RECORDS were smashed as the sixth event in this year’s Guernsey Rowing Club Championship – the 16km race from Havelet to Rocquaine – took place in superb conditions. The performance of the evening came from Paul Isaacs in the men’s singles class.

Isaacs, new to offshore rowing this year, is no novice on the rowing machine and the calm conditions finally gave him a chance to put all his training to good use.

He breezed past more-experienced rowers to beat the old record by an impressive five minutes.

‘Previous races this year were slightly too rough and I never felt I could fully exert myself. But today it was just like being on a machine out there,’ said Isaacs, who placed very highly in last winter’s UK national rowing machine championships.

If the seas are flat for the last two championship races then he could put real pressure on the current leaders in the class.

Matt Harradine’s season took an unfortunate turn when he broke an oar off Icart, and he was forced to retire.

Robbie Beck and Sue Black, in the Drill Squad boat, found form again after some lacklustre races and broke the mixed pairs record by a good five minutes.

In the men’s pairs, Tim Prout and Karl Pedersen set a new record and beat their close rivals and last year’s winners Gavey and Atkinson.

The Women’s Fours class saw another win from the Ship & Crown crew who have really been enjoying their racing this season.

Fresh from a good run in the Gorey to Carteret race at the weekend, they beat their closest rivals the Roll Bar Scullery Maids by a substantial six-and-a-half minutes.

Julie Duquemin was very pleased with the team’s performance and delighted to have experienced rower Kathryn Howe on board to help the newer rowers.

In the mixed fours class, Geomarine’s outstanding row saw them not only beat all the men’s fours but also slash an astonishing eight minutes off the old record.

Stainless Steel Fabrications were only two minutes behind but they could do nothing to halt Geomarine gaining maximum points yet again.

Spare a thought though for Wave Telecoms who rowed well but missed setting a record in the men’s fours by just three seconds.

Adie de Kooker said: ‘We had a close encounter with a rock a mile before the end – that must have cost us at least the three seconds we needed.’ Good times were also set by the two men’s novice crews, Andre Duquemin’s Osteopaths and The Strokers.

Both teams are swiftly closing the gap on the other men’s teams. Hash Anchors and Quayside Marine will need to work hard to stay ahead of these new crews in the latter half of the season.