GRAVESEND Regatta Committee held their first fixture on May 24 when they hosted the pre-season scratch race.

The event involves getting all the newer members to row with the more experienced ones to give them an idea of what a full regatta will be like.

There were eight races held throughout the afternoon and the final winners were Steve Cason, Pip Mester, Ash Cutler and Paulette McGinley. Cox of the day was Chris Wynn.

Last Sunday saw a new race being rowed from Erith to Gravesend.

Ladies teams from The Crown and Thistle, The Prince Albert and The Waterloo raced back over the 11-mile course in near perfect weather conditions.

The winners were Pip Mester, Michelle Brady, Sue Beecham and Amanda Cooper, coxed by Steve Cason from the Crown and Thistle A team in a time of 1hr21m.

Runners-up were Crown and Thistle B, followed by The Waterloo and The Prince Albert.

This weekend sees the 163rd Gravesend town regatta at Gravesend Promenade, which has a Quadrophenia theme.

A large collection of classic scooters will be on show throughout the weekend, as well as singers, live bands, a fun-fair, charity stalls, dancing troops and a host of other things to entertain the whole family.

Racing will start at 10am on both days and with more rowing teams than ever, the programme will see a race starting about every 30 minutes.

Admission for spectators is free and for more information, call Mike Fitzsimons on 01474 321329.