Berwick Amateur Rowing Club

16/06/2026

Durham Regatta 2026

River Wear, Durham | Strong winds on Saturday, kinder conditions on Sunday, and enough gusts to keep coaches, coxes and gazebo manufacturers fully occupied.

Saturday

Ewan - OJ14 2x (Composite with Cambois)
A tough opening draw saw the composite crew bow out in their first heat. Sometimes Durham is generous. Sometimes it isn’t.

🥇 Elvira - W Int 1x
A bye through to the next round was followed by a semi final win and then victory in the final. Efficient, effective and leaving Durham with silverware.

Neve - WJ15 1x
Won her heat to reach the final before coming up just short in the decider. Another excellent performance in a highly competitive event.

Chris & Andrew - Op Eli 2x
Opened with a heat win before their day ended in the semi-final. A highlight of the day came from the commentator describing them as “the very experienced Berwick crew”. Whether that was intended as a compliment or a polite reminder that neither of them qualifies for the junior squad anymore remains open to debate. Either way, they looked every bit the experienced crew in their opening win.

🥇 Dulcie - WJ14 2x (Composite with Lambton)
Won the heat. Won the final. Collected the pot. There are more complicated ways to spend a Saturday, but none quite as effective.

Sunday

🥇 Neve - WJCh 4x- (rowing for Lambton as part of a Henley qualification)
Straight final, straight win. Job done.

🥇 Dulcie - WJ14 4x+
Another straight final and another victory. By this point Dulcie appeared to have developed a habit of turning up, racing and winning.

Andrew - Op NC 1x
Won his opening heat before narrowly missing out on a place in the final after reaching the semi-final. Plenty of racing, plenty of learning, and another encouraging performance on a busy weekend.

🥇 Neve - WJ16 4x- (rowing again for Lambton)
A second victory of the day and another successful outing in Lambton colours. Not a bad way to finish the weekend.

🙏 As always, a huge thank you to the coaches, parents, drivers and supporters who spent the weekend supporting our club at this event and towing the trailer. Thank you Durham Regatta for organising a fab weekend of racing 💙

11/06/2026

🔵🔵Trade 4s Announcement 🔵🔵

📅 Saturday 15th August
⏰ Racing starts at 12:30
🥳 opportunity to give rowing a go with your mates , often your crew has a theme or fancy dress!
🍻 Bar & Food available all day

- teams of 4 (£25 pp)
- can be complete beginners or have x1 experienced/club rower in your team
- you will have 4-5 training opportunities weeks before the 15th August
- over 18s only due to sweep rowing

📧 contact: [email protected] to enter

🔵Seeking sponsorship for the event / per race 🔵

09/06/2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Rowing Championships 2026

Strathclyde Country Park | Grey skies, a lively crosswind and a weekend of championship racing

The Scottish Championships took Berwick’s rowers north this weekend for two days of racing against some of the best crews in the country.

☁️💨 The weather was grey, the crosswind was doing crosswind things, and the walk from the trailer park somehow seemed to get longer every time a boat needed moving.

🤔 Championship rowing is a curious sport. Hundreds of athletes travel across the country, spend hours preparing, warming up and waiting around, all for a race that can be over in less time than it takes to queue for a bacon roll afterwards.

🎉 As it turned out, the journey was well worth it…!

RESULTS ROUND-UP

🥇 Dulcie Duguid – WJ14 1x
The standout result of the weekend. Racing up an age category against older athletes, Dulcie produced a superb performance to take the win and become Scottish Champion.

🥈 Neve Haggerstone (Lambton) – WJ15 1x
Representing Lambton, Neve won her heat to secure a place in the final before producing another excellent race to take second place overall.

🥈 Neve Haggerstone (Lambton) – WJ18 4x
Neve added a second silver medal to her weekend as part of the Lambton quadruple sculls crew, finishing second in the final.

💪🏻 Ewan Brown – OJ14 1x
Finished second in his heat to progress to the final, where he raced strongly to claim fourth place overall.

💪🏻 Jaden Eke – OJ15 1x
Finished second in his heat to reach the final before taking fifth place in a highly competitive championship field.

