CREWS from Chester headed to Merseyside for one of the more unusual races of the winter season.

The Head of the Float, hosted by Liverpool Victoria Rowing Club on Saturday, required crews to race 1,200m up Birkenhead Docks before turning round and racing back again.

Clubs from all over the north west took part.

Grosvenor Rowing Club came home with plenty of medals.

Their veteran men put in a strong squad, with the Masters C four of Rich Maclean, Tim Howe, Jez Perkins and Jeremy Lush winning their division and coming in as the fastest Grosvenor crew of the day.

The veteran men also won the Masters C eight with their crew of Janet Vorberg, Pete Lush, Jerry Poupard, Pete Abbott, Mike Allwood, Tim Howe, Jez Perkins, Jem Lush and Adrian Mullen (cox).

Grosvenor’s new novice veteran squad also gained valuable racing experience, with a solid row to build on for future races. The novice men also had a good day with an IM3 eight and novice eight boats entered and both doing well.

The veteran novice and the novice eight crews comprised wholly of graduates from Grosvenor’s Learn To Row courses and, for many, it was their first ever race.

Grosvenor’s senior women’s squad had an excellent day, with their IM2 eight and IM1 eight crews coming in as the first and second fastest women’s crews of the day.

The IM1 eight did not have any opposition, but the IM2 eight of Louise Tobias, Goranka Bosanac, Katie Irwin, Leigh Jenkins, Helen Rowland, Laura Antrobus, Leanne Ratcliffe, Yvonne Wharton and Margaret Ugbo (cox) won their category, coming in nearly 20 seconds ahead of the next crew.

Queens Park High School Rowing Club were also in action.

Their J17 quad – with Joel Langmead, Ben Archer, Struan Fishburn and Liam Vipond – came first in their group, as did the IM3 quad comprising Joel Langmead, Chris McCartney, Leon Langmead and Liam Vipond.

The Chester school’s J17 quad was eighth fastest of the day and the IM3 quad 13th fastest out of 70 crews.