Rower starting out at regatta (3)

I believe the answer is:

oar

'rower' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'starting out at regatta' is the wordplay.
'starting' indicates taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'out at regatta' is 'OAR'.

(Other definitions for oar that I've seen before include "propels floating craft" , "One paddling" , "One of an eight" , "Rowing blade" , "Bladed pole" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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