This Is Guernsey

CENKOS fours boat won the combined races trophy at the end of a thrilling weekend’s racing around Herm.

Three races in three days taking in what must be the most scenic rowing anywhere in Europe, is only half the story.

For many rowers they also approach the races with some trepidation and, on this occasion, some of their fears were well founded, with several collisions with rocks, boats broken as well as oars.

The whole weekend works as a self contained handicap competition, but the individual races also count towards the overall handicap and championship series.

Friday’s perfect conditions meant a fast and furious crossing to Herm from Havelet Bay.

Handicap races in offshore rowing are calculated by working out the team’s average boat speed in all races that season and then altering the start times so that the slower boats set off first and the faster ones last.

If all goes to plan it makes for a very exciting finish as singles, pairs and fours boats all converge on the finish line in Herm harbour at the same time.

First to get to the finish this time were the Sure Belles women’s novice fours crew, just ahead of Carol Le Page in her singles and Teacher’s Pet, the mixed novice fours from Ladies’ College.

Although the winds were light, there was no following breeze or swell to make for really fast times, but even so two crews did set new records.

Paul Isaacs and Joe Paul continued their excellent season with a new course best in the men’s pair and the FRM men’s four also set a fastest time of 23 minutes 11 seconds.

The seas were still smooth the following morning and more crews were definitely thinking about getting their names into the records.

Paul Montague in the men’s single and Liz Bellot and Steve Pipe in the mixed pairs both set fastest times for the anti-clockwise race around Herm.

Other crews, however, were not so lucky with the rocks and vicious tides.

Cat Peet and Paula Evemy, who have been going very well in the women’s pairs this season, were setting a good pace until the home straight down the west coast of the island.

They ran into a submerged rock but managed to free themselves. Unfortunately, 50 metres later they discovered the extent of the damage.

As they sneaked round the next headland into the tide, their boat veered off course, having lost its keel in the grounding. With nothing to keep the boat on a true course in the strong rip they struggled to cross the finish, their chance of a record lost along with part of their boat.

A worse fate awaited the very successful FRM men’s fours crew.

Fresh from their victory the previous evening they attempted to take the inside line around the southern tip of the island.

They steered too close in and the swell washed them onto the rocks. They managed to free themselves and get racing again but in their attempt to catch their closest rivals, Julius Bar, they ran aground again and ripped off their rudder.

This time there was no escape and they had to be towed home. Julius Bar went on to win the race and set a new record for the course of 24 minutes and 7 seconds.

Sunday’s race saw deterioration in the conditions for the figure-of-eight course around Jethou and Herm.

The handicapped start sent the crews off one by one battling the demanding tides around the two islands.

The race was won by a new look Fitness Factory team, with Rob Stark standing in as stroke and young Rory van Leuven rowing in a fours for the first time.

They were chased all the way to the line by a very powerful Julius Bar crew who also set the only record for the day.

With two big weekends of rowing coming up, Julius Bar seem to have hit top form at just the right time.

Although the conditions were not that bad for offshore rowing there were a surprising number of boats which failed to finish.

Siteweld Seadogs snapped an oar and had to retire, while Sam de Kooker, in the bow seat of Legis, also broke an oar but the crew chose to dump him back at the harbour and complete the race with only three rowers.

Although this disqualified them from the handicap race, they rowed strongly and so it was good training for this weekend’s gruelling Sark to Jersey race.

The worst fate of the day befell the Sure Belles women’s crew. Flushed with success from their victory in Friday’s handicap they must have felt they had a chance to win the overall trophy for the weekend.

However, in the heat of racing, they clashed with the CMC Dragons and were swept by the strong tide onto a reef on the north west coast of Herm. Both they and the CMC Dragons were forced to retire from the race.

Afterwards, the trophy for the combined three races was presented by club captain Tim Prout in the Mermaid and when the timekeepers had finished working out handicap times and placings it was revealed that James Briggs and Teachers’ Pets were to share second place on 101 points, four behind the victorious Cenkos team. GRC Herm Weekend: Clashes with rocks and retirements a feature of great weekend’s racing

Article posted on 2nd July, 2009 - 2.29pm