Thanks to very generous donations and sponsorship we have managed to purchase a beautiful set of new oars for our ladies crews, we had a perfect day for wetting them with completely flat glass-like water, and a few mince pies and mulled wine.
Ladies Race Report
Arriving early to wind and dark clouds, and seeing the river flowing fast, we knew we were in for a bumpy ride, it’s not unusual for this particular race as along with being one of the longest races of the season it has a tendency to be unpredictable. By the time the ladies race had began at 11am however, the sun was shining through and had taken the edge off the chill in the air. We were in heat 4 so had a nice little warm up before we took to the start line and took off all the nice warm layers. It should be noted that we had unfortunately had to have a last minute crew change and lost out on bringing a B crew, we had not trained together and had a fairly sloppy start, not helped by another boat zig zagging across the water getting in our way, our wonderful cox did a great job of finding us some clear water to get into our stride, find a good rhythm and get those muscles into action. The act of “finding water” as waves rolled past (and sometimes straight over our poor #1) kept us pre-occupied enough that it didn’t seem long before the first buoy turns were out of the way and the water was in our favour for the next section of the race back to the bridge, we had by this point overtaken Cream of Cornwall with a good lead so took some breaths, relaxed into it and kept going. The usual lumpy water under the bridge tested the fact that we’d not been training as a crew but we got through it and the slog from bridge to the next set of buoys seemed to go on forever, we held our position in the pack and were slowly and steadily gaining on the boats ahead. As soon as we had turned at the buoys and began heading back upstream we felt the water harden as the current and wind pushed against us, our cox did a brilliant job of not letting the momentum drop, reminding us that “Tamar & Tavy can FINISH!” and letting us know that we were gaining on the group ahead, we gave it everything in that last stretch, we began to hear the sound of their oars and then we were past them, and as the counts of “10 hard ones” and the grunting and pain increased we past another, and then another, we had past three boats in the final stretch and then the horn sounded to say it was all over and we’d made it.
COX: Lynn Renton
#6: Sarah Gall
#5: Susan Douglas
#4: Amy Ross
#3: Denise Nixon
#2: Debbie Farmer
#1: Helen Lloyd
RESULTS:
LADIES – 54 / 68
MEN – 45 / 64
Well-travelled gig!
Tamar & Tavy Gig club, only weeks after taking the Cornish Pilot Gig ‘Ginette’ to Scotland to row the 60 mile Caledonian Canal, ventured to London on 12th September for the Great River Race 2015. This is a spectacular boat race up the river Thames. The course is 21 miles from London’s Docklands to Ham House passing under 28 iconic bridge; starting with tower Bridge and ending just after Richmond Bridge. Towing a 33 foot boat through Central London, ready for the start at Mill Wall Slip was an adventure in itself, passing by parliament and the Tower of London. The race attracts huge numbers of spectators and over 330 crews from all over the globe, with the Dutch out in force. Each boat carries a crew, cox, passenger and a large flag. The atmosphere is tremendous, with cheering, fancy dress and a huge range of paddle propelled craft.
Tamar and Tavy Gig Club, ably coxed by chairman Simon Howes, fielded a ladies crew of Lyn Renton (stroke), Denise Nixon, Heidi Brodribb, Charity Lake, Mel Cotton, Amy Ross and Helen Lloyd. A strong head wind on the day meant Dragon boats were prohibited entry by the Port of London Authority, but the rest of the boats took to the water and the race was on! Tamar & Tavy rowed very strongly and had a thoroughly enjoyable race despite the strong headwind. The happy and hardworking crew were welcomed home by the boom of a canon, crossing the line at the 3 hour mark mid-fleet, and finishing strongly with a final burst of 10 more, 10 more and yet 10 more strong stokes to overtake several boats, including some men’s teams, in the last leg of the pursuit race. The team were proud to be wearing new kit sponsored by Hogg’s Bottom Preserves and flying the Devon Flag.
