Beach rowing competition kicks off in Britain under wet conditions, as competitors flaunt victorious smiles on the opening day of the 2025 British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships.

The 2025 British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships kicked off on a sunny Day 1, marking the debut of a new event - Mixed Coxed Quads. The competition took place at Knoll Beach in Studland, with volunteers working tirelessly to ensure a smooth event, despite changes in location due to weather conditions.

In the Coastal Women's Doubles event, the Exeter RC double of Eleanor Burke and Summer Harlow clinched the victory, with the Inverness/Molesey composite winning the Championship title by over 6 seconds. The Mixed Coxed Quads event was won by a composite crew from Fishguard and Goodwick Jemima RC, Tynemouth RC, and the University of London RC.

The Coastal Open Solos event saw a dominant performance from James Cox of Agecroft RC, while the Coastal Open Student Solos event was won by Harris Bisset of the University of St Andrews BC. Tom Walker finished in second place, with the gold medal winner's name yet to be disclosed in the search results.

In the Masters categories, Marc emerged victorious in both the Coastal Open Masters Solos and the Four Nations Series Championship. Phil McCorry of Bexhill took the bronze medal in the Coastal Open Masters Solos event, with Peter Hardcastle, racing for Imperial Boat Club, coming in second place.

The Coastal Mixed Doubles event was a close contest, with Cam Buchan and Natacha Searson of Jersey RC taking the gold medal. Hal Flowerdew and McKenna Simpson of Tynemouth won the bronze, while Jerry Owen and Lara Brittain, representing Fishguard and Goodwick Jemima RC and Nottingham RC, finished in second place.

Scott Maccallum of Stathclyde Park RC won the bronze medal in the Coastal Open Student Solos event, and Colin Wallace of the University of St Andrews BC finished fourth in the Coastal Open Masters Solos event after a tumble out of the boat.

Notable participants included Rachel Dulai, Sustainability Lead for British Rowing, who took part in the Mixed Coxed Quads event. Ollie Owen of the Yorkshire Performance Development Academy also participated in the Mixed Coxed Quads event.

Mark Davies, Interim CEO of British Rowing, expressed his admiration for the volunteers who managed to put on the event despite the challenges posed by the weather conditions. The British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships concluded with a successful debut and some exciting wins, setting the stage for future beach sprint competitions.

Beach rowing competition kicks off in Britain under wet conditions, as competitors flaunt victorious smiles on the opening day of the 2025 British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships.