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Tamar & Tavy Gig Club celebrate best ever world championships

Tamar & Tavy Gig Club had a fantastic weekend of racing at the World Pilot Gig Championships on the Isles of Scilly from the 2^nd – 4^th May. They took Ladies and Men’s A and B teams, and their boats Ginette and Tamar were two of 147 gigs taking part. The teams had worked hard all winter to prepare, often battling challenging conditions on the Tamar, but they were rewarded by idyllic conditions to race in, with calm seas and clear blue skies. Rowing captain Lynn Renton commented that the ‘great weather, great results and great people all combined to make it a fantastic experience’.

The Men’s A team rowed superbly, with some brilliant coxing resulting in them reaching group D (the 4^th of 12 groups) in the seeding race; within the top 50 crews. They then held their position for the 2 heats that followed, and had a blistering row in the final with some fierce competition, finishing in 7^th place in their heat and 42^nd overall. An amazing achievement and a massive 33 places higher than they finished in 2013, proving they are a force to be reckoned with. The B team also had a strong championships, beginning in a low group, but winning that in the first heat by a good few boat lengths – fantastic! They went on to finish in group K in 127^th place; a great achievement.

The Ladies A team similarly proved their worth, battling some tough conditions in the seeding race, which landed them in group H, below where they were hoping to be. This gave them renewed determination and they had an amazing couple of heats, winning both by at least a boat length which put them into group F for the final. They pulled it out of the bag, rowing their hearts out, to finish 2^nd in the group, and 62^nd overall, 8 places higher than ever before; fantastic! The Ladies B had a superb row in the seeding race, finishing in group I. They then held their position, competing strongly within their group with 2 strong heats, and a brilliant final finishing 104^th overall.

Club chair Simon Howes said ‘This year’s expedition to the World Championships in Scilly was our best ever – best training, best organisation, best publicity, best teamwork, best weather and BEST RESULTS.  It takes an enormous amount of effort to project two boats and four teams to the islands and it is a whole club enterprise.  Oar painters, coaches, boat tow drivers and all the others who have had a part in the club’s success should be proud of our results.  We can of course do even better next year and with this level of commitment I am confident we shall.’

Huge congratulations to all the rowers, to their coxes, and in particular to Pete Keegan, Jake Rendle and Claire Luxton, for whom it was their first world championships. They did the club proud. Thanks also to Jean-Pierre Le Tissier from Cotehele Quay Gig Club who rowed for our men’s B team, and to all the supporters and club members who have trained and rowed throughout the winter and supported the team’s preparations. It truly was a great club event and a brilliant start to the 2014 season.

What a fantastic start to the rowing season! On Sunday 9^th March, we entered 2 ladies and 2 mens crews into the Three Rivers Race hosted by Caradon Gig Club at Saltash. The weather was stunning, which made a very welcome change after the tough conditions we faced in training, and the river was calm. Spirits were high, with 59 boats entered in the ladies race and 51 in the mens and everyone looking forward to getting out on the water. The course was a tough 10 km, requiring a lot of grit and determination. The boats started under the Tamar Bridge before heading upriver into the mouth of the Tavy, then back, past Saltash and down river into the mouth of the Lynher, before turning again and finishing just short of the bridge.

The ladies raced first, entering an A team formed of Sarah Gall, Lynn Renton, Katie Turner, Heidi Brodribb, Charity Philips and Helen Atrill and coxed by Bill Stacey-Norris. They had a great race, pitted against some very strong crews in their heat, and battling for position around the course. Some excellent coxing and a strong, hard row in the final leg gave them the edge they needed and they overtook 2 boats and held off a third to cross the finish line in 30^th position in a time of 60:07. The ladies B team, formed of Julie Rendle, Jane Morton, Debbie Farmer, Sandra Anstey, Claire Luxton and Helen Samson-Hill also had a very strong race, managing to take a few boats at the first turn, which put them in the middle of their heat. They held their position for the rest of the race, and had a strong finish, with some excellent coxing from Carolyn Dawe helping them home in 40^th place and with a time of 61:44.

