First race for me, how exciting! After a very frantic and messy start (everyone setting out at different rates, basically) we settled into a more controlled rhythm, which we managed to keep up throughout most of the race.  
The first part felt really long and when Tom told us "halfway there", I had to make a concerted effort not to lose my calm, but the second half of the race flew away really fast. We had a moment of grace towards the finish, powering it down together,  I could feel the boat speeding up, and one of the senior rowers at the stern shouted "yeaaaaaaaaaaaah!" After it was finished I was left wanting for more moments like that!
(Zoe W.)