Trinity Win Some, Lose Some At This Year’s Bumper Regatta

Posted on: 19 April 2016

One of the biggest events in Trinity’s sporting calendar, the Regatta, hosted by TCD’s Dublin University Boat Club (DUBC) and Dublin University Ladies Boat Club (DULBC), took place at the weekend. While the senior men didn’t fare too well, the senior ladies emerged triumphant in their category to claim the €500 on offer.

Trinity’s novice men continued this season’s winning streak by coming first and second in their race, along with the 1,800-metre course from Chapelizod to the weir at Islandbridge.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of War Memorial Park, the 2016 Regatta featured one of the biggest entries in recent years, playing host to over 250 crews. Racing took place across three boat classes (eights, fours, single sculls) at senior, intermediate and novice grades, and featured clubs and universities from all over Ireland and there was even a European flavour to this year’s proceedings.

This was provided thanks to Arent Van Gent, an Erasmus student who attended Trinity during Michaelmas term. Whilst here Arent built up a good relationship with DUBC so he was delighted to return to Islandbridge at the weekend, with both a men’s and ladies team in tow, from his university boating club in the Netherlands, KSRV Njord.

The large number of competitors this year was partly attributed to the fact that Saturday’s event marked the 150th anniversary of the first Regatta, which has been held every year since 1898, with the exception of the First World War.

To help celebrate this historic occasion, this year’s Regatta was attended by seven decades of past rowers, including Robin Van Mesdag (86) who even won Best Dressed Male.