The Geomarine men's sliding fours team set a new course record.

TEAMS toughed it out at close quarters as the Havelet Buoyed Championship race lived up to its high-pressure reputation.

The 9,975m course provides the first opportunity in the season for crews to test themselves and their boats in a significant distance race, especially for the large number of novice teams participating this year.

The course consists of three laps from Havelet Bay to the Anfre Beacon and back to the bay via the Bathing Pools. A fleet of 31 boats took to the water with the calm conditions welcomed by the crews.

In a hotly contested women’s sliding fours class, 14 seconds separated the first and third place boats with Equilibrium taking first place, the Mermaids crossing the line five seconds later and CMC Dragons following close behind.

Geomarine clinched the men’s sliding fours top spot with the excellent weather conditions assisting them to a new course record of 40-32 after a tense battle with PwC Redshift who tailed them by seven seconds.

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