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British Rowing’s decision to push back its Offshore Championships that were due to be held in Jersey this weekend has led to some frantic rescheduling of the CI calendar.
But it will also offer the five Guernsey crews that were due to travel a chance to get sharper at some unfamiliar aspects of the racing it will offer when it does take place this Autumn.
The British champs will now take place later in a bid to help improve entry numbers and the Jersey Rowing Club has hastily arranged an alternative race to fill the gap there, while the Guernsey Rowing Club has put on a mystery event here instead.
“We are very grateful to the flexibility of Channel Seaways who were supporting us with transporting our boats across to Jersey,” said Guernsey Rowing Club captain Ben Vaudin.
“Our crews usually race offshore every summer around the Bailiwick waters in distances from 3000m to 18000m and they were relishing the challenge of the shorter distances of only 4-6km for these Championships. Training had focused on the beach start format, something unfamiliar to our crews, so the postponement to the Autumn allows longer to prepare for that.”
Pictured: Leading ladies quad Le Mont Saint Ladies. Martin Gray, Guernsey Sport Photography.
Guernsey has several very competitive crews.
Sark to Jersey champions, TPA, are already showing excellent times this year, setting a new record on the second race of the season. Men’s double Markham and Mahy are also consistently leading their class.
“Like anything it depends who turns up on the day, so we are looking forward to the postponed date and hoping this attracts lots of crews from across the British Isles so we can really test our mettle,” says Vaudin.
The local rowing season is in full swing, with the gap and Saturday now filled with a new race starting at 12:30 and some of the classics still on the horizon.
Pictured: Men's Quad TPA are already in record breaking form this season. Martin Gray, Guernsey Sport Photography.
“We have used the gap in the calendar to schedule A Northern Surprise, which quite literally will be a surprise to everyone when I hand out the new course map at the race briefing on the day. After that we have crews taking on the Sark to Jersey and then the Gorey to Carteret races, before continuing with the local fixtures.”
The club is also hosting a Have a Go Row taster session on Sunday.
International rowers will still descend on Jersey for a weekend of racing in St Aubin’s Bay.
Jersey’s replacement event for the British Championships has attracted entries from more than 100 rowers in 85 different crew combinations across Saturday and Sunday’s races.
Jersey Rowing Club captain Gerald Howe said: “Of course, we were all very disappointed when British Rowing decided to cancel their event this weekend, but what the club has organised to replace it in just two weeks is quite amazing.
“Vice captain Sarah Earles has done a phenomenal job coordinating what is probably the largest ever event in the rowing club’s history.
“The way club members have gone above and beyond and really pulled together to make this event happen at such short notice is so impressive.
“We knew there were a lot of people – including top class rowers from the UK and Europe – who had already made plans to come over and we didn’t want to let everyone down.”
Pictured top: Markham and Mahy (Swoffers men’s double). Martin Gray/Guernsey Sport Photography.
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