As expected, the defending champions both looked very much like the teams to beat as the time trials for the 2018 Royal St. John's Regatta were held at Quidi Vidi Lake over the weekend.
The Outer Cove male crew and m5 females had the top times by wide margins in trials races conducted over two days.
The trials for the 200th anniversary Regatta were scheduled to be done Saturday, but breezy conditions postponed most of the races set for that afternoon. Races resumed Sunday, but even then, the wind had its say and prevented five squirt races from going ahead.
The Regatta Committee is looking at possibility of having the remaining squirts race on some day this week, although there is no confirmation of the plans.
Over 100 crews did compete Saturday and Sunday, with Outer Cove posting a time of nine minutes and 52.07 seconds, more than 33 seconds ahead of the next-fastest men’s crew. That was Smith Stockley ay 10:25.36.
In the senior female division, which featured 56 crew, m5’s 5:18.03 put them more than 12 seconds ahead The Cahill Group, with the second-fastest time in the division.
As dominant as Outer Cove and m5 were, neither posted times that would have been close to challenging the course records at Quidi Vidi — 8:51.32 by Crosbie Industrial Services (men, 2007) and 4:56.70 by OZ-FM (women, 2003). However, the less-than-ideal pond conditions over the weekend would have added considerably to the times of all racers.
Speaking of OZ-FM, that Hall of Fame crew has reassemble for the 200th anniversary Regatta in sort of a come-home-year effort, and despite being more than a decade removed from their competitive days, posted a more than respectable time in the trials, a 5:51.35 that makes them the seventh seed in the women’s division.
Crews with OZ-FM sponsorship won 10 women’s championships between 1988 and 2006.
The aim of the trials is to have teams with comparable times grouped together for individual Regatta Day races, making for more even competition.
Teams are slotted for Regatta Day races within their gender/age-groups based upon times they row in the trial heats. The crew with the fastest time in its time-trial division gets to select the boat and stake of its choice for the Regatta, with the process continuing with the crew owning the second-fastest time, and so on.
Captain of the course Bradley Power will take all of the times from the trials and use them to create a master schedule for the Regatta, set for Wednesday, Aug. 1.
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Time trial results
Times, by gender/age-group divisions, in the weekend time trials for the 2018 Royal St. John’s Regatta:
Senior Male
9:52.07 Outer Cove
10:25.36 Smith Stockley Rowing Club
10:40.92 NTV
10:48.43 Fine Strokes/Cardinal Homes
11:25.72 Nautical Nellies
11:39.06 Key Assets
11:51.83 Wade’s Excavating
12:08.88 Ricanna Petroleum Consulting
12:13.98 Domino’s Pizza
12:14.59 NF Power
12:17.94 French and Associates Lawyers
12:21.82 Mallard Cottage
12:26.14 Team Broken Earth
12:26.51 Blue Driver
13:01.82 Charisma Etc.
13:06.39 Harbour Grace Ocean Enterprises
13:07.63 The Newfoundland Herald
13:16.55 Universal Corporate Wear Men
13:16.70 St. John’s Firefighters
13:19.45 Go! Store
13:37.00 Epiroc
Master Male
11:23.89 Lamb’s Masters Men
11:48.51 Carroll Group
12:07.91 Hearn Distributing
12:54.97 Smith Stockley
14:31.61 Total Insulation/Sable Design and Building
14:54.44 Nautilus Masters Rowers
15:39.91 Anderson McTague Masters Men
Juvenile Boys
12:17.08 Paul’s Juvenile Boys Crew
13:47.09 Allstar Rebar
Senior Female
5:18.05 m5 Group
5:30.13 The Cahill Group
5:43.59 Steers Insurance
5:44.23 Dawe & Burke
5:45.22 Bern Tobin Royal Lepage Atlantic Homestead
5:47.83 Pouch Cove Pharmacy
5:51.35 OZFM Women’s Crew
5:54.34 Sea-Force Diving
5:59.23 O’Dea Earle
6:05.81 A Fitness
6:08.37 India Gate
6:17.03 Avalon Animal Hospital
6:17.44 St. John’s Fish Exchange
6:21.31 Cahill Construction
6:21.69 TLC Nursing and Homecare
6:29.62 TechLift
6:30.40 Marie’s Mini Mart
6:30.44 BreatheWell Respiratory Clinic Inc.
6:32.32 Marco
6:34.63 First General
6:37.00 Atlantic Towing
6:41.68 Magna Contracting
6:44.54 Kvaerner
6:50.20 Royal Canadian Legion-Branch 1
6:50.40 Compusult
6:50.47 The Bigs Ultimate Sports Grill
7:06.62 Capital Subaru
7:07.97 Yoga Therapy NL
7:08.70 Christian’s Pub
7:08.77 Coastal Safety Management
7:11.84 Chatters
7:12.00 PF Collins
7:19.67 LCP Nautical Ltd. (Junior)
7:20.17 Freedom Foods
7:20.73 USW
7:22.69 CAF Women
7:23.31 Sisters in Fitness Rowing Crew
7:25.19 Key Assets
7:25.84 Travel Unlimited
7:33.31 Stream Team
7:34.11 Pacemakers
7:35.88 The Colour Palette
7:41.59 Wade Abbott Dentisry
7:43.65 Triple E Painters
7:46.15 Arthur James
7:49.29 Corcoran Contracting
7:50.53 UCW Ladies
7:55.63 John Callahan Hanlon Reality
7:55.77 Shed City
7:58.29 Avara FAST RNs
8:00.72 Skipper Ring’s Rowing Crew
8:06.40 Harvey’s Home Heating
8:08.17 Roots (Intermediate)
8:18.80 Body Quest
8:23.43 Go! Store Petroservice
8:24.39 The Telegram
9:27.30 In the Box Media/Avalon Mall
Juvenile Female
6:04.43 Domino’s Ladies
7:04.95 O’Keefe Roofing
7:15.95 Paul’s Girls Crew
8:13.73 Skipper Ring’s Juvenile Crew
8:31.26 Colton’s Corner
Midget Male
6:09.25 Hickman Chrysler
6:31.68 Paul’s Midget Boys Crew
7:53.23 Home Port
8:27.38 Targa NL
Midget Female
6:50.35 Keep Cool Refrigeration
6:55.16 Martin Surveys
7:18:08 JAT Excavating
7:44.85 St. Bon’s Girls
8:09.73 Mary Brown’s Avalon Mall
8:27.40 Freightway International
9:59.47 Big Ben’s
10:13.31 Counter Corner
Squirt
1:18.88 World Financial Group (Male)
1:21.02 Western Star Trucks (Male)
1:55.45 Tim’s/Trimmer Homes (Female)
14:31.61 Total Insulation/Sable Design and Building
15:39.91 Anderson McTague Masters Men
Master Female
6:17.42 Wedgewood Physio/Power Conditioning
7:06.75 The Mortgage Centre
7:47.84 Boulder Publications McDonald’s Home Hardware
8:48.07 Newfound Cabs
9:06.86 Belfor Women
Intermediate Female
7:06.76 Atlantic Inspection Service Ltd.
8:08.17 Roots
8:27.05 Westside Charlies/ Big Guys Fish & Chips
9:20.28 Speuata Security
