06/02/2018
**RACE REPORT AND PHOTOS FROM DEV SQUAD HQ**
At long last, on Saturday 27th January, the 2018 Development squad was finally able to put the fruits of their long months of training to use in our first EVER race at Tyne New Year's Head!
As the report below outlines, not everything went completely to plan. However, in challenging conditions all crews can be incredibly proud of their first competitive outing and all bodes well as we look forward to BUCS Head in three weeks' time...
Our very own Dev member, Charlie Spink (CSP), reports on a very successful, if eventful, weekend of racing:
' As Benjamin Franklin once said, a lack of preparation is a recipe for failure. Clearly he'd never heard of the DUBC Dev Squad...
Poor January conditions had left crews with limited hours of water practice for what would be a first taste of competition for all involved at Tyne New Year's Head. Indeed, the only boat with more than a couple of outings together was the M4x-, culprit of the infamous 'Capsize of the Quad' in Seville just a few weeks before.
Coupled with warnings of high winds, it wasn't going to be a walk in the park for the devs. By nothing short of a minor miracle, however, all crews managed to finish upright, dry (enough) and with some solid finish times under the belts of their shiny new all-in-ones.
In Division 1, the wind caused anarchy on the start line for race organisers. Despite the confusion, however, the M8+ began strongly and went clear of Lancaster University novices within just a couple of hundred metres. Though certainly not winners of the dressage category, the eight produced a quick, determined run; the only hindrance being an "absolute whopper" of a boat-stopping crab from Justin Beese (JBE) close to the finish. A respectable 6th out of 9 in the open men's category was their reward.
The two W4x- crews put in strong performances after shaky starts and difficult sections. The boat of armless captain Rebecca Young (RYO) glided past the Newcastle novice crew inside the final kilometre to secure a 6th place finish in the open women's category with the other boat finishing in 9th.
After warming up during the brief lunch break, the devs braved the cold once more for a second 4.5km stint in Division 2.
The two women's quads joined forces to lay down a hugely impressive time in the W8+ category, beating both several senior college crews and Lancaster University to finish 9th out of 14.
Meanwhile, the M4x-, above all else, were eager to avoid another swimming session. They were also somewhat unsure of where they were supposed to be rowing and so had to ask directions from another crew before beginning their assault on the rest of the competition. Buoyed by some surprisingly fast splits in the paddle down to the start, it was only upon spinning past the start line that they realised quite how much harder it was to row the other way - against the tide, the stream and the wind. Despite these novel obstacles, the crew fought through valiantly and moved smoothly to finish 3rd in the open men's category, thanks in large to some excellent steering at bow by Ben Ames (BAM).
So, all boats had finished without major incident with just one crew left on the water: the M4+. The boys hadn't been able to get a single outing together before the race, hoping beyond hope that all would go swimmingly (except without the swimming). Paddy Power request-a-bet had a sinking at 5/4 whilst Bet365 set it at 1/1. Miraculously, however, our lads made it through in one wet but buoyant piece, beating St Aidan's College in the process and giving DUBC plenty to cheer about.
So, much to improve in the lead-up to BUCS Head, which takes place on the weekend of 24-25 February. Crucially, though, we can go into it with a huge amount of confidence from our first race.
Upright, dry and with some very respectable times on the clock, it wasn't a bad day at the Dev Squad office at all.
Dev Squad HQ, over and out.'
22/01/2018