VIDEO: Kobie & Terry go wire to wire at Upper bay race

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

STRATHMERE — Darrick Kobierowski and Terry McGovern did what they do best Tuesday evening.

The distance-rowing specialists, now of the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol, went wire-to-wire in winning the Upper Township Six-Mile Bay Race that began and finished at the Deauville Inn.

Kobierowski and McGovern posted a time of 1 hour, 12 minutes, 56 seconds, to beat the field by 30 seconds. Upper Township’s Ryan Fisher and Kyle Rumaker put forth a strong effort for the host patrol, making a late charge to place second in 1:13:26. 

A Wildwood Crest boat also placed third, through Pat Bakey and Jake Klecko, in 1:13:35. Avalon’s Gary Nagle and Matt Wolf were fourth in 1:13:50 and Sea ISle City’s Mark Dileo and Dave Bonanni rounded out the top five in 1:13:53.

Claudia Scherbin was the first female competitor to finish. Scherbin and Dan Salerno, representing Margate, were the first mixed crew to cross, placing 15th overall in 1:19:44.

Avalon’s Rylee Bonner and Danielle Smith were the first all-female crew to cross, placing 28th overall in 1:34:28.

Kobierowski, 45, a City of Wildwood firefighter and resident of Wildwood Crest, and McGovern, 45, a schoolteacher and Haddonfield resident, won the bay race for the second time. They placed first in 2016 while both were members of the Wildwood Beach Patrol.

The crew regularly uses the bay race as a tuneup for the Around The Island Row in North Wildwood later this summer. Kobierowski and McGovern have won the island row in four of the past have years as a crew. They’ve also combined for three victories in the race with different rowing partners.

The Upper Township Bay Race is held as a fundraiser in the fight against multiple sclerosis. Money is raised through boat entry fees and T-shirt sales.

Various rescue board races were also held as part of the event. Results of those races were not available as of this posting.