Port Chalmers United Rowing Club

PCURC AGM and Prizegiving- June 2026
We celebrated another fantastic year of rowing, socialising and plenty of good-natured teasing.

Heartfelt thanks went to outgoing president Michelle and "superior secretary" Judith Turner for years of dedication. Rachael Hart steps up as president, while Neil Adams takes over secretary duties alongside the legendary Faye, marking over 40 years of service.

The prizegiving brought plenty of laughs. Ray "won" or we can say forced to claim the biggest blunder award for a snapped boat trailer rope. He was narrowly escaping a night in the garage thanks to Lesley's ultimatum. Many was relieved to miss out on that award.

Ange earned the Most Promising Rower cup, the award some never gets, the one we always hope for next year. The "Big Girls" women's quad Judith, Sheryl, Corinne, and Judit took home Crew of the Year. Top-scorer Corinne got another cup for most point at races and another with Judit for their South Island silver, while a shocked Judit was named Crewmember of the Year.

Deep thanks went to Ray and Lesley our incredible coaches who do absolutely everything behind the scenes, they are the bricks for our club. Special thanks went to Ross (health and safety booklet) Rachael (Rewritten Constitution) Barry and Neil (maintenence), and Peter (gardening duties). More than just a sports club, PCURC is a tight knit family. If you miss a freezing morning row, expect a text tracking you down like a missing person's report just to see if you overslept and still alive. Cheers to another great year!
📸 R.Mihics

What an incredible weekend at the South Island Masters Champs in St Arnaud!

Eight rowers made the trip this year: Judit, Amy, Ange, Rachael, Judith, Sheryl, Corinne, Neil and it was well worth it. Conditions were near perfect on day one, with a bit more wind rolling in on the second afternoon.
Our three new novice women Amy, Rachael and Ange delivered an outstanding performance, crossing the finish line first in their race, a huge achievement, even with handicaps favouring older crews. Neil dominated his singles, winning both races, while Sheryl and Corinne each secured 2nd place in their age group singles. Rachael also had a good run, finishing first in both of her singles races.
There were some fantastic team efforts too, Amy and Ange powered through a great double after overcoming early challenges, and Rachael and Amy combined for a gold medal. Our Masters women’s quad took out gold in a fiercely competitive field. Judit and Corinne also achieved a fantastic 2nd place in their pair.
Not everything went to plan, with the Masters doubles missing the podium due to a crash and the other crew due to fitness, but the spirit and determination never dropped. Neil and Judith also represented well in composite crews, and Judith joined forces with the novice women for a fantastic race.
We missed our coaches Ray and Lesley, who were with us in spirit throughout the weekend.
A huge thanks to for outstanding organisation, a beautiful venue, and amazing food. A perfect weekend of racing!

Port Chalmers United Rowing Club – Summer Update

The beginning of the year is always a busy time for our club. We kicked things off with the South Island Championships in Twizel, followed by the Masters Games in Dunedin, where some of our rowers competed in indoor rowing events.

South Island Championships – Twizel

31 January – 1 February

Rowers representing our club were Judith, Neil, Sheryl, Corinne, and Judit, with Anouk joining us once again from France, as she does each year. Steve from Bluff joined our mixed quad crew.

We were very grateful to have our coaches Ray and Lesley with us, guiding everyone through the whole process—from loading boats to winning races!

Despite being a small club, we achieved some fantastic results:

🥇 Women’s Quad: Judith, Judit, Corinne, Sheryl

🥈 Mixed Quad: Steve, Neil, Judith, Judit

🥈 Women’s Single: Corinne

🥉 Women’s Single: Sheryl

🥉 Mixed Double: Anouk, Neil

It was a great regatta, and we added more medals to Ray’s tree, which has now become a much-loved tradition after strong race finishes.

Masters Games 2026 – Dunedin

The Masters Games were held in Dunedin, with Faye, Neil, and Judit competing in 2000m, 1000m, 500m, and 300m indoor rowing races.

They all had outstanding performances, winning every race in their age groups, with Faye setting several New Zealand records.

We are now busy training for our next event in Invercargill, where our novice rowers will be competing in their very first races. Exciting times ahead for the club!