Sun shines on regatta after last year’s near washout

Several hundred people flocked to the road and beach for a host of family friendly events that included such timeless classics as the tug-o-war and greasy pole, alongside more modern innovations such as Ultimate frisbee.

Regatta president Jon Collenette said he was pleased at the turnout and with the enthusiastic reception given to the events.

Among the new attractions was crab pot pulling, which saw competitors vying to be the fastest to pull a crab pot along the beach into a dinghy on the back of a trailer, which Mr Collenette said had been well received.

Another new event was pallet smashing, preceded by a gurning competition.

Mr Collenette said that while new, it was in effect the return of an old favourite.

‘We used to have piano smashing in the 80s and 90s, but we stopped it because of too many injuries,’ he said.

With today’s health and safety conscious society, competitors in the pallet smashing were provided with goggles – if they were not already wearing sunglasses – gloves and boots.

Two teams were charged with destroying six pallets as quickly as possible, depositing the wood into a nearby skip.

But before that they had to take part in the gurning contest, which in time-honoured tradition featured competitors pulling a funny face through a horse’s collar.

Among the entrants was bride-to-be Jessica Chandler, whose friends had organised a surprise hen party which included taking part in the pallet smashing.

‘It makes a change,’ she said of her unusual party activity. ‘Only in Guernsey, eh?’

She and her party were going on to another surprise venue in the evening, where they would be able to wear their pallet smashing competition runners-up rosettes, after they lost out to a team of men.

Among the winners was Guernsey Raiders player Nick Merrien: ‘It was fun but really hard work,’ he said. ‘But it would be good rugby training.’