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 2nd – 4th 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 4th 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 7th place in their heat and 42nd 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 127th 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 2nd in the group, and 62nd 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 104th 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.