After a quick change of crews, the men took to the water. Their A team, formed of Andy Morton, Pete Keegan, Mark Turner, Stuart Heale, Jake Rendle and Rob Dawe rowed very well, with a fantastic start and some great coxing from Carolyn Dawe putting them into a strong position. They managed to hold this throughout, with a tough battle as they crossed the finish line putting them in 21^st place with a time of 50:24. The men’s B team, formed of Roger High, Tim Brodribb, Dan High, Jon Overnells, Simon Luke and John Rogers and coxed by Becky Masters also had a good race. They held their position, holding off some other boats and working hard, with some determined rowing and excellent coxing helping them across the line in 58:18, 49^th place.

All in all it was a fantastic day of racing, and a strong start to the season. It was lovely to be back on the water, in great conditions, and with lots of support from club members – many thanks to all involved and to Caradon Gig Club for a brilliant day.

Sunday 15^th December

Sunday 29^th December

Sunday 12^th January

Sunday 26^th January

Sunday 9^th February

Sunday Rowing kit list

Warm clothing (top and bottoms)

Boots for getting in and out of the boat

Training shoes for rowing

Hat and gloves

Drink

I will ask you to contact me by email by Friday 7.00pm so we can make sure there is enough rowers to make a boat up. A list of rowers will be sent out by Friday 9.00pm.

We will endeavour to get all to row in an hour session this may mean you could be asked to do 2 sessions of rowing if we need to make up numbers.

Contact

wstaceynorris@aol.com

On Saturday 21^st September, Tamar & Tavy Gig Club held their annual regatta at Weir Quay. It was a fantastic day of rowing, and was well supported by local clubs, with teams entering from Cotehele, Cattewater and Rame. Tamar & Tavy laid on a bbq, cake stall, tombola and raffle which kept the teams and their many supporters fed and watered throughout the day.  The event proved also to be well supported by local residents, and it was fantastic to have such a crowd to cheer the crews on, both from the shore and out on boats which added to the racing atmosphere.

The racing began with the epic Brunel Trophy, a handicapped race where the teams rowed down to the Brunel Bridge and back. This was a hard 6 mile race, coinciding with slack water and some strong winds which made it a battle for the crews competing. Cattewater came through victorious in the end with Tamar & Tavy finishing in fourth after being overtaken by Cotehele men in the final stretch! The shorter sprint races followed this, which proved hard races for all competing, especially those who had already rowed in the Brunel race! The course went down towards the Tavy and round a buoy, which, thanks to the tide being one of the biggest of the year, made for some tricky bouy turns! Some strong rowing led to wins for Cattewater in the Mens, Tamar & Tavy in the Ladies and Rame in the Super-vets. The day ended with Barbarians races where the junior rowers were also able to join in the fun. Rowers from all the clubs entered, making for some fantastic scenes as the teams pulled together for a final row. All in all a brilliant day was had by all, and Tamar & Tavy would like to thank all the clubs that competed and all the spectators for their support and encouragement.

On Saturday 31^st August Tamar & Tavy Gig Club Ladies A team travelled to Newquay for the Ladies County Gig Championships, competing in a line up of 90 crews. The conditions proved to be extremely challenging, with a delay to the start due to rough seas, but there was a sense of relief and a big cheer when the umpires decided to go ahead and the racing began! The T&T Ladies were drawn in heat 14, by which time conditions had worsened considerably, making for a tense wait and lots of nerves, but it was great to finally get out on the seas. The team, formed of Sandra Anstey, Meg Keegan, Katie Turner, Lyn Renton, Sarah Gall and Nicky Evans battled large swells and white horses and had a very challenging race, but thanks to some truly amazing coxing from Jo Cameron, made it round the course in just over 21 minutes. Unfortunately we did not make it through to the next round of the competition, coming 58^th overall, but headed home proud of our achievements and having successfully taken on the waves!

