Minerva Rowers Take on the World in Banyoles

28th September, 2025

Banyoles, Spain – the rowing venue of the 1992 Olympic Games – played host to one of the largest gatherings of Masters rowers ever this September. The 2025 World Rowing Masters Regatta drew more than 3,700 athletes from 747 clubs, making it the second-biggest edition in history. Over five days, 680 races took place on Lake Banyoles, with rowers ranging in age from 27 to 96.

Among them were 15 Minerva athletes – joined by Jon from Avon County – who together took part in 35 races across singles, doubles, quads, and mixed crews. They were part of a truly international field: 670 athletes had travelled from Britain, over 400 from Spanish clubs, nearly 300 from the United States, and large groups from France, Germany, Australia, Brazil, and Japan.

The oldest competitor on the water was 96-year-old Odilon Maia Martins from Brazil, honoured by organisers with a special “Octos” medal given to every athlete aged 80 and over. And closer to home, Minerva’s own Klaus, now in his 85th year, added another chapter to his legendary rowing career. Rowing in a composite crew, he claimed a gold medal on the opening day – a fitting continuation of a journey that began when he won Olympic gold for Germany in Rome in 1960.

Women Flying the Flag

Juliet described how the Minerva women were “well represented” with three quads, five doubles, and several mixed boats. Ching was relentless, racing six times across singles, doubles, and quads. She secured second place in three events: the WF1x, the mixed F2x with Frosty from BOA (missing gold by just a second), and the mixed F4x with Richard, Frosty, and Juliet.

The women’s doubles of Heidi & Lorna and Ching & Juliet each finished in third place, separated by only one second at the line. Liz & Nichole (WC2x), Liz & Juliet (WD2x), and Ching & Juliet (WE2x) each crossed in sixth. The WE4x (Lorna, Juliet, Heidi & Liz) and WC4x (Liz, Emma, Katrina & Nichole) finished 5th, while the WD4x (Lorna, Emma, Katrina & Heidi) raced to a superb 3rd place at 6:18pm in stormy conditions.

Juliet also noted the mixed E4x (Heidi, Lorna, Tim B & Ian) which achieved 2nd in 3:40 – the same time as their rivals – sparking questions of whether a mixed 8+ could be on the cards. Liz’s WE4x, despite just three outings together, produced a sharp 3:50, and she also clocked 3:41 in a scratch MxF4x alongside two Norwegians and a French crewmate.

Rivalries and Near Misses

Richard captured the drama of Minerva’s “local derbies,” where pure and composite Minerva boats often faced off against each other.

On day two, Ian & Tim’s “pure” double raced Richard & Frosty’s composite, with Bradford’s Matthew & Roger also in the mix – the results reflecting how many outings each crew had under their belts. Later, in the men’s E4x, Brodie, Chris, Darren & Tim B were just behind the Minerva/Avon composite of Ian, Tim B, Jon (AC) & Richard.

Day three brought more tension, with Juliet & Ching edging Heidi & Lorna by the narrowest of margins in their WE2x. The closest finish came in the mixed C4x, where the “pure” quad (Tim W, Heidi, Lorna & Ian) beat the “composite” crew (Ching, Frosty, Juliet & Richard) by just 0.03 seconds after a flat-out sprint.

Highs, Lows, and Firsts

For Brodie, racing with Chris in the 2x meant overtaking Japan in the final 100m to grab 4th place..

Their quad, in an ageing boat he joked “needs retiring from competition,” after getting a lot of scrutiny from race officials, struggled but gave valuable lessons. In the 4+, coxed by Tim W, the crew of Chris, Klaus, Darren & Brodie had a strong start, stayed with the pack, and weren’t last despite a steering fault that cost them time.

Liz, at her first Worlds, admitted she wasn’t sure how Minerva would measure up. “My ambition was not to let anyone down, or come last,” she said. She was proud of the 4:31 she and Nichole rowed in their double, especially after Nichole’s long injury layoff. “Just sitting on the start line was our victory.”

Emma recalled their WD4x, which lined up at 6:18pm after a day of thunder and rain. “From the first stroke, the race unfolded exactly as planned,” she said. Their quad finished 3rd after a blistering sprint, holding a 34 rating down the course.

Tim B returned to single sculling after 13 years, renting a Filippi just an hour before racing. He admitted he felt “like a complete beginner” pushing off, but a 5k warm-up with bursts and starts settled him. He had spoken the day before with a Bedford Star sculler he knew would be tough competition, which sharpened the nerves further.

On the start line, he repeated to himself:

“Don’t try too hard at the start, just get the power on from strokes four to ten and let it happen.”

The race unfolded as planned. The Bedford Star sculler edged ahead, but Tim was in clear second, slowly pulling away from third place. Between 300m and 600m the lactic acid built, but he kept calm and focused, breaking the final 250m into three sets of 10 strokes: consolidate, push, then “do it.”

He crossed the line second in 4:07, just two seconds down on the winner but still taking time back in the closing stages. Afterwards, the Bedford Star sculler admitted Tim had made him work hard to the line.

Tim summed it up simply: “Great scull. Phew.”

The Minerva Spirit

For Nichole, recovering from a serious back injury, just being at the regatta was a triumph. “With support and patience I was able to be race ready in time,” she said. She gave special thanks to Tim B, Richard, and John for towing boats over 2,000 miles round trip, and to the whole squad for rigging, disinfecting, carrying, cheering, and celebrating. “I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of people to enjoy this adventure with,” she said. “It was hugely memorable and I can’t wait to do it all over again.”

A Week to Remember

The week in Banyoles brought out everything the club is proud of: resilience, support, and the joy of racing hard together. Juliet captured it best: “Huge numbers of steps (up to 22,000) were somehow taken each day by all the competitors, boosted by the amount of help we all gave each other with boats, blades, shoes and general support (not to mention rounds of beers), which sums up the spirit of camaraderie at this fabulous event.”

That spirit was felt everywhere – from towing boats 2,000 miles, to disinfecting and rigging kit, to cheering teammates down the course. As Liz summed it up, “Doing well doesn’t always look like winning. Sometimes it’s about doing your best, helping others achieve theirs, and being brave enough to turn up at the start line.”

Minerva’s 2025 World Masters Squad

• Tim Birtwhistle
• Chris Born
• Nichole Brinkenberg
• Ian Burdis
• Liz Gray
• Katrina Hayes
• Ching Kilby
• Darren Low
• Brodie McAllister
• Lorna McIsaac
• Juliet Phillipson
• Emma Puzey
• Heidi Richards
• Klaus Riekemann
• Jon Tavener (Avon County)
• Tim Whelehan