Crews from all over Ireland will arrive in Enniskillen this weekend for the Erne Head of the River.
61 men’s crews and 36 women’s crews from schools, universities and senior clubs will compete over the four-mile course which starts at the top of the Killyhevlin straight, following the river down past the town, through the west bridges, and finishing opposite the clubhouse.
The women’s crews will begin to leave the boathouse around 10am for an 11am start, and the men’s crews will repeat the process for a 2pm start in the afternoon.
The format is a timed race from the start to the finish, so the crews are racing the clock for the best time in their category.
The first Head of the River was run in 1957 with just four crews and the event has grown massively with two events in the annual rowing calendar currently, the Fours Head in the Autumn and the Eights Head in the Spring.
Enniskillen has seven crews in the first race and seven crews in the second race. For some senior rowers, this will be their last competitive outing before they head down to the Irish Rowing Centre near Cork the following weekend to compete in the Irish trials for a place in the summer international competitions.
It will also be the first big rowing event for some the junior rowers with three J14 crews in the women’s race and two J14 crews in the men’s race.
There will be twenty-three launch boats along the course to ensure a safe event and the club wished to thank the volunteers who provide their time and boats to provide this level of cover.
The weather forecast is promising for the weekend and there is only a light flow on the river, so conditions should be ideal for rowing.
The best places to watch the crews racing downstream are the Killyhevlin Jetty, Forum Towpath, Stuarts Carpark jetty, the Bridges, and the Round ‘O’ jetty.
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