Swell conditions provide a massive regatta test

Pilot Gig Boat rowing clubs from North Devon and further afield enjoyed a Bank Holiday weekend of Pilot Gig Boat racing, first at Clovelly on Saturday then Appledore on Sunday.

The Clovelly regatta attracted boats and rowers from Bude, Portishead, Plymouth, St Goran, Appledore (Appledore club and Torridge club), Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Boscastle and Clovelly, with eleven boats on the beach and about 150 rowers and coxswains taking part.

Sea conditions within the sheltered harbour were good, however a blustery northwest wind and a significant swell created tricky conditions at the start line and all along the course with three buoy turns, finishing back at the starting line. It took so long for the crews to battle against the strong head wind on the return leg that the course was shortened to two buoy turns after the first race (Ladies vets) was completed. The prevailing conditions were considered too tough for the Junior race to take place, but all off the other races ran as programmed.

The final race of the day was a Barbarian race, where each boat had a crew made up of rowers from other clubs with a cox from the club owning the boat. This was a straight-line sprint race of approximately 1500 metres back to the harbour. Barnstaple was pleased to see their boat Nipper come in first, since that meant they would be able to carry Nipper through the beach tunnel first for loading up for the return journey home.

Appledore and Ilfracombe clubs came joint first place in the regatta, with Boscastle in third place, Bude in fourth place, Portishead fifth, and Barnstaple in sixth place. The photo shows Barnstaple’s Mixed Masters crew celebrating their first place. The rowers were: Alan Pidner, Heidi Clarke, Graeme Clarke, Anne Pinto-Wright, Steve Ford, and coxswain Steve Page.

The following day Appledore Pilot Gig club held their regatta, hosting crews from Ilfracombe, Barnstaple, Clevedon, Bude, Plymouth, Brixham, Bristol, and just along the quayside, Torridge. Although the sky was overcast for most of the day, the rowing conditions were better than the day before, allowing all the scheduled races to take place on the triangular course with two buoy turns.

Appledore were convincing winners of the regatta with seven first place wins and three second places in the boat Locky, from a total of thirteen races during the day. Bude were second place overall, Ilfracombe third, Brixham fourth and Barnstaple and Clevedon joint fifth.