Meet Tamar & Tavy Gig Club

In keeping with tradition, Tamar & Tavy Gig Club was conceived in the local pub back in Autumn 2002 when a small group of locals on the Bere Peninsula wanted to encourage youngsters to take part in a healthy outdoor activity and have an opportunity to get out on the water. Supported by Caradon and Cattewater, we joined the CPGA in Jan 2003. By a stroke of serendipity, an early recruitment leaflet was seen by Brian Nobb’s daughter and passed on to her Dad, who lived only a few miles away. At this stage, Brian was already passionate about gigs but hadn’t yet built one and it seemed a matter of fate that he should build our first gig. That gig, named after Brian’s wife Ginette, was launched just two weeks before our first IOS in 2004 and blue and claret became our club colours after Brian’s football team, West Ham! Brian became a Trustee of the Club and built our second gig, Tamar, in 2008- it’s a matter of great pride for the Club to look after these boats and help to preserve the tradition and craftsmanship of wooden gigs, and they are still our racing boats today.

We only sent one ladies crew to that first Scillies, and they’d had to train in a gig borrowed from Padstow (we didn’t send a men’s crew as they’d done half their training sculling a salmon boat!), but we have steadily worked our way up the field over the years, last year finishing in Group C. We take our training seriously and we were really proud to have representation in three Devon County crews last year, but we enjoy having fun on more leisurely or adventurous rows too- we’re lucky to be based at Weir Quay in the beautiful Tamar Valley so picnic rows up the river or to the pub for some shanties are just as important as regattas, and we love to take the gigs further afield for rows such as Ramsey Island, the Caledonian Canal or Lundy; or to take part in challenges such as the Eddystone race or the Great River Race. The Club has always welcomed anyone keen to try gig rowing, whether you love the thrill and excitement of racing or a relaxing row with friends on a picturesque river (or both), we have a very broad and inclusive membership- we have a strong junior section competing at every regatta we attend, and also specific junior events such as Hayle U14s and NQ U16s; at the other end of the scale our oldest rower is in his eighties and still competes in the supervets, and we plan to take part in the growing series of Masters events.

After ten years of hard work and fund raising (and moving between temporary homes) we are now based in a great purpose-built boat shed, shared with the local sailing club, which gives us a permanent home for years to come. We are always keen to encourage local folks to come and try gig rowing, and especially to get more local youngsters out on the water. For the future, we’ll continue to spread the word about gig rowing in our local community; we’ll continue to train hard and try to finish just one group higher at Scillies or just one round further at NQ; and we’ll continue to look for new regattas and new rowing adventures to enjoy.

In June 2021, four of our ladies are taking on the daunting challenge of rowing 500 miles from Tower Bridge to Land’s End as part of the GB Row Challenge, to raise awareness of the mental health charity, Mind. Anyone interested in supporting this fantastic cause can find out more at www.ashorething.uk.

We’re a friendly, welcoming club and anyone interested in giving gig rowing a try can find out more on our website http://www.tamarandtavygigclub.co.uk or http://facebook.com/tamartavygig