The 61st South Coast Rowing Championships Regatta. and 12 th South Coast Junior Regatta. Hosted by the Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association. At Dorney Lake, Eton. On Saturday, 2 nd September, 2017. Web Site at - www.hdara.co.uk/scc
The next South Coast Championships Rowing Regatta, the 61 st, along with the 12 th South Coast Junior Regatta will be hosted by the Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association and will take place on Saturday, 2nd September, 2017 at Dorney Lake, Eton - the venue for the 2012 Olympic Regatta - and the South Coast Rowing Championships in 2007 and 2011. This booklet sets out the organising committees plans for the Championships and provides information on Dorney Lake and where it is and how to find accommodation. John Purkess. Chairman, Organising Committee. Regatta Secretary Tim Bull, 21, Heron Close, Sway, Lymington, Hants. S04 6ET. Telephone 01590 683887. E Mail: timothy.bull@tiscali.co.uk
Why Dorney? Eton Dorney was chosen as the venue for the 2017 Regatta by the Hants & Dorset ARA because it is prestigious, High Profile and gives us an opportunity, at all levels, to experience racing on a multi-lane, international standard, rowing course and an Olympic venue. We believe that it is the fairest Racing course offered for any South Coast Championship Regatta with the best facilities for the athletes and it is a course that almost guarantees the event being held regardless of weather conditions. The decision to go back to Eton Dorney was made after careful consideration of the alternative venues. These have been explored extensively. The traditional Hants & Dorset venues Western Shore, the I.W and Swanage are all vulnerable to the weather and have lost events in the past. The Hants & Dorset has no multilane inland course where the Regatta can be staged and the event is almost guaranteed to take place.
About Dorney Lake. Eton Dorney is an eight-lane, purpose built Rowing Course owned by Eton College and opened in June, 2000. The Lake is operated by an independent charity called the Dorney Lake Trust Company and is a subsidiary of Dorney Lake Services Ltd. The lake was the venue for the World Rowing Championships in 2006, the World Junior Championships in 2011 and the Olympic Rowing Regatta and Canoeing events in 2012. The Lake hosted the 2007 & 2011 South Coast Rowing Championships and under 16 Regatta s. It is a magnificent, modern venue, set in a secluded 400 acre nature park near the River Thames. The course has eight fully buoyed lanes over 2200 meters long plus a return lane. Designed to FISA guidelines the course has shallow angled, gravel edged banks for Safety and wave dampening.
Facilities at Dorney Lake. There is a start and finish tower, fixed starting positions, and a PA system covering the last 300m of the course. There is ample boat storage, changing, shower and toilet facilities available. In addition to the Rowing Lake Eton Dorney offers a modern boathouse with boat storage and repair facilities, a gymnasium, changing, shower and toilet facilities, sports medicine facilities and conference/reception and catering facilities. The Lake can be made available for training in the days prior to the Championship although there will be a charge for this. There is ample parking space and an excellent view of the course for spectators. There is also ample space for Boat Trailers and plenty of boat racking available
Accommodation. Although there is no accommodation on site, the venue is conveniently located near Windsor & Eton where there is an abundance of accommodation and entertainment to suit all budgets. There are two camp sites near to Dorney Lake and we have identified over one hundred Hotels and Guest Houses in the area. Maidenhead and Reading, where there is further accommodation available, is only a few miles away. If you are looking for accommodation near to the venue then one of the best sources of information is the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead official tourism website that can be found at - http://www.windsor.gov.uk/accommodation The site covers a wide range of accommodation from clean and comfortable budget hotels, cosy bed and breakfasts and homely self-catering to boutique hotels and fabulous spa retreats and has a useful search facility you can use to find what you are looking for. Where the accommodation displaying the green 'book
now' button you are guaranteed availability so you can get your hotel booked quickly and securely. You can book into a family-run B&B, guest house or inn and enjoy more intimate and personal surroundings and a hearty cooked breakfast or enjoy the freedom and flexibility of staying in self-catering accommodation. You can make your budget go further by choosing a hostel, university campus accommodation or camping park in the Windsor and Maidenhead area. Or choose from a wide selection of hotels, including budget hotels and top-of-the-range hotels with excellent facilities. Contacts & Communications. If you would like to receive a copy of the regular E Bulletin on the Championships please send an E Mail to hdarascc@gmail.com Further information is also available on the Championship Regatta Web site which is hosted by the Hants & Dorset ARA web site at http://www.hdara.co.uk the quick link that will take you directly to the South Coast Championship pages is - http://www.hdara.co.uk/scc More information on Dorney Lake can be found at - www.dorneylake.co.uk/