Although the Guernsey Rowing Club calendar started small with last weekend’s 3.2km Course A, it will continue to build over the spring and summer with a mix of modern classics and newer additions.
This includes two epic rows of around 40km each deep into the season – the Guernsey to Alderney on 26 July, then the Around Guernsey on 30 August.
Rowing Club captain Ben Vaudin is looking forward to the 39.3km Guernsey to Alderney making its competitive debut.
‘It has been done by individual crews, but never as a race,’ he said.
‘We have decided to put it on.
‘I am really excited about that one – it’s a different challenge.’
Hosting this race has been made more attainable by support from Channel Seaways, who will help with the shipping back from Alderney.
The Around Guernsey is even more of a grind, at a massive 40.2km, and has not taken place in a long time.
‘I try to refresh the calendar every now and then, mix it around to keep things interesting,’ Vaudin added.
One standout fixture earlier in the season is the popular Home Regatta, which features three different races between 13 and 15 June.
July also sees two of the club’s biggest annual focuses – in both senses – with the 26.7km Sark to Jersey and 27.4km Gorey to Careret.
Guernsey will be defending the inter-island Le Poidevin Trophy in the Sark to Jersey on Saturday 12 July.
Just one week later is the Gorey to Carteret, where Guernsey’s TPA men’s quad took runner-up to a powerhouse St Malo crew last year.
However, the Gorey to Carteret currently clashes with a less familiar race, the 14.8km Guernsey to Sark, which is also set for 19 July.
Penned in for 2 August is the 13km Around The Tower, which heavily features water north of Castle Cornet.
This course was set to debut in 2023 but suffered a weather-induced cancellation, with last year’s edition following a similar fate. Vaudin hopes that will change this year.
‘Hopefully this year will be the year we finally get to do the Around The Tower.’
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