ONE of Wales' oldest sporting events launched out beside Penarth Pier when 40 rowing boats made a splash alongside the esplanade.

Penarth Regatta is as old as the pier itself, erected in 1895, and formed a superb backdrop as 40 quadruple sculls and coxed fours took to the Bristol Channel.

Racing took place along the shoreline to a finish at Penarth RC's yacht club base just in front of the pier, with the host club's Amelia Rowlands, Morgan Jones, Sally Jones, Ollie Shaw and cox Rhys Savoury racing to victory by half a length from Monmouth in the final of the mixed junior quadruple sculls.

Veterans Richard Laats, Owen James, Rob Palfrey, Dave Youde and cox Rhys also went close in the final of the masters fours, leading for most of the way, but just missing out by a few feet to the Wye club in the race for the line.

“We've got a fantastic backdrop for such an old event,” said Richard Laats. “The pier, cliffs, a pebble beach, islands on the horizon, yachts, and the odd ship.

“We used to race through the pier, but after a boat hit a stanchion in the 1980s and snapped in two, we thought it safer to race the other way and finish at our Penarth Yacht Club base on the esplanade, just before the pier.

“It's just a really good fun event at the end of the season. It's not too serious, everyone's chilled out. You're having to roll with the waves as they come into shore sideways on, including off ships, and get a bit wet. But as the results show, it's good, close racing.”

Launching out on the second highest tidal reach in the world, the sea charged in a good 200ft during the afternoon, making for a good swell.

Cardiff City proved the most successful club taking five of the 13 events, with their Henley Wyfold Cup-qualifying men's four holding off Llandaff by 3/4L and their women's quadruple scull rowing down City of Swansea by feet.

Quad cox Laura Hyatt said: “They led us until the last few strokes - it was pretty rough and I got soaked, but we never gave up and managed to power through.”

Other Cardiff wins came in junior quads from Penarth, junior girls' quads from Swansea, and mixed quads by 1/2L from Monmouth.

Llandaff landed four trophies, including a two-foot verdict in mixed fours over Cardiff City, with Henley Royal Regatta medallist John McTeague admitting: “My legs had gone at the end there, but we just about managed to hang on.

“It's a real leveller, good racing, and the rougher the better in some ways. The location's fantastic - it's a totally different experience for us river rowers.”

The River Taff club also took women's fours from Swansea, mixed masters fours from Ross, and mixed quads from Monmouth, while host club Penarth showed the Wye outfit the best way to surf to success in junior mixed quads, by 3/4L.

Monmouth RC's 2010 British men's quadruple scull champion Tom Penny stroked their men's quad to victory by 3/4L from Cardiff City, while City of Swansea landed the masters women's quads from Ross by one 1/4L, former Wales rower Sarah Hayward saying: “The waves were smacking the riggers, and it was bang, splash all the way. Great fun.”