After lashing down the gazebo we headed out for our first 200m heat. This was a two boat race as Cool Runnings and Secklow 100 were clearly too scared to come and race us! So, our first race was against Batchworth who are currently top of the Premier League. We ran our own race, kept focussed and posted a very good time placing us well into the reps. The rest of the 200m races went incredibly smoothly with the starter being able to get races going quickly and we even started running earlier than the schedule, amazing!

We posted consistent times all morning and for the first time ever in Exe-Calibre history we won 16 points in the 200m Standard division of the BDA. This is a fantastic achievement for Exe-Calibre and laid a good foundation for the 500m races in the afternoon.

For once we managed to have a decent lunch break before our first 500m race. We kept warm by huddling together in the gazebo and piling on the layers! The 500m start was tough compared to the morning because the course had a significant tail wind which continued to push crews over the line and off course. However, with Lisa's words of encouragement about not saving anything for the start we flew off the line under the bridge and straight on to the finish line. The rate might have been a little too fast (sorry guys!) but it gave us a great time of just over 2 min 5 secs.

Our rep came up quickly and was over just as quickly with us being the fastest rep winner. This meant we had paddled ourselves into the Cup semis! The prospect of bringing home maximum league points was becoming a reality! Our semi race had an extremely prolonged start as the wind was pushing the other two teams (Worcester and BA Hurricanes) forwards and off their line. We ended up being on the start for almost 15 minutes getting colder and colder. Thanks have to go here to Stuart Menzies who stepped in as our pool helm for the day and kept his cool brilliantly, keeping us on the line when other helms could not hold their boats. Once the race started we were able to settle into a good rate and even managed to avoid any complications with a ferry coming down the course at the same time.

Our Cup Tail final race was against TAO Dragons (a combination crew of Bristol Empire and Wraysbury). We had only a few minutes between getting off the water from the previous race and then rushing back on. However, we knew that this was our last race and that we were the only standard team in the Cup competition - so we had already won a whopping 16 league points! There was no time for slacking off though as our final race was an epic battle. They were right next to us not giving an inch and us not letting them have one either. We surged through the line, with the drive of our lives and it was only a photo finish that confirmed TAO had won by 0.30 of a second, if only the race had been one stroke longer, we may have got it!

While this was the end of the day's racing for the Exe-Calibre Open crew, our feisty maidens joined the Crusaders and Kingston for the ladies race. In an impressive 4 boat line-up helms struggled to negotiate their boats into a very narrow section of the course under the bridge. The 2m clear water rule was definitely broken as all the helms fought to maintain their race line (and some quite clearly flouted it!). Worcester surged ahead leaving Notts and Amathus squeezing us in between them and matching us stroke for stroke. After what seemed like an eternity we pushed hard for the line and claimed third place, very close behind Amathus. It was certainly an adrenalin-fuelled helming experience for Lisa!

Another fabulous day of racing and 32 league points in the bank for Exe-Calibre Dragon Boat Club. We can now proudly take our place at the top of the Standard League! Well done to Paul Savai for surviving his first day of racing and to the rest of the crew for a magnificent effort. Also, thanks to Alex for his drumming and motivational calls down the course.

So, barely time to draw breath and it's off to the third event next at Nottingham on 16th May. Time for Exe-Calibre to consolidate its position at the top of the league!