The triumphant FRM team, from left – Matt Harradine, Ian Atkinson, Dan Harradine, cox Jane Menzies and Geoff Gavey. (Picture by Tony Pike, 0800212)

IT’S a race the CI rowing fraternity will be talking about for years.

As long as there is a Sark to Jersey, the 2009 event will be remembered for the closest finish in the annual event’s long history.

And what will make the talk even more enjoyable for Sarnian rowers, is that it was two Guernsey boats who were responsible for it.

After 19 miles of hard rowing, Saturday’s Sark to Jersey saw the two leading boats approach the Bonne Nuit finish line at no more than two boat lengths apart.

FRM were first past the finishing line, in a time of two hours 39 seconds, leaving the Julius Baer crew gutted. ‘It became a much harder row after the Paternosters,’ said FRM cox Jane Menzies afterwards.

‘The wind was really driving into us and we were conscious that there was another fours boat behind.

‘But all of the boats, by then, were really spread out. It was only on the last stretch that we realised we were a couple of lengths in front, which is why we sprinted to the finish.

‘It was an absolute pleasure to cox this crew [Geoff Gavey, Matthew Harradine, Ian Atkinson, Daniel Harradine] and what pleased me most was that they kept on going. Only at the end did we know we’d come in first.’