💪🏻 Evan & Owen Guerin – Open 2-
Rowing as Aberdeen Boat Club and University Rowing Aberdeen composite, Evan and Owen took to the Maclean as though no time had passed and finished 13th in the time trial to secure a place in the B Final. They rounded off their championship weekend with a strong row in the B Final, finishing eighth (despite logging a boat of water due to the cross wind waves) in the race against a quality senior field.

Many thanks to Scottish Rowing, who once again hosted an amazing event, only hampered by the occasional bad tempered rowing weather gods! Also, to all the coaches, volunteers & parents. 💙

31/05/2026

🌤️ Wansbeck Regatta 2026

Cambois, Northumberland | Sunshine, light winds and several unexpected islands

BARC headed south to Wansbeck Regatta this weekend for a day of racing on the River Wansbeck under glorious sunshine and near-perfect rowing conditions. The only thing missing was some water.

Weeks of dry weather had left river levels unusually low, resulting in several islands appearing around the course that definitely weren’t mentioned in last year’s race instructions. Fortunately the rowers adapted, the Cambois volunteers adapted, and one duck appeared to take personal responsibility for supervising the whole operation from the middle of one particularly strategic sandbank.

With the weather behaving itself, the racing was close, the atmosphere was excellent and BARC crews once again gave a good account of themselves across both the junior and masters events.

🚣 RESULTS ROUND-UP

W Mas C 2x
Hilary & Elvira
Straight final - 2nd
A strong outing against experienced opposition with a 6 second start, beaten by a canvas. A solid performance from the masters squad.

🥇 Op Mas E/G 1x
Robin
Winner
A composed race from Robin, who controlled things well to take the win in both his races and add another victory to the BARC tally.

🚣 OJ14 1x
Ewan
Narrowly lost heat
A strong individual performance in a closely contested race, with only a small margin preventing progression.

🚣 WJ16 1x
Amelia
Narrowly lost semi-final
Thrown straight into the semi-final and produced a determined row, only just missing out on a place in the final.

🚣 OJ18 2-
Jaden & Monty
Lost semi-final
Also going straight into a semi-final, the pair put together a solid performance against strong opposition. Happy Birthday to Monty, who spent part of his special day doing what every teenager dreams of… racing a boat as hard as possible.

🚣 OJ18 4x
Jaden rowing for Lambton
Lost in Division 3
A second outing of the day for Jaden, gaining more valuable race experience in a competitive field.

🥇 W1x
Elvira
Winner
A smooth and confident performance from Elvira, who produced two excellent races to take the win in the women’s single.

👏 Final Word

Another excellent day out for BARC with wins, finals, close races and plenty of good experience gained across the junior and masters squads.

Special mention to Robin and Elvira for bringing home victories, while Ewan, Amelia and Jaden all produced strong performances against tough opposition and came away with valuable racing experience. Days like this are where rowers learn the lessons that don’t appear on a results sheet.

A huge thank you to everyone at Cambois Rowing Club for hosting another excellent regatta. Despite the river trying its best to become an archipelago, the event ran smoothly throughout. The volunteers kept everything moving, the racing stayed on schedule, and the atmosphere was exactly what grassroots rowing should be.

A special mention must also go to Cambois Boating Manager Ian, who ran the pontoon like a well-oiled machine all day. Crews arrived, crews departed, boats appeared, boats disappeared, and somehow everything happened exactly when it was supposed to. At times he looked less like a rowing volunteer and more like an air traffic controller trying to keep Heathrow running on a bank holiday weekend.

Events like this don’t happen by accident, and everyone involved deserves enormous credit for putting on such a fantastic day.

Now onto the next one. Hopefully with slightly more water, slightly fewer islands, and the duck returning to defend its unofficial position on the organising committee. 🚣☀️

25/05/2026

Our younger juniors did really well in the heat to carry out their erg session tonight....no pictures of the older intermediates tonight but they also put the work in. The tide was not playing ball again this week for a water session.

21/05/2026

Sharing this write up about Paul Henry who was a member of Berwick Amateur Rowing Club. He sadly died whilst serving in the Falklands War.

Paul’s late brother, Graeme Henry continued to support and volunteer at the club throughout his life.

We have two of our boats named after them both.

We will be forever grateful for their contributions to the club.

“As Sir Galahad burned around him, he gave away his own chance of survival so another man could live.”

