Port Chalmers United Rowing Club

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!

Remembering Bruce Malcolm

As you drive past Port Chalmers United Rowing Club this week, you’ll see our old flag flying at half-mast. It’s a simple but powerful sign that we’ve lost one of our own, Bruce Malcolm, who passed away at the age of 90.

Bruce was a true gentleman. He was warm, steady, and the kind of person everyone loved to be around. His deep, friendly voice could fill a room, and his easy smile made everyone feel instantly welcome.

Bruce’s connection to rowing goes back many years. He was a proud member of the club from 1950 to 1959, and during that time he built a remarkable rowing record. He won three national titles; the Youth Fours in 1952, the Maiden Fours in 1954, and first place in the Plate Race on the Wairoa River in Napier in 1955. He also represented the Otago provincial eight from 1954 to 1957, winning yet another New Zealand title in 1957.
Bruce was also well known as a Bowls New Zealand selector and national pairs champion, and as a premier rugby player and administrator too.
In 2011 a lightweight single scull was named after him.
Even long after his competitive days were behind him, Bruce’s love for keeping active never faded. Just a couple of months ago, he was still turning up to the exercise room three times a week, keeping himself moving and catching up with friends. His walker had its regular spot behind the door at the club. Now, that spot is empty, and his friend Peter (79) is exercising alone, a quiet reminder of a friendship and a presence that can’t be replaced.
For those of us lucky enough to know him, he’ll be remembered not just as a champion on the water, but as a beautiful man whose warmth and spirit will always be part of our club.

Mainland Inter-provincial Championship
20th-21th September 2025

Recently Robyn, Neil and Sheryl travelled to Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel to compete in the Interprovincial rowing regatta.

Teams travelled from Otago (including Port Chalmers, Cromwell and Wanaka), Canterbury, Southland and Marlborough.

The weather was very kind to us and the lake was generally relatively flat(ish) for the most part. Although later in the afternoon, the wind got up and the water got rough which made it very tricky to start and also stay in our lanes!!

Robyn and Neil rowed a stunning mixed double and did Port Chalmers proud.

Robyn and Sheryl rowed a double and got second place.

All three also rowed singles and were happy with their races (even though the temperature had dropped below zero which caused a few problems with numb fingers).

Robyn and Sheryl teamed up with rowers from Cromwell and Wanaka to compete in an eight which they won.

Otago won the regatta after some very strong competition and great rowing from the other competing provinces.

Prizegiving & AGM – 15 June 2025

After a row that left our toes numb and our noses red, the members of Port Chalmers United Rowing Club gathered for our annual AGM and prizegiving.

It’s been a great year – medals galore, strong representation across the South Island. Thanks to the behind-the-scenes effort of our tireless committee, the club continues to run smoother than a freshly waxed oar.

President Michelle took the stage and dished out the Most Promising Rower award to our newest recruit, Rachel. Well-deserved! As for the rest of us… well, after 10 years of “promising,” we’ve decided to just keep showing up and hope for a miracle.

Corinne, our speed queen, walked away with not one but two cups for most points earned in races. We’re starting to suspect she sleeps in her rowing kit.

Sheryl, the heart and soul of our crew, was rightfully named Most Popular Rower. Kind, helpful, and – surprise! – actually quite good at rowing too. Who says you can’t be nice and fast?

Then came the moment we’d all been waiting for – 10 minutes of wisdom, and rowing metaphors later, Ray proudly presented the coveted Biggest Blunder of the Year award to Neil. Why? Because one swim in the harbour wasn’t enough, Neil went for a sequel – and broke a boat in the process. Some say the boat gave up. Others say Neil rowed it into another dimension. He is now applying for dual citizenship with the local fish.

Huge thanks to coaches Ray and Lesley for keeping us afloat – metaphorically and sometimes literally, we wrapped things up with a well-earned meal at Carey’s Bay Hotel. Here’s to another year of medals, laughter, and – fingers crossed – keeping all boats and rowers upright.

