After two days of near-perfect weather, tight racing and a festival atmosphere, what do we make of the inaugural Golden Oar?
From a racing perspective, it was everything we could have asked for, and more. There were only a few seconds separating crews in the open quads after day one, and only five seconds between the top five crews in the time trial, too. The tightest winning margin came in the first race, when Flynn Wilkinson and Susannah Lutze held out Isobel Egan and Sam Stunnell in the PR3 double by 0.27s. The West Australian composite of Cox, Patten, Blackman and Rossi came away with the event win and oversized cheque in the open quads, the UTS crew of Tisdall, Blackwell, Wolstencroft and Burke in the club quads, ANU/Canberra composite of Turner, Turnbull, Schmidt and Braithwaite in the U19, and a Canberra crew of Walsh, Linacre, Laidlaw and Raymond in the masters.
It looked like a great time from the banks, too. Commentating with Rowing Australia CEO Sarah Cook on air, we both felt a sense of FOMO – while we had the best seats in the house, you just wanted to be out there competing with everyone. The Sinkovic brothers also made a significant contribution to the vibe, happily posing for photos throughout the weekend, despite not quite matching the local competition. Signing them up early helped people realise Golden Oar wasn’t just a fly-by-night operation, but a serious addition to the calendar.
The setup also contributed to the atmosphere. It wasn’t just Red Shed; it was Red Shed plus children’s face painting, plus food and coffee trucks, plus a bar. It meant that spectators and competitors alike had plenty to do between races, which came in very handy during the delay on day two.
There were some teething problems. That delay on day two left many frustrated, as officials took their time confirming the results of Sunday’s time trial. Although given the prize money on offer and the tight margins expected, it’s no wonder organisers wanted to dot their i’s and cross their t’s. A delay in the middle of the masters time trial meant some overtaking as the faster U19 crews were up next; neither hiccup was a showstopper, though, and both can be easily fixed for 2026.
So what to make of the inaugural Golden Oar? It’s a fantastic new addition to the regatta calendar, and let’s let everyone in on our secret in Canberra – it really is a great place to race.
