The sun came out just in time for the race start on Sunday. Spectators and supporters were pleased, but most of the racers would have eagerly traded the sun for rain if it meant getting rid of the wind. Paddlers sped downstream quickly with high flow and a tailwind, only to realise just how strong the conditions were on the way back. The theme of almost every post race interview was just how bad the upstream was: “It was miserable”, in the words of Anoushka Freeman. “Worse than Waterside C, Waterside D, and even DW (up to Teddington at least, nothing is worse than the tideway).” Or as Billy Butler put it: “No one has ever enjoyed Waterside B, and we didn’t today.”

Even though they didn’t enjoy it, these crews put down some impressive results. Billy Butler and Jon O’Grady took the win in 2:09:44, more than two minutes ahead of the next fastest crew, the men’s crew of Joe Peterson and Tim Gannicott-Porter. Joe and Tim didn’t race Waterside A, but if they return for C with a bit more speed (and maybe start next to Billy and Jon for some wash hanging…?), we could see an interesting race.

Billy and Jon are angling for the DW win this year, and planning to race hard at Waterside C again in a couple of weeks. They’ll complete Waterside D too, but are sensibly planning to take it a bit easier since it’s so close to DW – being fully recovered and ready for DW is the priority. Check out Billy and Jon’s full post-race interview here (link coming soon), and learn why Billy’s goal for DW 2024 is “don’t go blind”.

Anoushka and Tom raced well and easily won the mixed division, a nicely consistent result after their exceptional performance at Waterside A. They finished the race in just 2:14:23, putting them within 5 minutes of the top two men’s crews and third fastest overall. Freeman and Sharpe are after a DW win in the mixed category, and could potentially challenge for the overall win particularly if the top men’s crews run into issues with nutrition, equipment, or just the sheer mental hurdle of paddling all-out through the night. Could we see a repeat of the 2019 mixed crew win this year? Get to know Noushie and Tom in their own words, and join us in speculating on their DW potential…

Overall Position	Crew	Club	Category	Time
1	Billy Butler / Jon O’Grady	Falcon (Oxford) / Runcorn	K2 Senior	2:09:44
2	Joe Petersen / Tim Gannicott-Porter	Banbury & District / Chelmsford	K2 Senior	2:12:20
3	Anoushka Freeman / Tom Sharpe	Richmond	K2 Mixed	2:14:23
4	Greta Roeser / Fay Lamph	Wey	K2 Ladies	2:16:40*
5	William Short / James Ross	Elmbridge	K2 Junior	2:16:41

In a surprising twist to race that most paddlers described as “miserable”, Fay Lamph and Greta Roeser set a new record for Waterside B in the K2 Ladies category. Fay is a Waterside B winner many times over, and already held this record from her 2017 run with the legendary Lizzie Broughton. Fay and Greta just missed out on the record in 2023 with a time of 2:19:39, but their time last weekend of 2:16:40 marks a significant speed boost in the face of challenging conditions, and smashes Fay and Lizzie’s 2017 record of 2:18:47.

Fay and Greta set off next to junior men William Short and James Ross of Elmbridge who managed to finish right behind the two women in 2:16:41 which put them at 5th place overall. Watching these crews battle it out to the finish was thrilling, but Fay and Greta looked like they had it pretty locked up the whole time.

While Fay and Greta aren’t sure if they’ll do more Watersides this year and are not currently planning to race DW, they were probably the happiest paddlers I spoke with after the race (and that was before they knew about their record)! Tactics, fitness, and enjoyment are their secrets to success. Fay and Greta made the most of their lighter weight and ability to read the water: they used the natural eddies and slower flow points of the canal to their advantage while racing upstream, tacking in and out from the sides. “Reading the river” feels like a strange skill to use on a canal, but after the heavy rain this year, it feels like the right term. The water certainly looked more like a raging river than a calm canal on Sunday.

Congratulations to Fay and Greta for the win and their new record. Kayak ladies of the UK will need to step up their game to break this record again (and make sure Fay Lamph is in your crew, seems like she’s a prerequisite)!