Pulling Together

The Guernsey Rowing Club may be one of the Channel Islands’ most successful inter-insular sports clubs, but to its members, it’s so much more than that. “Our Club is a community like nothing else,” explains captain Ben Vaudin. “There’s a real family feel to it and our members are the most sociable people I’ve ever met. We’ve shared some really memorable moments, from birthdays to weddings – that’s pretty special. Comprising over 120 members, it’s also rare to have such a spread in ages, from 16-year-olds to 70-year-olds, and many of them have been with the Club through family generations.”

Although the offshore rowing season runs from April to September, the teams train all year round, and the milder seasons don’t necessarily mean calmer seas. “We train and compete in most conditions, through rain and sunshine,” explains Ben. “It’s an intense sport that works every muscle in the body, so a base level of fitness is important.” However, the hard work seems worth its weight in gold medals. Guernsey remains defending champions in the hotly-contested annual inter-insular Sark to Jersey competition, and alongside their fierce rivals, the two Channel Islands clubs took the top four places in the ‘Monster the Loch’ boat race across Loch Ness – with Guernsey claiming the top three.

A community Club at heart, its members are committed to giving back.

A community Club at heart, its members are also committed to giving back. Over the years, they’ve raised over £250,000 for the MS Society Guernsey by taking on record-breaking endurance challenges. In 2002, a ‘Fitness Factory’ crew rowed from Guernsey to Amsterdam, a feat only topped in 2004 when a team rowed from London to Paris, breaking a World Record previously held by Jersey Rowing Club. In 2008, two members established a Guinness World Record by rowing non-stop for 24 hours on an indoor rowing machine, clocking up a mammoth 300,000 metres.