Swan Lake was the place to be for the top rowers in the province on Saturday, June 15.
The annual Lap the Lake regatta was hosted by the Vernon Rowing and Dragon Boat Club (VRDBC).
Despite the wet weather, 11 clubs, 26 boats and 54 athletes participated in the two-part event.
Vernon siblings Elena and Jonas Masys finished the mixed doubles event with an impressive time of 14:44. Elena, who is a member of the UVic Vikes women's rowing team, returned home for the weekend to direct crews as the dock master. The duo won the title in the handicapped race, where raw times were adjusted by boat type, gender and age.
Other notable results from Vernon rowers included the sister duo of Annika and Cora Van Vliet in the women's double. Annika, also a member of the UVic Vikes, and her sister finished with a strong time of 16:45.
Their sister Louisa raced in the junior women's quad with teammates Kate Green, Autumn Prediger, and Amy Milne, finishing in 17:07. Leo Middelkamp and Peter Masys secured first place in the junior men’s double with a time of 16:44, and Cole O'Connor won the junior men’s single with a time of 17:14. Another junior men’s double from Vernon, Ryland Holmgren and Simon Pyefinch, scored second place in their category.
Lars Taylor from Vernon competed in the men's adaptive single, marking his first row of the season, and a composite crew from Shuswap and Vernon took on the challenge of racing an octet, an eight-rowing shell rigged for sculling.
The event was followed by a development camp for U23 and Master rowers, led by Rowing B.C. director of performance and Olympic gold medallist, Terry Paul.
More information can be found at vernonrowinganddragonboat.com.