On 11th July, Tamar & Tavy Gig Club travelled to Daymer Bay for a regatta hosted by Rock Pilot Gig Rowing Club. It was a brilliant sunny, windy day in the gorgeous setting of the Camel estuary. Tamar & Tavy entered Ladies A, B and vets crews and Men’s A and B crews into the racing, rowing against a mix of other clubs with between 14 and 20 boats in each race. The racing conditions were hard with boats battling tide and wind around the course, but all crews rowed strongly and enjoyed taking on the elements. The ladies vets rowed really hard, taking two boats at the first bouy and finishing a creditable 14th. The ladies and men’s B teams both had hard races, battling tide and wind around the course and other boats to the line, both finishing in 13th place. The ladies and men’s A teams were also very strong, with the ladies fighting for water around a couple of buoy turns and the men rowing strongly throughout, both finishing in the middle of the pack. All in all it was a brilliant day of racing and spirits were high. Many thanks to Rock for such a fun and well organised regatta, to Simon Howes for towing the gig and to all rowers and supporters for another great day out.
Photo credit: Katie Turner and Matthew Pinney
Tamar and Tavy Gig Club sent two crews to Appledore on the 11th and 12th April to take part in the Supervet Regatta in the North Devon town, hosted by Appledore Gig Club.
The ladies crew comprising Denise Nixon, Nicky Evans, Lynn Renton, Mel Cotton Helen Samson-Hill and Julie Rendle, coxed by Ian King, rowed first. The choppy conditions and strong current combined to make the conditions quite difficult but the ladies had an excellent start and were in the leading pack virtually from the start.
They eventually finished 3rd behind Falmouth and Torridge but beat Swanage who were the previous years winners.
The men’s crew of Pete Clarke, Ian King, John Rogers, Martin Painter, Simon Howes and Mike Vosper, coxed by Lynn Renton rowed out next. The half a mile sprint started near the historic Appledore shipyard, going past the fish dock and back to the main slipway giving the cheering spectators a good view of the whole race. The men finished well in 6th place.
Despite the long journey both crews enjoyed the day and the hospitality shown by Appledore Gig Club.
3 Rivers
On Saturday 14th March, Tamar & Tavy Gig Club entered two ladies and two men’s teams into the Three Rivers Race hosted by Caradon Gig Club. The race was an hour long endurance race with a course that began under the Tamar Bridge. Crews then rowed up river into the mouth of the Tavy, back down to the mouth of the Lynher, and finished back under the bridge. The crews all rowed well, and it was brilliant to be back on the water. The ladies went first, with an A and a B team, the A crew, Julie Rendle, Claire Luxton, Katie Turner, Sarah Gall, Debbie Farmer and Mel Cotton were coxed by Ian King, and the B team, Jennie Smith, Helen Samson-Hill, Charity Philips, Susan Douglass, Amy Dubrovich and Denise Nixon, were coxed by Lynn Renton. Both boats had a great race, enjoying relatively good conditions, despite the cold wind. They both had some tussles with other boats, but both overtook boats, with the A team taking 3 in the run up to the line. The A team finished in 42nd place, and the B team in 55th out of 63 boats.
The men raced second, with the A team, Simon Luke, Kevin Cole, Chris Morton, Jake Rendle, Mark Turner and Roger Hine, coxed by Bill Stacey-Norris, and the B team, Ian King, John Overnels, John Rogers, Pete Keegan, Martin Painter and Peter Clarke, coxed by Chris Dill. Both teams had a great row, with the A team holding their own and passing boats to finish 30th out of the 67 boats competing, and the B team having a great race and finishing in 66th place.
A great day was had by all, with welcome sunshine for the first full club outing of the season. This race is traditionally seen as the start to the gig season, with teams now all looking forward to the world championships on the Isles of Scilly on the May Day weekend.
On Saturday 7th March, Tamar & Tavy Gig Club Ladies got the rowing season off to a good start competing in the Mini Scillies regatta hosted by Helford River Gig Club. They had a lovely sunny day despite the cold temperatures and enjoyed two races. These were both sprint races, similar to those raced at the World Pilot Gig Championships on the Isles of Scilly. The crew, Jennie Smith, Lizzie Maunder, Claire Luxton, Susan Douglass, Debbie Farmer and Denise Nixon were coxed by Lynn Renton. They rowed two strong races, and the second race was brilliant, with the ladies passing a good number of boats and fighting to the end to come 15th out of the 22 boats competing. This was the first ever race for 3 of the crew, and for their cox, and a fantastic effort was given by everyone.
