ROYAL Chester Rowing Club notched up a win at the famous Boston rowing marathon in Lincolnshire on Sunday.
In hot and sunny conditions, the coxless quad of Steve Davies, Geoff Wellings, Gareth Parsonage and Rob Owens completed the gruelling course on the river Witham from Lincoln to Boston in four hours and 10 minutes to win the intermediate three event.
The ‘Boston’ was first run in 1946 by Boston Rowing Club and annually attracts more than 200 crews – from single sculls to eights – who want to beat the course record, win their division or simply say they’ve survived it.
The course is a testing 31 miles, which is roughly the same as rowing from Chester to Lymm.
The course is further complicated by a lock at 18 kilometres.
Crews have to lift the boat out of the water and make a dash round the lock to re-launch their boat for the remaining 32 kilometres.
The Royal Chester crew managed a win at their first attempt despite being without control of the rudder for the latter part of the race.
They now hope that their recent training will be of benefit at the Chester Long Distance Sculls.
