Henley Women's Regatta

Statement From The Chairman

British Senior Rowing Championship proposed new date and Henley Women’s Regatta.

Henley Women’s Regatta was consulted about the new proposed date for the British Senior Championships (15^th 16^th June) and we expressed our concern. We believe by scheduling the British Senior National Championships to the weekend before Henley Women’s Regatta  is not in the interest of women’s rowing in this country and we advised against this.

Henley Women’s Regatta is 10 days before the start of Henley Royal Regatta and  one week before the qualifying races. Most crews look to peak for a major competition once every two weeks. Therefore crews wishing to compete at the highest level regattas in the calendar will need to peak and race at every weekend over 4 weeks. We do not believe it is sensible to crowd these 4 weeks with so many high level events.

We work hard all year to attract high level crews from abroad to come and race British crews at HWR. For many this is a unique opportunity to test the best in the UK versus the best from overseas We have some exciting crews planning to make the journey for this year and we want them to have the best GB Universities and Clubs to race. The Championship level events last year offered exciting and close racing with a good entry of  between 7 – 16 crews in open weight.

Having the three pinnacle regattas in the UK crowded into this time does not make sense for the rowing calendar. We appreciate that crews may choose not to compete at all three events, i.e. the British Senior Championships, Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta, but we are disappointed that crews and coaches may have to make this choice.

We are also aware of rumours suggesting that crews performing well at the British Championships (should it be confirmed that they will take place on the weekend prior to HWR) would be exempt from the time trials at HWR. The committee wish to stress that no pre- qualification for HWR will be allowed and that all crews will be required to take part in time trials if they are required for an event. Please see the 2019 Event and Entry Criteria and the 2019 General Rules

Miriam Luke

Chairman, Henley Women’s Regatta

Henley Women’s Regatta is the premier regatta for women in the United Kingdom. Each year more than 1,500 rowers travel from all over the UK and from across the world to compete in this prestigious event. Held on the rowing world’s iconic stretch of the River Thames, HWR offers exciting side-by-side match racing for a wide range of competitors, from Juniors to University and Club to Elite level. Spectators are welcome to watch and enjoy the racing along the full length of the course – no tickets required!