WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

We're coming off an exciting weekend of Masters racing action at the Australian Masters Rowing Championships in Penrith! Our Victorian state crews and clubs have returned with a healthy stack of medals as reward for their hard work.

This weekend, the run of international racing begins with the Para Rowing Regatta in Paris, featuring Victorian Suzannah Lutze in the PR3 Single Scull.

Read more below.

Rowing Victoria

       UPCOMING REGATTAS

ROWING AUSTRALIA NEWS

How Susannah Lutze and Sam Stunell found their place in para-rowing

VIC SUCCESS AT AMRC

Well done to all Victorians who competed at the recent Australian Masters Rowing Championships at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.

We were pleased to see plenty of success at club and state level across the 4 days of racing.

It was a fantastic overall performance from our Victorian Masters Team, including podium finishes for all 5 crews, highlighted by the performance of our Women’s Quad.

The crew finished in 3:27.17, narrowly defeating New South Wales by 0.96 seconds to claim Gold, marking the 8th consecutive win in the event for Victoria!

Go the Big White V!

STATE TEAM RESULTS

Special mention also to Melbourne RC (2nd), Carrum RC (5th), and Yarra Yarra RC (6th) for their impressive top 10 finishes in the Club Point Score.

Melbourne’s position was certainly aided by the strong individual performances of Rod Stewart (3rd), Tanja Nishibata (5th), and Gregor O’Nians (7th).

Photos from all four days are available for purchase via Australian Rowing Images.

Images: Australian Rowing Images

FAMILIAR FACES SHINE AT IRA & NCAA ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

A number of Australian athletes competed on the international collegiate stage last weekend, with strong performances at the 2025 IRA National Championships and 2025 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships.

Amongst them were 24 Victorians who are currently challenging themselves in the US College System.

Stand out performances included Sarah Marriott's Stanford Uni crew claiming Silver in the Varsity Eight, whilst Ryan Cornelius and George Burney featured in the Silver medal winning Harvard Uni crew in the Varsity Coxed Four.

Many of these athletes will be attending the Rowing Australia Under 23 Coxed Eight trials from June 13-18, in the hope of securing U23 World Championship selection.

Read Rowing Australia's full results recap below.

Image: Rowing Australia

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - OTRC L2+ UMPIRES

The inaugural Oceania U22 Teams Rowing Championships will be held at West Lakes, Adelaide, from 24-27 July 2025. The event will see teams from all Australian states (and the ACT), and from New Zealand North & South Island, meet to compete in a variety of boat classes to be crowned Oceania U22 Team Champions.

Rowing South Australia, as the host association, and on behalf of the participating organisations, will be assembling a Jury Panel to oversee the safe and fair conduct of the competition. The development of all participants is a key aim of the Oceania U22 Rowing Championships, as such Rowing SA will also seek to create development opportunities for officials as part of the event, insofar as it does not impede the safe and fair running of the event which remains the highest priority.

Interested candidates should complete the Expression of Interest Form (below) by Friday 13 June. L2 candidates (not required for L3) will also need to include a letter of recommendation from their state association, sent to blannan@rowingsa.asn.au.

Successful candidates will be notified by the 18th of June.

REMINDER: BOW & STERN LIGHTS

It is important that ALL rowers on ALL waterways (and coaches on bikes and powerboats) between sunset and sunrise have adequate lighting for your safety and the safety of others. 

Rowing boats, in restricted visibility and between sunset and sunrise, are required by LAW to exhibit;

• Two all-round white lights - one attached to the boat at or near the forward or bow end, and one attached to the boat at or near the stern end.
• Bow light - A continuous white light is considered acceptable if it is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.
• Stern light - A flashing white light is considered acceptable if it flashes at least once per second and is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.

Not withstanding the above, it is considered acceptable for a light to be masked so as not to interfere with the vision of the vessel’s occupants, provided at least one light is visible from any direction (see diagram below).

BIKE LIGHTS

In addition to safely lighting our boats, it is important that coaches are also meeting requirements off the water. By law, your bike must be fitted with a rear red reflector, a bell, and at least one working brake.

When riding at night and in low-light, you must use a front white light and a rear red light. The light can be flashing or steady but must be seen from 200 metres away. It is also a good idea to use flashing lights during the day to help other road users see you.

SAFETY REMINDER

Rowing Victoria would like to remind all members the importance of using our equipment and waterways safely and appropriately.

Please follow traffic rules, including correctly using designated turning zones. Rules and maps for all waterways can be found on our Venues webpage. By following these rules, our waterways are safer for all. 

We have also been made aware of a number of incidents where rowing coaches have been sighted either riding without helmets, using megaphones at incorrect hours, or using mobile phones while riding (both in conversation or filming their crews).

For your own safety, to avoid fines, and to respect other members of the community, we ask that you please ensure you are obeying the law and not partaking in the behaviours above.

WATERWAY ACCESS & INCIDENT REPORTING

Could all waterway users please ensure they are acquainted with their local waterway rules; traffic direction, turning points, stationary obstacles etc.

So that RV, Maritime Safety Victoria and now, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority can support the community in providing safe waterways, please register all incidents via the RV Report an Incident tile on the home page of the RV website.

A consistent management of reporting will assist us in ensuring we are kept safe on the water and the chances of equipment damage is mitigated.