This Is Guernsey

MARGI JORGENSEN was the top Sarnian performer at the World Coastal Rowing championships in Plymouth with two silver medals.

Due to appalling weather the women’s singles race was the last of the championship finals, and finished in almost darkness, but the reception that awaited Jorgensen as she returned to shore after defeating a former Olympic bronze medallist, Tetiana Ustiuzhanina, into bronze and finishing just behind the talented Monika Dukurska from Ireland, lit up the evening.

Jorgensen, who was also second in the 40-plus race, had set off well in the shortened 4km course that had been brought inshore earlier in the day due to the very high winds.

Never far from the leader she pressed hard and on the downwind leg, which had a 90-degree corner, came within four lengths of the Irish girl, but was unable to get closer over the short distance.

Crossing the line Jorgensen was shocked to have picked up the silver medal in a new boat developed and built in Guernsey this year by Wedd Osmond and Pete Le Feuvre and shared through the season with Tim Prout.

Earlier in the day the schedule had completely changed due to the very high winds.

The men’s fours were set off on a revised 8km course that was very challenging, FRM had a good start and were in bronze medal position, dropping back to sixth before gaining one more place to cross the line fifth.

The current world and French national champions from St Malo again dominated the race for the third year in succession.

Other Guernsey crews, Bank Julius Baer, Siteweld, MS Fitness Factory and Cenkos all struggled in the extreme conditions.

The Master Boaters became swamped and retired from the race.

The MS Fitness Factory crew had been the last of the Guernsey men’s fours to qualify for the finals, when 17-year-old Rory Van Leuven at stroke ripped out one of his shoes shortly into the race, and then the other not much later.

Much credit goes to the youngster who carried on setting the pace for his team-mates who heaped praise on his performance in his inaugural year of rowing.

Once the men’s race had finished, the men’s doubles class were pulled from the start line as the race organisers felt the conditions were too dangerous for the smaller boats.

However, bizarrely the organisers decided to set the women’s fours class over a shorter course not much different to the men’s fours by which time the wind had changed direction so providing some shelter.

The women’s class was won by a team from the Thames rowing club UK, which comprised four ex-Olympians, three from GB, and one from Germany. While this was their first sea-racing event their class and strength shone through as they beat the former world champions from Switzerland into second with Poland third.

The highest-placed Channel Islands crew were Jersey in fifth, while top Guernsey boat – Liz Bellot, Sue Baudains, Tracey Rear and Kath Tracey coxed by Lloyd Le Page – finished seventh.

Other Guernsey crews finished 11th, 12th, and 16th.

A rapidly organised inshore course of just 8km was arranged for the men’s doubles, which was not ideal as the rowers had to then contend with moored yachts and buoys on the course.

Joe Paul and Paul Isaacs were fighting for sixth place before getting caught with a Jersey pair.

Once free, the Guernsey duo set off after the main group but were not in contention for the medals from then.

Simon Marley and Karl Pedersen had a solid row finishing in 16th place. The race was won by the duo from Pornic Rowing Club, France with Hennebontais, also from France, third.

Both Guernsey solo rowers, Tim Prout and James Briggs qualified for the final, Prout finishing his heat a creditable fifth after rowing straight into a Cardinal Buoy within 200 metres of the finish.

In a shortened final over 4km Prout finished 15th and Briggs, who had come straight from his summer-long European windsurfing tour, 18th. Gold and silver went again to France.

The Sunday event, again over a shortened 4km course due to high winds, was the British Masters finals, which saw Paul Isaacs step in for Dan Harradine in the FRM crew.

The crew set off at a canter, were never challenged and won by a good margin from France, in silver, and England taking bronze.

Fifth place went to Guernsey crew Cenkos, sixth to the MS Fitness Factory and ninth to the Master Boaters with, GRC stalwart Brian Staples, who at 66 years of age, and the oldest rower at the championship was making his last competitive racing appearance.

In the men’s doubles Pedersen and Marley had high hopes of a podium position. However, they admitted to not having a good race and finished seventh, the gold going to Russia and silver to France.

The men’s Masters solo final saw Prout finishing agonising close to the medals in fourth, the gold going to Spain and silver to Italy.

A hastily made up crew combining Jersey and Guernsey women collected silver medal in the women’s masters fours behind Jersey.

The combined CI crew had led from the start until the last 100 metres when Sarah Day came off her seat.

While Day continued to row seated stationary, the Jersey crew rowed through to win narrowl with Ireland claiming bronze.World Coastal Championships in Plymouth: Rough seas greets large Sarnian contingent

Article posted on 2nd November, 2009 - 2.29pm