ROWERS headed to the water to take part in Wales’ oldest rowing event, the Penarth Regatta.

Penarth’s Regatta dates back 135 years when the club was founded in 1880; the event pre-dates the pier by 15 years.

In unusually calm conditions in glorious sunshine, 48 quadruple sculls and coxed fours from eight clubs, including top Thames outfit Wallingford, raced half a mile along the foreshore to the yacht club. Passengers on the Balmoral were able to catch the regatta as they docked in Clevedon.

Monmouth Rowing Club celebrated as they won five of the 13 events on offer.

Monmouth beat the hosts, Penarth, in their open quad sculls heat before getting the jump on City of Cardiff in the final to take the pots by half a length, while their women’s quad triumphed by beating Penarth and Cardiff in their three boat final.

Cardiff won by half a length in the mixed quad finals, with Monmouth victorious in the masters’ event.

Ross took the women’s masters by one length from City of Swansea, while City of Cardiff won the junior quads by a similar distance from Monmouth.

The Wye club made it five out of eight sculling wins, with victories from Penarth in the women’s junior event and Hereford by one and a half lengths in the mixed junior final, where the English club's bowman lost a blade and rowed a large part of the race with only one scull.

In the afternoon's sweep oar four events, Wallingford beat Monmouth by one length in their semi-final before securing the silverware with a three-quarter length victory over City of Cardiff, while Llandaff beat Monmouth and Penarth by one length in the women's open final.

Hereford beat Monmouth by one length in their masters’ semi-final before beating a Penarth/Llandaff composite by two lengths in the final, and added a second trophy with a four length victory over City of Swansea in the mixed final.

Closest race of the day came in the women's masters fours final, as Ross secured their second win of the day by a quarter length.