About Us.
History of Rowing in Whitehead
The first rowing in Whitehead emerged when a coastguard station was set up in 1872. Rowing races were popular at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century when the town became a seaside resort for day trippers from Belfast. However interest died out with the last recorded races held in 1955. Rowing only re-emerged as part of the County Antrim Yacht Club in 2018. It generated so much interest that in January 2019 the first ever independent rowing club in Whitehead was set up. By the middle of 2019, WCRC already had 50 members and had bought its first ODY boat. The club currently operates from the Blackhead car park boat park and owns three Celtic One Design Yawls@
Golden Dawn
Midnight Moon
Amber Dusk
Coastal rowing has a long tradition in Ireland and hundreds of years ago it was often the fastest way to travel between towns. Rowing racing also has a long history and to this day is deeply rooted in the communities where it is practiced. If you want to find out more about the history of rowing on the Antrim coast, then Felix McKillop’s book Rowing on the Antrim Coast is a great reference. He claims that the first rowing races in the British Isles (before Henley and Oxford v Cambridge) were established in Larne in 1828.
Coastal Rowing Races
The Mixed Veteran crew at Glenarm Regatta, July 2019, who were the first ever WCRC crew to win a race.
Whitehead Coastal Rowing Club aims to cater for a range of abilities and activities. This might be just an easy “social” row or a rowing excursion. Some of the excursions we have already done include trips from Whitehead to Carrick, Bangor, The Gobbins, and Portmuck. We have our own boat trailer we have completed rowing trips from Portballintrae past the Giant’s Causeway to White Park Bay (about 11 km) and back.
However, rowing races are the highlight for many members. Most of these races occur during the summer and provide motivation to improve their strength, fitness and technique throughout the year.
These races are generally divided into time trials over longer distances (typically between 3 and 20 km) and shorter regatta races (between 700 and 2000 m) which are raced with crews side by side in 6 or more lanes. The regatta races start with the boat stationary, are raced up to and around a buoy and back to the start. The time trials, being longer, are raced at a steady pace while the regattas are short, intense and provide a great spectacle for those on the shore.
Committee
A committee is elected at the AGM, usually held in January each year. The committee is entrusted to make decisions for the club and its members on matters of policy, finance, events, and rowing. If necessary, decisions are decided by a simple majority vote. It meets about once a month to organise and approve all the activities of the club. The committee can co-opt other (non-voting) members onto the committee to help with the running of the club. Being a volunteer club, there are also many other club members who also make major contributions to the club’s activities.
The 2023 committee is as follows:
Chair: Simon Wheeler
Co-chair: Jason Greenwood
Hon. Secretary: Lheanna Kent
Hon. Treasurer: Tanya Alderdice
Membership Sec:
Ordinary Members: Vicky Watson, Rosie Bennett, Anne Irvine
Whitehead Coastal Rowing Club are affiliated to the ICRF and the regional Antrim Coastal Rowing Association (ACRA) which is made up of clubs from Carnlough, Glenarm, Ballygally (Castle), and Whitehead. Most of the races WCRC are involved with are organised by ACRA. The Down Coastal Rowing Association is also affiliated to the ICRF. These County Down clubs mainly use the St. Ayle’s Skiff boats. WCRC owns one of these boats and we have rowed with and competed against the Co. Down clubs.