For the first time in their history, Dublin University Boat Club (DUBC) competed at the Head of the Charles event in Boston over the weekend. Rowing as Trinity College Dublin, the boat club finished 11th in the Club Eights category, after coming into the event ranked 36th.
The low starting position meant the crew was forced to overtake a number of other crews, potentially slowing them down. Trinity finished with a time of 15 minutes and 26 seconds. The winners, Harvard University, finished with a time of 14 minutes and 47 seconds.
The event saw the senior debuts of two freshers, Tom Stevens and Tadhg McKnight, as well as the debut of final-year student Donal O’Shea. A crew from Trinity’s alumni club, Lady Elizabeth Boat Club, competed in the Masters event of the Head of the Charles.
In an email statement to The University Times, DUBC Chief Coach Richard Ruggieri said: “I am very pleased with our crew’s performance at the Head of the Charles and we are all thankful for the support we have received from our donors, which made this trip possible.”
The Head of the Charles is the largest two-day regatta in the world and is one of the world’s most iconic rowing events, alongside the Henley Royal Regatta, in which Trinity competed this summer. The course is three miles long, and the race is based on a time-trial format. This year’s event saw many ex-Trinity rowers from across America travel to Boston to support the rowers.
DUBC now face into a long winter of training. Their next event will be the Erne Head of the River in Enniskillen on March 2nd. Trinity has won this event for the past four years and is the current course record holder. It is considered Ireland’s premier head-of-the-river event.
