Durham ARC Masters were in London on Sunday, March 29th for the Vesta International Masters Head of the River Race which takes place over the 6.8km Championship course on the Thames between Chiswick and Putney, on the same weekend as the Head of the River Race.
DARC was represented in the time trial for Masters (age 27+) which is organised by Vesta Rowing Club by the Men’s Masters E eight who started with bow number 56 in a field of 296 from across the UK and overseas.
Making their first appearance on the Tideway the crew of Vaughan Gordon, Peter Topping, Alastair Edge, Paolo Fortis, Darren Wrack, Tom Dower, John Liddell, Peter Matthews and Matthew Watson (cox) did outstandingly well to complete the course in 22.35.2 to take 16th place in the MasE 8+ category.
Results are available here. The overall winner was the London Rowing Club MasA 8+ in 17.47.4.
Photos by Allmarkone are here.
Allmarkone also provided live streaming available to watch on YouTube here.
Congratulations to all taking part!
The Boat Race takes place next Saturday, April 4th, over the same course but in the reverse direction, with TV coverage by Channel 4.
Following his success with Cambridge in the 2024 Boat Race, 2022 Lightweight Boat Race and 2025 Reserve Boat Race Durham ARC alumnus Matt Edge is this year again selected in the Goldie Cambridge Reserve Boat, and we wish him every success, as he follows in the wake of his dad Alastair in the DARC Masters eight!
Elsewhere a blustery weekend in the North East meant the cancellation of both Ponteland Junior Head on the River Tyne on Saturday and the opening round of the 2026 Sunday League in Durham, and much disappointment for all those involved.
The Boat Race marks the watershed between the winter head racing season and the side by side racing of the summer regatta season, with entries now open for Chester-le-Street Regatta on April 18th, York Spring Regatta on May 2nd and Tees Regatta on May 16th, while Durham City Regatta is on May 9th and 10th.
Photo: Allmarkone