THE 38th running of the Sark to Jersey rowing race on Saturday was full of drama – at the start and finish.

The blue riband event of CI rowing had its record crossing time again blown out of the water by Jersey’s Crusade Laboratories sliding-seat coxed four – but not before the kids of St Ouen’s Youth Club had their moment of glory by finishing the 15-nautical mile crossing from Dixcart Bay, Sark, to Bonne Nuit, Jersey.

The 16-year-old lads won the traditional Open category – the fixed-seat boats having had 30 minutes start on the faster sliders – by finishing a few agonising boat lengths ahead of James Ramsden’s fast-finishing crusaders.

The youngsters won three trophies for their superb effort.

But just over two-and-half hours earlier drama of an unwelcome kind had thrown the start of the sliding-seat boats’ race, and Crusade Laboraties’ paricipation in particular, in doubt.

A spectator, believed to be a holidaymaker on Sark, had collapsed on the stony beach at Dixcart, and Guernsey support crews set off a cry for assistance.

The man they were calling for was Dr Carl Clinton, a member of the Crusade Laboraties crew.

Said Jersey Rowing Club president Peter Gibbons: ‘Carl went to the man’s aid and he quickly assessed the situation.

The chap, apparently with a heart problem, needed to be transferred to Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey immediately, but there were reception problems getting in touch with the emergency services.

‘It was good fortune that I was able to contact the St Helier Lifeboat on our VHS transmitter and after the chap had been carried by about 15 rowers, using an upturned inflatable boat as a stretcher, to another RIB, he was transferred to the lifeboat and taken to hospital.’ The sliding boats were thus able to get under way, chasing the fixed-seat craft, with 38 entries and their guard boats now on the water and heading for the Paternosters reef off Jersey’s north coast.

Crusade’s crew of Ramsden, Ian Blandin, Dr Clinton, Simon Young and cox Mic Tréhorel gave their best performance of the season in the good conditions, smashing their own all-time record by nearly five minutes in clocking 1 hr 53 min 27 sec, although this is only the second year sliding-seat craft have been admitted to the race.

Said a delighted Ramsden: ‘It was our best row of the season.

We started well and kept it going.

We’ve put in a lot of work over the winter – and it’s paid off.’ The crusaders streaked through the fixed-seat field after the Paternosters until just two fixed-seat craft remained in front of them, with the finish line just a few hundred metres ahead.

They cruelly powered past Lee Glover’s novice crew after they had just rounded Cheval Rock, but a splendid finishing spurt from the St Ouen boys had them punching the air as the first boat, albeit with a 30-minute head start.

An understandably delighted Simon Nevitt was full of praise for the St Ouen’s surprise package of youngsters Lee Jégou, Phillip Mourant, Thomas Stead and James Miller.

Said Nevitt: ‘I only stepped in for Jarleth Dervin six weeks ago and it’s my first attempt at coxing, but the lads were superb.

Lee and Phil have done it before, but it’s a first row for Thomas and James.

Brilliant.’ Stead, nephew of experienced rower Simon Stead, went to De La Salle School, while the other three 16-year-olds are former Les Quennevais pupils.

Nevitt, like Jeegou, a rugby player, now heads for medical college.

Their boat, a Granta, was bought for the youth club by Lloyds TSB.

Praise too, for the Peter Green Builders-sponsored crew, with Muratti footballer Dominic Maher and Craig Vautier making the crossing for the first time, aided by a delighted skipper Glover, Dave Johannsen and cox Joe Quinn.

‘The new lads have only had about 12 hours in a boat and we’ve only been together for ten weeks as a crew,’ said Quinn.

Not suprisingly, given the conditions and an extra year’s experience, several sliding-seat records were broken on a day that Jersey dominated, winning the overall team event for the Le Poidevin Trophy by eight points to Guernsey’s two.

The first all-ladies crew to finish were Jersey’s Frankie Le Quelenec and Christine Pallot in the silders Ladies Open Pairs, beating the event record set by themselves last year, by some six minutes.

All the more remarkable as he ladies lost their compass early in the race! Said Le Quelenec: ‘The compass, held on by a velcro strap, was knocked off while I was adjusting my drinking pack.

I don’t think Christine was too impressed, but we kept on going, just keeping inbetween the leading boats.’ Sue Cubbon, Michaela Page, Susie Garner and Pat Young, with Peter Cubbon coxing won the Lawrence Carter Trophy for the first ladies open fours, by crossing the line in 2.21.33.

Jersey’s John Fowler was the first fixed-seat single to finish in just over two-and-half hours, earning himself three trophies.

Guernsey RC’s Joseph Paul won the slider contest with Jersey’s vastly experienced Rob Cassin, who was less than enthusiastic about his first crossing in a sliding-seat single.

Abigale Searson was delighted with her crossing with husband John, saying she was surprised at how much she enjoyed it – and she may even be back for more, having improved last year’s mark by nearly 11 minutes.

Putting the physical demands of the race into context was Headway crew member Mark Harris, who although delighted with the crossing time of 2.42.01 for the crew of ‘mature’ novices, coxed by race legend Annie Quérée, said: ‘We ran the London Marathon for the charity last year and it simply doesn’t compare with this.

Annie was simply magnificent, she kept us going throughout.

Now, do you have a cure for blisters?’ Quérée, completing her 29th crossing, plans to move back into a singles boat next year: ‘I’m 60 next year, so I need to do something to mark it!’ The event was hailed a great success, having as usual been organised by officials from the Jersey RC and the Bonne Nuit Boat Owners Association, who thanked all who assisted on the day.

The race was sponsored by Evian Water.