Boat crew makes a splash

The Red Rock men’s boat crew crash through the surf during their impressive performance at Coffs Harbour on Saturday.

THE weather may have been hot at the weekend at the Coffs Harbour Craft Carnival but the Red Rock open men’s boat crew were on fire.

Competing against the big guns such as Tannum Sands, Northcliffe, Kurrawa and Mooloolaba, just to name a few, the Red Rock crew had them talking after the first four rounds on Saturday.

All along the beach whispers were heard “where is this Red Rock place?”, with one Queensland crew member piping up and saying “isn’t that where those Deli chips come from”.

Competing against crews that have been rowing together for years, compared to themselves who have only been together for this season and one of their members has only just joined them, Red Rock were the stars of the carnival.

Sunday morning saw Red Rock in the third heat of round five and up against crews from Northcliffe, Tannum Sands, Coogee, Mooloolaba and Manly. Drawing alley one, the crew put in a mighty effort, causing a photo finish and a headache for the line judges.

Unfortunately, for the Red Rock crew they were just eliminated in one of the closest finishes seen at the carnival. With heads held high, the crew left the beach leaving a lasting impression on some of the big clubs.