Please see the document below for the list of events and regattas we will be attending this year:
Tamar and Tavy Gig Club enjoyed a very successful day on the river on Saturday 9th August competing in the Tamar Challenge hosted by Cotehele Quay Gig Club. They entered three boats of mixed ages; two ladies and one men’s crew into the 9 mile (one hour) endurance race which started in Saltash and ended at Cotehele Quay. The race was handicapped with
Conditions on the river were mixed, with a strong wind making the going very tough on some sections, but providing a welcome tail wind on others. The race was handicapped, with the slowest boats starting first and everyone else trying to overtake them before the finis, and prizes awarded for first past the post and fastest time. Both Ladies crews were in the first group to start, with crews from Rame and Rock. The boats had a tussle up to the first corner, but Tamar & Tavy Ladies A: Claire Luxton, Sandra Anstey, Katie Turner, Lynn Renton, Sarah Gall and Julie Rendle, managed to pull into the lead as they approached Cargreen. Some great coxing from Mark Turner and some strong rowing saw them holding off Rock as they past Weir Quay and they then managed to maintain their lead all the way up to the finish line! Unbelievable!
The B crew, coxed by Becky Masters with Karen Auborn, Nicky Evans, Carolyn Dawe, Helen Samson-Hill, Jennie Smith and Beth Gay also had a fantastic race. They fought for position and rowed very strongly, finishing in 7th place out of the 13 crews competing and holding their own amongst the competition. The men’s crew: Rob Dawe, Simon Luke, Jake Rendle, Ian King, Peter Clarke and John Rogers were coxed by Chris Dill. They started 11 minutes after the first boats, which meant that they had their work cut out as they fought their way past other crews on their way up the river. They proved their worth though, finishing in 12th place, but with the 5th fastest time of the day. Brilliant!
The official results are:
Ladies A 1st (1 hour 6 minutes 44 seconds, 8th)
Ladies B 7th (1 hour 12 minutes, 4 seconds, 12th)
Men 12th (1 hour, 3 minutes, 22 seconds, 5th)
For the full results please click here – Tamar Challenge Results 2014
Huge congratulations go to all teams competing, and especially to the Ladies A, some fantastic results, proving that the hard work and dedication in training really does pay off. Huge thanks also to all the supporters and to the crew who rowed Belinda back to Weir Quay after the racing. Thanks in particular to Mike Vosper who provided safety boat cover and saved us from having to row the race length twice by towing Tamar to Saltash and back from Cotehele, and then coming back to tow Belinda the final stretch of the river. You certainly providing some very welcome relief after a hard day at the oars!
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The club had a brilliant day in Salcombe on Sunday 29th June at the Salcombe Estuary Rowing Club regatta. We entered Ladies and Men’s A, B and Supervet teams and two mixed U16 teams. The setting was stunning, and rowing in another beautiful estuary was a lovely treat. The races were challenging, with twelve gigs competing on the mile long course and fighting for water around the numerous very tight buoy turns.
The ladies A were first up, battling their way round, and finishing in 10th place, the Men’s A followed next, finishing in 7th, the ladies B in 9th and the Men’s B in 10th place. The two supervets crews also had a strong row, with the ladies finishing in 4th in their race, and the men narrowly beaten.
The real highlight of the day, however, was watching our two fantastic U16 teams. They had a tough row, with the A team, Molly Friendship, Will Gardner, Cameron Mckie, Ben Luke, Ethan Lamerton and Fen Eastaugh suffering a clash with another boat on one of the buoy turns, but some fantastic coxing from Becky Masters saw them pull away in the home straight and take some boats, earning them a well deserved 1st place! Fantastic! The B team also had a brilliant row, with the crew Martha Walke, Amy Crocker, Anya Anstey, Katie Crocker, Elliott Overnell and Mia Anstey, and coxed by Tricia Stewart rowing their hearts out and proving their strength. It was a brilliant start to their season. Many congratulations to all of them.
Thanks to everyone who came to support the teams, to the rest of the club, to the rowers and coxes, and to Salcombe for hosting such a great day.