Some acts of courage happen in front of entire armies. Others happen quietly, deep inside smoke-filled compartments where almost nobody can see them. The final moments of Second Engineer Officer Paul Anderson Henry aboard RFA Sir Galahad became one of those moments.

Paul Anderson Henry was born on 27 July 1948 in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, to Ronald and Barbara Henry. As a young man, he chose a life at sea and joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the civilian-manned fleet that carried fuel, supplies, troops and equipment wherever Britain’s armed forces operated. The men of the RFA rarely received public attention, yet without them military operations across the world simply could not function. It was demanding, dangerous work carried out far from headlines, and Paul earned a reputation as a calm, dependable and highly respected engineering officer.

By 1982, he was serving as Second Engineer Officer aboard RFA Sir Galahad during the Falklands War. On 8 June 1982, the ship lay anchored at Fitzroy Sound while Welsh Guards prepared to disembark for the advance toward Stanley. The vessel was crowded with soldiers, vehicles, ammunition and fuel when Argentine A-4 Skyhawk aircraft suddenly attacked at extremely low level.

Within moments, bombs ripped into the ship.

One exploded on the tank deck, unleashing an inferno among troops waiting below. Another detonated near the galley. A third exploded deep inside the engine room. Fire spread rapidly through the vessel while thick black smoke flooded the lower compartments, trapping many of the men still below deck.

Inside the Machinery Control Room were Paul Henry, Third Engineer Officer Christopher Hailwood, and Junior Engineer Officer Neil Bagnall. As smoke consumed the compartment, Bagnall attempted to escape but was driven back by choking fumes. There was only one breathing apparatus remaining.

Paul Henry understood the situation immediately.

Without hesitation, he handed the breathing set to the younger officer and ordered him to get out while there was still time. Bagnall obeyed and managed to fight his way to safety through the smoke and chaos.

Paul Henry and Christopher Hailwood never escaped.

Stop for a second and think about what that decision truly meant. In the middle of fire, darkness and confusion, Paul Henry knowingly gave away his own final chance of survival so another man could live. No speeches. No hesitation. Just a decision made in seconds by a man whose instinct was to save someone else first.

For his extraordinary courage and selflessness, Paul Anderson Henry was posthumously awarded the George Medal. His citation stated:

“By this unselfish and courageous act, he saved the Junior Officer’s life, at the same time sacrificing his own.”

Paul was only 33 years old, just weeks away from his 34th birthday.

More than forty years later, his sacrifice continues to be remembered. In 2022, during the Falkland Islands 40th Anniversary Place Names Project, a small island in Choiseul Sound was officially named “Henry Island” in his honour, ensuring that the man who gave away his own chance to live would never be forgotten.

🌺 Second Engineer Officer Paul Anderson Henry GM
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
RFA Sir Galahad
Falklands War
8 June 1982 🇬🇧⚓

Lest We Forget.

18/05/2026

2 fabulous sessions indoors for our junior section tonight. All dug deep with the first beginner juniors learning intervals and setting up the clocks and the 2nd intermediate juniors following Head Coach Chris 4 x 1000m plan with 2 min intervals. All did very well.

17/05/2026

Tees Regatta

Saturday | River Tees | Stockton-on-Tees
Beautiful in the morning. Windy in the afternoon. Standard rowing weather really.

Tees Regatta returned this weekend with a full day of side-by-side racing, suspiciously optimistic weather forecasts, and the annual reminder that rowing people will happily get up at 5am, drive for hours, carry boats all day, spend a fortune on coffee and bacon rolls… and still describe it afterwards as “quite relaxing actually.”

Conditions on the Tees were excellent early on with flat water and sunshine across the morning racing. By the afternoon the wind had arrived, layers were going back on, and every coach on the bank had started squinting at the river like they personally disapproved of the weather’s attitude.

Berwick crews were busy throughout the day and produced another strong set of results across the squad with wins, close racing, and plenty of good performances.

⭐ Neve – WJ15 1x – 1st 🥇

Neve took the win in the WJ15 band 1 single after a strong race and looked in control through the closing stages.

⭐ Jaden – OJ15 1x – 3rd

Jaden raced well through a competitive band 1 OJ15 field to secure third place after a tight race.