Lake Kaniere - South Island Masters Rowing Champs

When our club heard about this year's South Island Masters' rowing regatta being held on the West Coast, we weren't sure if we could make it due to the 8 hours distance and the unpredictable weather. Luckily our own private chaffeur Neil was ready to take on the driving and after many hours training on the harbour coached by Lesley and Ray our little team of 5 were ready to go. Corinne, Sheryl, Robyn, Neil and Judit signed up to 6-7 races each and tonight they are all travelling home with some 🏅🥈🥉
Neil joined the Invercargill, Southland and Waikato rowing clubs for different races and gained a gold in the long distance race, as well as in the 8- and later on in the quad. Ian Hamilton from Invercargill joined Neil, Sheryl and Robyn in a mixed quad where they also won.
Our womans quad (Robyn, Sheryl, Corinne, Judit) took first place too in a very exciting race. 🥇
Sheryl and Robyn (E-M 2+) gained 🥈alongside Corinne and Judit (A-D 2+) in their doubles. Geoff Gorton from Invercargill joined Robyn for a mixed double where they just missed on a win in a fierce race.
Neil and Corinne gained 2nd in their singles and Sheryl and Robyn got 3rd and 4th places.
We really enjoyed competing in composite crews and hoping that it will happen more often in the future. Our rowers did very well, enjoyed two days of sunshine at Lake Kaniere, and a very well organised Masters' regatta run by Cure Boating Club.

This post is to appreciate these special people, rowing in our club wouldn't be the same without them. Phil, Ray, Lesley, thank you for all you do for our club, and for us rowers. 💚👏💕

South Island Champs News (Twizel, 1st-2nd of February '25) and Masters games (Whanganui, 8th-9th of February '25)

A week after our Invercargill win, Anouk, Corinne, Neil, Sheryl and Judit made their way to Twizel under the watchful eyes of Ray and Lesley to have a great weekend of rowing. On the first day, Ray spotted the tree that had been planted to honour him, donated by the club. The oak tree has been growing since last year and Sheryl had been watering it twice a day while we were there. After our races, we decorated the 'Ray tree' with all of our medals, luckily we had a ton to put on. The women did a great job in their singles, Corinne got a bronze in a very strong field. Sheryl reported a near swim moment but happy as always, she finished the course well, just like Anouk, who was part of the bronze medallist quad with a great time of 3.55. Neil's single didn't go that well, but you can't be winning medals all the time, or can you? Wait for it!
Sheryl and Anouk took the silver medal in their heat in the women's masters double races and the 2025 South Island masters champions in the women's double are: Corinne and Judit who won their first gold medal as a crew. 🥇

The following weekend (8th-9th of February) Neil travelled to the yearly masters games to Whanganui, to see if he still has the power like he had in his 20s and won medals in all races he entered. 100m - silver, 500m - silver, 1000m - bronze, 2000m - bronze, 10000m - gold, 1km masters single skull race - silver. Well done champ, the club is proud of you. Imagine if he wouldn't have had a 50 years break from rowing? Since the weekend, Neil haven't been seen at our club, is he retiring or just have a sore neck by carrying all the medals?

Weekend Rowing Report – Invercargill Edition

Seven of our keen masters rowers decided to have a road trip to Invercargill.

Our fearless crew—Anouk, Sheryl, Corinne, Judith, Robyn, Neil, and Judit—made their way to the deep south, where the sun was shining, the water was calm… until it wasn’t. Of course, being from our club, where the water can change moods very fast, we were well-prepared.

Race Highlights:

Women’s Singles: Corinne rowed her way to gold like she had an outboard motor. Behind her, Robyn, Sheryl, and Anouk followed in a squadron of speed.

Women’s Quad: Some boats were mixed, but our ladies were having none of it—they powered through and took the win. The same thing happened in the Women’s Four, where they raced against men, mixed crews, and strong schoolgirls, proving that experience (and sheer determination) wins every time.

Doubles: Corinne & Judit led the charge, followed by Sheryl & Judith, then Anouk & Robyn. Basically, if you saw a boat from our club, it was probably ahead of you.

Men’s Singles: Neil. What a legend. First across the finish line, and first to flash a victorious grin. Some say he’s still smiling.

A huge thanks to Invercargill Rowing Club for a fantastic regatta and as always thanks to Ray and Lesley's continous input. We had a blast, and we’ll be definitely back next year…