Tamar & Tavy Gig Club Ladies A team, Nicky Evans, Sarah Gall, Lyn Renton, Katie Turner, Meg Keegan and Sandra Anstey at the Newquay County Championships

Tamar & Tavy Gig Club enjoyed a fantastic day of rowing at the Tamar Challenge on Sunday 18^th July, entering a Ladies and a Men’s crew to race the 9 miles up the Tamar from the Tamar Bridge to Cotehele Quay. The challenge was hosted by Cotehele Quay Gig Club, and was very well organised and a great day out. Weather conditions were perfect, which was a welcome relief for the crews who enjoyed the calm waters and sunny weather.

The race handicaps meant that the T&T Ladies crew were the first to leave the start line amidst cheers from the waiting crews and spectators. The crew, formed of Lyn Renton, Carolyn Dawe, Katie Turner, Mel Cotton, Helen Samson-Hill and Julie Eastaugh had a storming first leg up to Weir Quay where they were finally overtaken by Rock Ladies vets who went on to win. They maintained their speed and with some strong rowing and fantastic coxing from Tricia Stewart held second place all the way up the river, only to be taken by Falmouth Men’s B and Caradon Men on the 2^nd to last bend. This was a fantastic result for our Ladies who came 4^th out of the 12 crews with a time of 1 hour 14 minutes.

T&T Ladies Tamar Challenge crew: Helen Samson-Hill, Carolyn Dawe, Mel Cotton, Katie Turner, Tricia Stewart (cox), Lyn Renton and Julie Eastaugh

The T&T Men’s crew, formed of Martin Painter, James Roobottom, Rob Dawe, Dan Highscapes, Ian King, and John Rogers also had a great race. They enjoyed the good conditions, and some excellent rowing and great coxing from Chris Dill meant that they came home in 1hr 10mins. All rowed hard, and enjoyed the race. Supporter numbers were high which added to the atmosphere and gave the crews a much needed boost as they came into the final stages of the race. Many thanks go to Cotehele Quay Gig Club for organising a fantastic event and providing such a good day out.

Tamar and Tavy Gig Club enjoyed a successful weekend on the 15th & 16th June 2013 at the Mixed and Veterans Championships hosted by Caradon Gig Club in Saltash. We entered a Mixed, a Mixed Super Vets and a Juniors (under 16) team on Saturday and a Ladies Super Vets team on Sunday. Despite the weather conspiring against us, with strong winds making conditions particularly challenging, spirits were high and the crews were determined to succeed, as always.

The Mixed team formed of Heidi Brodribb, Tim Brodribb, Mark Turner, Dan High, Sarah Gall and Charity Philips had a strong first heat, coming third out of four and qualifying for a place in quarter finals thanks to some strong rowing and great coxing by Katie Turner. They then battled it out in a tough quarter final heat against some of the top clubs and unfortunately narrowly missed out on a place in the semi finals, but finished within the top half of the crews, and with the satisfaction of knowing it was a job well done.

Mixed team at Saltash Regatta 2013: Dan High, Mark Turner, Tim Brodribb, Katie Turner (cox), Heidi Brodribb, Charity Philips and Sarah Gall

The Mixed Super Vet crew, coxed by Becky Masters and formed of Penny Twine, Christine Roberts, Karen Auborn, David Auborn, Ian King and Simon Howes had a tough first heat but rowed superbly and qualified for the Plate final. Here they rowed a strong race, and with some great coxing from Becky came home in fourth, another brilliant result! Bill Stacey-Norris coxed a very strong and determined Juniors team, who got through their first heat into the finals where some brilliant rowing earned them 5^th place.

Sunday brought even tougher conditions, with crews having to battle both wind and rain. T & T Ladies Super Vets weren’t put off though, entering a strong crew; Carolyn Dawe, Julie Rendle, Lynn Renton, Mel Cotton, Julie Eastaugh and Helen Samson-Hill who had a fantastic first heat, with some excellent coxing from Rob Dawe resulting in them coming 2^nd and earning them a place in the final. Here they fought hard, overtaking one boat and coming close to taking a second, finishing the race in 4^th place. A fantastic weekend was had by all!