DART rolled into town as strong favourites in both the male and female categories for the Appledore Regatta.

The Appledore estuary provided a stirring and suitable venue for the annual Supervets gig rowing championship over the first weekend in June. This sublime, unsung, expanse of water provided a great test for the twenty clubs that turned up, offering twisty unpredictable currents, strong tidal flow and a nagging cheeky Mistral wind, all of which was backdropped by the deathlessly alluring sand dunes of Crow Point far over to the west.

Coming in as the favourites, the women were mob-handed fielding both an A and a B crew, demonstrating the healthy membership of the born-again club; Dart 2.0. Set on the wild North Coast away from the soft balmy delights of the South, the Appledore event attracts some clubs that were unfamiliar to the far-travelling Darts; Barnstaple, Bristol and Newhaven among these.

Racing kicked off at 11am on Saturday and it became rapidly evident to the many spectators on the Promenade that the position in the starting line would determine the difficulty of the first quarter of the race. The advanced crews could negate this and win anyway but those of more marginal oar power found themselves with something of an epic struggle to reach the semi-sanctuary of the first buoy in the traditional 2k kite-shaped course.

Dart Women A were in the former category and quite majestically surged to the front of the pack in both their Saturday rows and then in a work-woman-like manner, concreted themselves to that position and held it, nobody except possibly Bristol really troubled their imperial domination. The B crew obviously found the challenge greater in the Amazonian tide flow but after two strong rows had hauled themselves into the semi-finals by the close of play.

For the men, a more mixed picture emerged, winning the first race with ease they went to bed slightly perturbed by a defeat into second place by Lyme Regis in the final event of day one.

Sunday would reveal all. The men, to their relief, defeated Lyme Regis in the first Semi to seemingly secure the label as favourites for the upcoming final. The women breezed the first semi and then shortly after, strolled round the now familiar course for overall victory. The men following found themselves the victims of the God of Sport and were defeated by Lyme Regis and picked up bronze on the Podium, a lesson in life.

Appledore Gig Club provided a wonderful weekend and so the gig bandwagon moves on.