MONMOUTH’S annual two-day regatta takes place this weekend (May 28 and 29) with 430 boats launching on to the River Wye.

Organisers say they had to close entries 10 days early due to the huge

number of entrants booking from all over the country.

Event secretary, Sam Tod said: “I’m particularly pleased that our main events are well represented with high quality crews. We have eight

crews for the prestigious Phil Mathew Memorial Invitation men’s eights trophy (named after the regatta’s late commentator) and four for the women’s Alec Woods Ladies Plate (named after the club’s late president

and benefactor).

“It’s great to see the riverbank crowded with boats, rowers

and spectators. Come and enjoy the spectacle of fierce side-by-side racing or just enjoy an ice cream beside the river.”

With one of the few straight river regatta courses in the country, the

regatta was first held in the early 1930s. It became the biggest one-day river rowing regatta in the country in the 1980s.

Sam said: “After a real drop in numbers around the millennium, we’ve

fought our way back thanks to the hard work of club members and

helpers.”

For more information visit www.monmouthrc.org.uk