The weekend saw the very welcome return of the British Rowing Offshore and Beach Sprint Championships, facilitated once again by Exmouth Rowing Club, writes Graham Hurley.

With nearly 170 entries from every corner of the UK, from the Channel Islands to Scotland, the weekend kicked off in challenging conditions with the Offshore Event, a variety of boats competing over a four or six kilometre course.

Exmouth’s Anna Childs and Marie Guingouain struck gold, winning the womens’ double, while ERC took silver in the women’s quad event. Medals for Anna, Marie, Florence Locke and Millie Currans. The Red Army marches on.

Crowds gathered on Saturday and Sunday to cheer on competitors in the Beach Sprint Champs, scored for rowers and spectators alike. This latest addition to British Rowing’s repertory of events has turbo-charged interest in offshore rowing.

Two single sculls are readied in the shallows. The rowers sprint down the beach, clamber into the waiting boats, and haul away. A tricky slalom through a forest of buoys ends with a tight handbrake-turn around the seaward end of the course, followed by a straight-line race to the beach, where the lone sprinters gather the last of their strength for the uphill dash for the big finish.

This is the second time British Rowing has entrusted the championships to Exmouth, and BR’s James Lee was unsparing in his praise for both the venue and all the local support. “The guys down here have been magnificent,” he says. “The safety support from the rowing club and the RNLI was always there and with a bit of wind and weather the setting couldn’t be more perfect. It’s always a pleasure to come to Exmouth and it’s great to know that Offshore Rowing is in such good hands.”

Even better news swept the beach as this year’s Champs came to an end. The 2028 Olympic Games will be taking place in Los Angeles and – yes – there’s every chance that Beach Sprints might make it out to California. That final dash up the beach to the finishing line. And the weight of an Olympic gold medal around your neck….

All in all, it was another weekend for Exmouth, and Devon, to be extremely proud of the watersport venues we can offer.