⭐ Ewan – OJ14 2x – 3rd

Ewan picked up third place in the band 2 OJ14 double after a close race in a competitive event.

⭐ Ewan – OJ14 1x – 2nd

Back in the single later in the day, Ewan finished a close second in the band 3 OJ14 sculls to complete a very solid regatta.

⭐ Dulcie – WJ13 1x – 1st 🥇

A brilliant result for Dulcie, taking the win in the WJ13 band 1 single with a strong performance.

⭐ Neve – WJ18 4x – 2nd

Stepping up an age category, Neve helped her WJ18 quad secure second place against older opposition.

⭐ Dulcie – WJ14 8x+ – 2nd

Dulcie was back out again later in the WJ14 eight, helping the crew to a second-place finish.

⭐ Chris – Open 4- – 1st 🥇

Chris and crew took the win in the Open coxless four with a strong row down the course.

It also provided an important learning opportunity for the juniors, many of whom discovered that masters rowers spend most of the day making noises when standing up, discussing knee supports, and comparing weather apps… before suddenly rowing like absolute machines once the race starts.

Somewhere on the riverbank a junior definitely had the terrifying realisation that rowing fitness apparently survives well into adulthood, even if flexibility and the ability to get out of low chairs does not.

Final Word

Another strong regatta for Berwick ARC with wins across multiple age groups and solid performances throughout the squad.

Huge thanks to the organisers and volunteers at Tees for running a smooth event, and to everyone involved in transporting, coaching, boating, de-boating, carrying oars, carrying boats, and repeatedly asking “what time are we racing again?” despite it having been explained at least six times already.

The season is gathering momentum nicely… and Berwick crews are clearly settling into race mode. 🚣‍♂️💙

11/05/2026

DURHAM CITY REGATTA 🔵🟡
May 9-10, 2026

Saturday: 🌧️☔️
Sunday: 🌤️🕶️

Saturday highlights:

🔵Jaden Eke - OPJ15 1x raced against Chester Le Street narrowly missing out by 1/2 length in the final

🔵Dulcie Duguid - WJ14 1x, got a bye to the final due to her opposition scratching & won final race by 2 lengths 🥇

🔵Neve Haggerstone - WJ15 1x raced against Tees in her heat with a composed win & won her final against Tees by 1 length 🥇

🔵Neve Haggerstone - WJ15 4x+ raced in her composite Berwick/Lambton crew winning their heat against Durham & the final against Leeds 🥇

Sunday highlights:

🔵Jaden Eke - OPJ15 1x won his heat comfortably against Durham School. In his second heat he won against Infinity BC & missed out on the final by 1.5lengths to Infinity BC

🔵Ewan Brown - OPJ14 1x won his heat against Durham School, strong & controlled. Lost his final to Durham by 1.5lengths.

🔵Jaden & Monty - OPJ15 2x won their heat against St Leonard’s & their second heat to Infinity BC. Reaching the final, the lads put in a great shift after a busy weekend’s racing but lost out to CLS.

🔵 Thomas Wooldridge, Giles Gibb, Thomas Aitchison & Reuben Crompton - OPJ14x+ raced their first regatta as a crew. The lads were composed & got onto the stakeboat start with the help of their cox from Lambton. They had a strong start and kept their timing together but their more experienced opposition pulled away to take the win.

🔵Neve Haggerstone - WJ15 4x+ rowing in her composite Berwick/Lambton crew won their heat against St Leonard’s and confidently won their final against Durham 🥇

🔵Dulcie Duguid - WJ13 1x won her race against Sunderland, another strong win for Dulcie in the single scull 🥇

🔵 Dulcie Duguid & Eden Watson - WJ13 2x competed with it being Eden’s first regatta. Together, they won their heat against Durham School, their second heat against Talkin Tarn by 1.5 lengths & went on to win their final against Lambton. Dulcie had no time to recover from her single scull final & Eden steered a great course on all races🥇🥇

Great weekend with fantastic results and a big thanks to the volunteers for towing the trailer & supporting the juniors in the lead up to their racing and at their weekend 👏🏼 fab weekend thanks

06/05/2026

Young Berwick rowers enjoy medal success in Scottish Spring Regatta