The rough water did not stop Port Chalmers rower Faye Forgie. She is used to pacing cruise ships on Otago Harbour.
Forgie (66), the rower photographed sculling beside a cruise ship on the harbour two years ago, was a convincing winner of the women's aged 65 to 70 single sculls at the the North End course on Saturday.
At the time of her race, the harbour had become choppy for the small boats and some single scullers found conditions too difficult and pulled out.
When she finished the race in the Port-United club's new boat, Bruce Malcolm, she was congratulated by fellow rowers for venturing out in the rough conditions.
"I felt so proud to have braved the rough conditions successfully," Forgie said.
Forgie won her second gold medal in the women's double sculls with Lorraine Drew, of the Otago club.
It was a good day for the Port United club with Robyn Cameron and Imogen Coxhead dominating the women's 50-55 sculling events.
Coxhead (51), a senior lecturer in business and commerce at the Otago Polytechnic, won three gold medals on Saturday.
She pushed Cameron into second place in the single sculls, teamed with Cameron to win the double sculls, and the pair were part of the winning quadruple sculls with Michelle Johnson and Helen Drijfhout, of the Otago clubPeter Midgley (Cure), a Christchurch motor vehicle dealer, won the men's 55-60 single sculls from Mike Jones (Twizel) and Derek D'Ath (Cure).
He teamed with D'Ath to win his second gold medal in the double sculls.
Midgley (55) rowed as a novice for 18 months with the Canterbury club and returned to the sport to compete in the Masters Games.
"I don't like running," he said.
"I find rowing a relaxing way of keeping fit."
He is dedicated to his sport and trains with his mates six day a week on the water or in the gymnasium. This is his sixth Masters Games.
Pam Riley (nee Dick), who started rowing with the Alexandra club when she was a schoolgirl, brought clubmates Nick Bertland and John Westall from Perth with her.
They were joined by her father, Ian Dick (75), who competes for the North End club, and they finished fourth in the mixed four.
Dick started rowing when he was a pupil at King Edward Technical College and was coached by rowing guru Fred Strachan when he competed in the Maadi Cup in 1953 and 1954.
Riley (42) was a member of the Western Australian crew that won the 8km Head of the Yarra race in 2009.
Akaroa sculler Bernard Reid (76), the oldest rower at the Masters Games, won the men's over-75 single sculls.
Reid won three gold medals at the world masters championships in Italy in 1990 in the single sculls, double sculls and four. He retained his single sculls title in Miami the following year.
