1995 Queen’s ‘Delta’ Novice Crew, Head of the Charles 2010, Boston (23 Oct 2010).
Back row (left to right): Mark McGimpsey, Gareth Ingram, Jonathan Malloy (cox), Keith Wilson, Paddy Doherty (Coach) and Stephen Meenan.
Front row (left to right): Darren Comer, Kevin Gilchrist, Stephen Coll and Brendan Duffin.
This year, Queen’s University was represented at the Boston Head of the River by the 1995 ‘Delta’ Novice Crew, who made their reunion especially for the event. In their hay-day, the crew rowed an undefeated season only to finish runner’s up in the 1995 Irish National Championship. In doing so they became the lifelong friends and keep in touch despite being scattered across the globe. The crew gathered in Boston on Friday 22nd of October, travelling from Belfast, London, Sydney, Geneva and Atlanta to race Saturday’s Head, along a winding 3 mile stretch of the Charles River.
The crew entered as ‘Queen’s Belfast 95’ in the Alumni Men’s Eights event. In total, 43 crews entered in their category, giving the lads some stiff competition. After a solid row the crew finished second to last, after incurring a one minute penalty. Despite this, their unadjusted time of 19:22 was quite impressive considering the little time the crew had to prepare for the race (one day!). The crew had a fantastic time at the event, catching up with old friends and sampling the many delights Boston had to offer. It is incredibly admirable that this crew have kept in contact and remained fit enough to compete together after 15 years, something we can all hope to achieve.
