An estimated 340 participants took part in the 2023 Head of the Fort Regatta in Fort Langley on Saturday, April 1, with singles, doubles, quads and eights rowing a 5.5 kilometre course over three races that passed beneath the Bedford Channel bridge.
That was up from the 200 participants who competed in last year’s event in Fort Langley, when the regatta returned from an enforced shutdown during the pandemic.
It was hosted by the University of the Fraser Valley rowing club, whose coach, Lisa Roman, was encouraged by the increased turnout for the 13th annual UFV home regatta, describing it as “amazing.”
“We’re not quite double [last year] but we’re getting close,” Roman told the Langley Advance Times.
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Roman, a rowing champion from Langley whose many achievements include a gold medal at the Olympics and a world record at the U23 World Rowing Championships, has set herself the task of rebuilding the UFV rowing club where she got her start.
“Our team has gone from six people to 12 people, so we’re slowly making gains,” Roman said.
“COVID definitely hurt us quite a bit. We’re still rebuilding and we anticipate it’s going to take a little while.”
Increased turnout for Head of Fort is good financial news for the UFV rowing team, Roman explained.
“It’s a really good fundraiser for us. It helps with the upkeep of the boathouse and all the equipment that we have.”
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One of the event organizers, Lauren Glanfield, was encouraged by the increased turnout for the second “revival” of Head of the Fort, following a drawn-out COVID-related shutdown.
“There’s probably 50 per cent more boats this year,” Glanfield estimated.
“It’s great.”
Glanfield issued a public thank-you to the other rowing clubs who made the event possible, saying “we rely on the support of all the water user groups.”
Full results can be viewed online at reggatacentral.com.
More photos from the day can be viewed online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
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