantastic results and a confidence booster going into the next few regattas. It was great to see all the hard training paying off.

The girls have another big weekend ahead of them this weekend racing in the Otago Rowing Regatta Champs held in Twizel. Good luck, everyone!

By Sara and Olivia