Four teams of fundraisers for the youth development charity, Oarsome Chance, enjoyed the ‘row of a lifetime’ around Portsmouth Harbour in the inaugural Portsmouth Pull on Saturday (16 June).

The 10km (5.3 nautical mile) course took the 21 rowers in identical 23-ft St Ayles rowing skiffs Little Victory and Little Warrior past Portsmouth’s iconic landmarks including the Spinnaker Tower and Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory in the world-famous naval harbour, home to the UK’s largest ever aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. The teams headed past the busy continental ferry port towards the medieval Portchester Castle and down past Hardway, before passing back under Gosport’s Millennium Bridge for the finish.

John Gillard, Oarsome Chance Principal, said: “It was an epic battle for each of the teams in challenging conditions, not just against each other, but also against themselves. It was wet and wild, fast and furious, and an amazing adventure especially for those who had never rowed before.”

St Ayles Skiff Little Victory © Jason Brodie-Browne

The five-strong crew of Little Victory lived up to their name by logging the fastest time of 1hr 27mins for the lap of Portsmouth Harbour to claim the handmade wooden trophy. Little Warrior finished second in 1hr 45mins and OC1 finished third in 2hrs 7mins. OC2 retired due to challenging weather conditions, which saw the teams rowing into fresh southwesterly headwinds of up to 20 knots.

The triumphant Little Victory team, coxed by Peter Royce, and comprising Adam Seager, Steve Walker, Gaynam Lock and Joseph Swindale, were all presented with upcycled kit bags made by young people in Oarsome Chance’s canvas workshop at a prize giving ceremony held at the charity’s waterside premises.

“It was the row of a lifetime and we were buzzing when we crossed the finish line. We wanted to do it in under 1h 30m, so we went for a sprint finish, and we did it. It was amazing,” Steve Walker, one of the Little Victory crew, said.

Before presenting the prizes, Oarsome Chance Founder, Paul O’Grady, said: “Today’s first Portsmouth Pull has been a great success, and it’s going to be the first of many to raise essential funds for Oarsome Chance.”

The charity plans to run a series of Portsmouth Pull events annually and the programme of upcoming dates will be announced shortly. “The bar has been set high for the next event, and if the level of interest we’ve received today is anything to go by, the slots are going to fill up fast,” Oarsome Chance Principal, John Gillard, said. To register interest in taking part in the Portsmouth Pull contact: events@oarsomechance.org