Captains’ Report
March 2026

The new year has started with a bang for Queens, as Head season comes to an end, we are going to reflect on these first few months of 2026. Over the Christmas break athletes continued their training, and trained hard, ready to attack the new year and its challenges.

BUCS Head

As always, BUCS Head proved to be our first big test against British Universities, allowing us to see where we stand in our preparation for the rest of the season. I am pleased to say that we faced this first test with a lot of fight. We came away with 11 medals across the weekend, and ranked third overall in the medal table! Notably winning the gold in the inaugural Open Champ 2x, and also in the Open Beginner 8+. Our novice programme has gone from strength to strength, building on the successes of last year, this year they won the first ‘Beginner Victor Ludorum’. Overall, a very successful weekend. We look forward to going across the pond again for BUCS Regatta and increasing that medal count.

Medals

Erne 8s

We made the decision this year to head to Erne 8’s for the first time in a few years. As a club we wanted to now prove ourselves against Irish clubs and Universities after our stint in Newcastle. Five crews made the trip to Enniskillen, three senior boats and two novice boats. The goal of these races was to set a marker for our eights, and show that Queens is again becoming a formidable opponent in this category. And we did just that ! Queens came away with the win in the women’s club 2 8+ and the men’s intermediate 8+. These wins have shown crews that we are capable of doing something big this summer. The task that lies ahead now is to refine these boats. To get stronger, get faster, and ultimately put on similar performances at the many regattas that we are attending in the coming months.

Our eyes now turn to Training camp, from 22nd-30th March. With a rigorous training plan, we hope to take a big step forward in our crews in preparation for our first regattas of the year. Our first regatta of the season will take place on the 18th April at the Irish Universities Championships. Thankfully this year it is being hosted at Lough Rinn, a short trip, but hopefully a fruitful one.

We have great ambitions this year, including sending one of the largest cohorts in decades to Henley Royal Regatta and Henley Women’s Regatta. Our crews have been working extremely hard and continue to push towards this goal. With these ambitions do come a financial cost. Support for the club in the last few years has been immense and we can not thank everyone who does support us enough. If you would like to contribute towards our Henley campaign and our other races lined up for the summer please follow the link below. We hope that this year we can really make a huge mark on both the Irish and British rowing fronts.

Summer Social

We are excited to announce our annual Summer social event, this year profits will be going towards our Henley Campaign!

Saturday 16th May

Location: Cutters Wharf

Dress Code: Regatta attire

Ticket details to follow, we would like to encourage alumni to come and support our athletes this year. Tickets will be limited, so please keep an eye in your inbox for the details. We look forward to seeing you there.

If you cannot make it and would still like to contribute towards our Henley Campaign, please follow the link here, thank you.

Thank you to Lady Vic, our volunteers, and Queens staff for your ongoing support as we slowly but surely write in our chapter of the QUBBC and QUBLBC’s stories.

—Will Letten, Queen’s Rowing Men’s Captain
—Nancy Roberts, Queen’s Rowing Ladies Captain