Helford River Gig Club hosted the annual Mini Scillies on the 23rd of March. 24 gigs arrived bright and early ready for a busy day of racing on the Helford Passage.
There was a mix of sunshine and rain throughout the day. The strong westerly wind and changing tide created some challenging conditions testing crews ahead of the World Pilot Gig Championships in May.
Racing began with the Men’s Masters and Vets, featuring 16 crews aiming to showcase their dedication to winter training. Falmouth A demonstrated their strength, crossing the line in 14 minutes 44 seconds. Caradon A crossed the line two boat lengths behind in a time of 15 minutes 5 seconds, followed by a composite mixed crew racing in Dew of the Sea. The fastest of the Masters crews was Helford crossing the line in a time of 16:59 followed by Flushing and Mylor.
In the Women’s Masters and Vets race, Charlestown and Porthleven led the group from the start. Charlestown crossed the finish line with a convincing lead, winning the Vets Category. Helford was the fastest of the Women’s Masters crews, crossing the finish line in a time of 20:28.
Caradon A was the fastest of the Men’s Super Vets crews with a convincing win over Helford who placed second ahead of Falmouth in third.
The fourth race of the day was the Women’s Super Vets. In a display of tough competition, the group stayed together for the majority of the race. Rock gave a stand out performance, overtaking a number of crews in the second half of the race and placing third overall. In the end it was Teign who finished first with a very strong performance, closely followed by Helford.
The penultimate race of the day was the Men’s Open, which hosted a number of high profile crews. Falmouth, Caradon, Coverack and Looe battled it out as conditions began to worsen. After the success of their Three Rivers Race victory, Falmouth showcased a dominant performance crossing the finish line in 12:39 seconds. In second position was Caradon, just 1 second behind them was Coverack, who later got disqualified. This meant Looe were the official third place holders with a time of 12:57.
With the highest number of entries, the Women’s Open was a true test of fitness and skill in some extremely challenging conditions. Caradon and Helford led from the beginning, both fighting hard for victory. After their victory at the Three River Race earlier this month, Caradon continued their winning streak crossing the line in poll position, only 1 second ahead of Helford A. In third place was Coverack with a respectable time of 15:02.
A huge well done to all crews that competed and to Helford Gig Club for hosting a fantastic event.
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