It was morning exhilaration, evening disappointment for the Hyflodraulic women’s rowing team Saturday at the 157th Harbour Grace Regatta.
In the first race of the day on what was then a mirror-like Lady Lake, Hyflodraulic set a female course record of five minutes and 15.34 seconds, making it two weeks in a row that the St. John’s-based crew had established a new standard; seven days earlier, the team set the course record at the Placentia Regatta.
However, while Hyflodraulic went on to win the women’s championship in Placentia, the team couldn’t repeat that accomplishment in Harbour Grace.
Instead, it was The Cahill Group that took the women’s final at what had become a breezy Lady Lake, where the crew of Lindsey Denine, Shannon Driscoll, Courtney Langmead, Stephanie O'Quinn, Maryn Klien Beernink Work, Jennifer Kryszak and coxswain Ben Colbourne posted a time of 5:37 flat, edging out Hyflodraulic (5:38.16) by a little more than a second.
It represented a huge turnaround from the morning race, when The Cahill Group, also out of St. John’s, finished in second place, more than 14 seconds off the pace. It also ended the Triple Crown bid for Hyflodraulic, which is the top-ranked team for the Royal St. John’s Regatta, set for Quidi Vidi Lake on Aug. 7. The Cahill Group is seeded second.
Thorne’s Trailer Park from Placentia (6:23.88) and Dawe and Burke (6:26.13) were third and fourth, respectively, in the women’s final.
Triple Crown aspirations remain alive for the Belfor men’s crew of Eric King, Jamie Traverse, Steve Sweeney, Chris Sweeney, Kenny King, Nick Duke, Wayne Walsh and coxswain Kenneth King.
Belfor, out of Placentia, took the men’s championship in Harbour Grace in a time of 10:45.13. Another Placentia team, Woodmar Contracting, was second in 10:54.97, followed by two St. John’s crews, Ricanna (11:27.84) and Geotech (12:23.78).
Belfor, which also won the men’s title in Placentia, is ranked second for the Royal St. John’s Regatta. Fine Strokes, the top seed at Quidi Vidi, didn’t compete at either Placentia or Harbour Grace.
The Harbour Grace Regatta is not completed however. After outstanding rowing conditions in the morning, things deteriorated as winds picked up throughout the day Saturday at Lady Lake, leading to the postponement of peewee and midget races. Those conditions persisted Sunday, meaning the leftover races have been moved to this evening, with a schedule beginning at 6 p.m.
Twitter: @telysports