Cadgwith Pilot Gig Club race with our four gigs. "Buller", "Socoa", "Rose of Cadgwith" and "Tamarisk"

Gig Racing
Cornish Pilot Gig racing is the fastest growing community sport in the SouthWest with all age groups taking part in regattas throughout the spring and summer around the coast of Devon and Cornwall.

Each gig or boat built of Cornish narrow leaf elm, 32 feet long with a beam of four feet ten inches. They have a crew of six rowers, male, female and mixed, with the addition of a coxswain at the helm of each boat to navigate.

It is recognised as one of the first shore based lifeboats that went to vessels in distress, with recorded rescues going back as far as the late 17th century.

The original purpose of the Cornish pilot gig was as a general work boat, and the craft is used for taking pilots out to incoming vessels off the Atlantic. In those days the race would be the first gig to get their pilot on board a vessel (often those about to run aground on rocks) got the job, and hence the payment.

Pilot Gigs today
Today, pilot gigs are used primarily for sport, with around 100 clubs across the globe. The main concentration is within Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, there are also clubs in Devon, Dorset, Wales and London. Internationally there are pilot gig clubs in Australia, the Faeroe Islands, France, the Netherlands, and the USA.

All modern racing gigs are based on the "Treffry", built in 1838 by William Peters of St. Mawes, and still owned and raced by the Newquay Rowing Club. However non-racing gigs have been built which do not conform to the exact specification of the Treffry and are disallowed from racing in competitive races.

The sport is governed by the Cornish Pilot Gig Association, which monitors all racing gigs during the construction phase. The Association's Standards Officer is responsible for measuring every gig at least three times during construction, to ensure that it conforms to the Standard set by the Association.

The 100th gig, built for the Bude Gig Club by Ralph Bird was launched during the summer of 2005.

The first of Cadgwith's gigs is the Buller.

The second of the gigs is "Socoa".

The "Rose of Cadgwith" is the 3rd gig of Cadgwith.

World Champsionships
Since 1990, the World Pilot Gig Championships have been held annually on the Isles of Scilly. Held over the first May bank holiday weekend, they are attended by over 2000 rowers and spectators, and in 2006 almost 100 gigs were there, and is widely believed to be the busiest weekend on the islands, with an approximate doubling of population.

Ladies at the Isles of Scilly 2004, Pose with thier two boats

Ladies at the Isles of Scilly, Rose Crew 2004:
6. Sarah Hamill
5. Sam Jane
4. Katie Smith
3. Angie Richards
2. Emma G
1. Chris Legg

The first of Cadgwith's gigs is the Buller.

The second of the gigs is "Socoa".

The "Rose of Cadgwith" is the 3rd gig of Cadgwith.