WINDY conditions made for a choppy crossing from Rousse to les Amarreurs in the first of the Guernsey Swimming Club’s open bay swims. First to finish was Commonwealth Games swimmer Ben Lowndes, who completed the crossing in a time of 9.36, closely followed by Tom Hamon on 9.38.

The last of the 22 swimmers clocked in at 22.30.

The first woman to cross was Jo Laine, whose time of 10.15 bettered the performance of GSC coach Jo Winberg by 21seconds.

Unfortunately, only swimmers aged 12 and over were allowed to participate due to a new ruling by the Amateur Swimming Association for insurance purposes.

The decision left several disappointed youngsters on the shoreline.

Meanwhile, the four guard boats had their work cut out in the windy conditions and did an excellent job of fielding off oncoming boats in the area to ensure the safety of the competitors.

The Guernsey Swimming Club would also like to point out that anyone interested in entering the Bill Green Open Charity Castle Swim that negotiations for a date are still underway and will be

advertised as soon as a date is confirmed.