A nearly $11,000 dollar boat paid for by the Marcus Negrin Memorial Fund played a huge role in maximizing the number of rowers who could get out on Long Lake in 2020. (submitted/Craig Rutherford)

By Dan Marshall

New Boat

Gifted boat crucial for Nanaimo Rowing Club in 2020 season

Nov 22, 2020 | 11:40 AM

NANAIMO — A donation from a local family made a challenging rowing season a little easier.

The Marcus Negrin Memorial Fund raised nearly $11,000 for a new single boat for the Nanaimo Rowing Club.

Coach Craig Rutherford said it was a much needed addition as the club hadn’t bought a new single boat in five years.

“They told us they were doing it, but we didn’t think we’d be able to just go and buy a boat. From the club perspective it was absolutely phenomenal to basically be given a boat.”

All of the money came from a fundraiser in September 2019.

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The new boat arrived in February just as the rowing season was about to begin.

When rowers got back on the water at Long Lake after the March to June COVID-19 shut down the new boat had a massive impact.

Adding a seventh single boat got one more person into each session, making the return to rowing more viable amid new health restrictions.

“It really made a difference helping us move forward and make things feasible. Everything was razor thin on whether running the club was going to be sustainable or not.”

The new single also has the proper sized hull for the Nanaimo Rowing Club’s most elite rowers, something the other boats did not.

“If we didn’t have that boat they would have been training in equipment that didn’t fit them very well which is not what you want for your top athletes.”

Marcus Negrin himself was one of the Nanaimo’s top young rowers for nearly five years before he passed away in 2015. He was the first person from the club to win a medal at the Canadian High School Championships.

The fund has raised money for a number of local groups and initiatives outside the Nanaimo Rowing Club including Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue and the purchase of children’s life jackets to be used at various locations around Nanaimo.

The 2020 rowing season will go down as one with no results. The NRC only participated in one small regatta.

Fall training has focused on boat speed and numbers on the rowing machine.

“There’s hope for 2021 and we’re building up for a big season. We’ve had some stong improvement leading into the winter which is really nice to see.”

dan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On twitter: @danmarshall77