(Details below to be confirmed)
Ladies A crew: Sarah Gall, Meg Keegan, Katie Turner, Claire Luxton, Helen Atrill, Lynn Renton, Cox: Mark Turner
Ladies B crew: Helen Lloyd, Julie Eastaugh, Julie Rendle, Jennie Smith, Mel Cotton, Debbie Farmer, Cox:
Ladies supervets: Julie Rendle, Sandra Anstey, Debbie Farmer, Lynn Renton, Mel Cotton, Tricia Stewart, Cox:
Men’s A crew: Simon Luke, John Overnell, Jake Rendle, Mark Turner, Pete Keegan, Andy Morton, Cox: Becky Masters
Men’s B crew: Matt Pinney, Roger Hine, Kevin Cole, Tim Brodribb, Ian King, John Rogers, Cox: Becky Masters
Men’s supervets: Mike Blong, Peter Clarke, John Rogers, David Auborn, Ian King, Martin Painter, Cox: Becky Masters
Junior U16 A crew: Molly Friendship, Will Gardner, Cameron Mckie, Ben Luke, Ethan Lamerton, Fen Eastaugh, Cox: Becky Masters
Juniors U16 B crew: Martha Walke, Amy Crocker, Anya Anstey, Katie Crocker, Elliott Overnell, Mia Anstey, Cox: Tricia Stewart
The weekend of the 21st & 22nd June proved to be a great weekend of racing for us. Our crews took to the river at Saltash for the Mixed and Vets championships hosted by Caradon Gig Club. The Mixed A & B teams competed on Saturday and the Men’s and Ladies Supervets A teams on Sunday. It couldn’t have been better conditions to be on the river (although it was a little warm!), and all teams rowed extremely well amid some fierce competition. The Mixed A had a tough first heat, coming in fourth and narrowly missing out on a place in the top half of the crews, but a fantastic row and a win in their second heat earned them a place in the plate final where they came third. The Mixed B team came third in their heat which meant they went on to row against crews in the top half of the field, where, despite a hard fight they were knocked out in the second heat.
Sunday bought the turn of the Men’s and Ladies Supervet crews. Both battled hard in their first two heats, coming in the second half of the field, but some superb rowing earned them both places in the plate finals. The ladies had a fantastic start to their final, leading for a good portion of the race, before some difficult clashes with another boat left them in third place overall. The men’s crew also had a battle, with some very hard and determined rowing, but they were not quite able to make it past the crew from Salcombe, leaving them in fourth place.
Overall it was a fantastic weekend. Many thanks go to the supporters, rowers, coxes and those who rowed the boat down and back to Weir Quay. Congratulations everyone!
Mixed A crew: Pete Keegan, Mark Turner, Jake Rendle, Katie Turner, Claire Luxton, Sarah Gall, Cox. Simon Howes
Mixed B crew: Andy Morton, Roger Hine, Jon Overnell, Charity Philips, Helen Atrill, Jennie Smith, Cox: Chris Dill
Ladies Supervets crew: Lynn Renton, Helen Samson-Hill, Julie Rendle, Mel Cotton, Karen Auborn, Debbie Farmer, Cox: Mark Turner
Men’s Supervets crew: Mike Blong, Peter Clark, John Rogers, David Auborn, Ian King, Martin Painter, Cox: Becky Masters
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.
On Saturday 15th March, we entered a ladies crew into the Mini Scillies regatta hosted by Helford River Gig Club. A second weekend of sunshine made for a beautiful day of racing, with the crew competing in two races. The rowers were Julie Rendle, Lynn Renton, Katie Turner, Helen Atrill, Claire Luxton and Nicky Evans, and they were coxed by Simon Howes. Some of the top crews were racing which made for a challenging competition, but our ladies had a great couple of races, rowing strongly and showing their determination. They battled a strong head wind on the second race, but some great coxing from Simon helped them to stay strong, powering past the Brixham crew and taking a few boats on the line to finish in 12th place out of 23 boats – a fantastic result. Thanks go especially to Nicky Evans who was rowing with jet lag!
This was a warm up for the World Pilot Gig Championships which are held on the Isles of Scilly every May, providing a great opportunity for us to get out on the water for some sprint racing, and with competition of a very high standard, the club are now looking forward to a fantastic championships. Crews are in the final stages of training, working hard and more determined than ever to succeed.
What a fantastic start to the rowing season! On Sunday 9th 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 30th 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 40th 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 21st 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, 49th 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.
Cornish Pilot Gig Association fixtures for 2014 as they currently stand. Please be aware that this is a draft so will be subject to change.
Download the CPGA Fixtures 2014 here
