High-adrenaline rowing at the 2023 RMB VLC National Sprints Regatta

The 2023 RMB VLC National Sprints Regatta took place on 28 and 29 January at the Victoria Lake Club at Germiston Lake in Johannesburg. The race drew 968 contestants from 15 schools across the country and attracted a large crowd of supporters. The day drew a cross section of participating rowers, from masters and the RMB National Squad to schools and development rowing clubs.

It was great to have the RMB National Squad racing at the event,” said Lucy Lightfoot, Head of Brand at RMB. Their participation gave athletes and spectators front row seats to world class racing and an opportunity for learners and spectators to meet and be photographed with their rowing heroes.”

The regatta has been running for more than 100 years, making it one of the longest running sporting events in the country.

“The 2023 regatta was characterised by the usual thrills and spills that we”ve come to expect from the event over the years. The short 1 000-metre course lends itself to exciting, high-adrenaline sprints,” added Lightfoot.

Unfortunately the regatta was stopped shortly after lunchtime on Sunday due to lightning. RMB recently sponsored the installation of a lightning tower, which picks up on lightning risk and gives coaches and event organisers advanced warning to get athletes and spectators to safe shelter.

Darryl Williams, Chairperson of Victoria Lake Rowing Club said: “It was great to be back on the water again at the first regatta of the season. The athletes and spectators absolutely loved it. As an organising committee we are really disappointed that we couldn’t finish the regatta. The lightning meter was activated, giving us significant warning to get all the athletes off the water to safety.

“The regatta was a huge success with a record number of master entries. We had eight lanes of very close competitive racing with our masters in preparation for the 2023 World Masters Regatta, taking place in South Africa for the first time in September.”

What stood out for us this year was the diversity of the contestants,” said Lightfoot. We saw athletes participating from all spheres of South African society, in all age groups and at all levels.

We are proud to be associated with this exciting sport, which has provided many South Africans with the opportunity to participate, both locally and internationally, against some of the best athletes in the world,” concluded Lightfoot.

A selection of professional photographs will be available to download for free, courtesy of RMB, via the Bruce Viaene Photography website:

Here are the results: