Tudor Relic Trophy For Yarmouth

On Saturday, 9th August, Tudor Sailing Club hosted their annual Tudor Challenge for fixed-seat rowing boats. Held every year since 2022, the event takes place on a roughly 10-mile course in Langstone Harbour.

A diverse fleet of 25 boats, representing a wide range of types and crews (including some who travelled from as far afield as Scotland and Spain), featured five Cornish Pilot Gigs alongside other vessels such as assorted gigs, skiffs, Solent Galleys, and Celtic Longboats.

The 10-mile winding course around Langstone Harbour got underway in glorious sunshine, with the Cornish Pilot Gigs starting in the final group of staggered starts. This group featured crews from Yarmouth, Eastney, Langstone, Lewes, and Coastal Rowing Academy.

Yarmouth, rowing in Sea Spirit, quickly pulled away from the other gigs in their group and steadily began overtaking other boats. By the halfway point, near Hayling Island Bridge, the crew was starting to feel the effects of the heat. Conditions became more challenging on the return leg as a south-westerly wind gusting up to Force 5, combined with an ebbing tide, created difficult water. Rising to the challenge, the crew pushed hard, relentlessly closing gaps and eventually overtaking all but one boat in the entire fleet—despite some competitors having a 15-minute head start.

Final results were determined using the Ouse Yardstick handicapping system, with Yarmouth Gig Rowing Club celebrating an impressive set of achievements:

• Fastest Pilot Gig – First in Class
• Winner of the Tudor Relic Trophy – awarded to the Fastest Men’s Vets Crew (all over 55); this unique trophy is crafted from timber taken from the Tudor Rose
• Second Place Overall – finishing in 1 hour 52 minutes

Keith Campbell, Yarmouth Chairman and crew coxswain, reflected on the day:
“A great day out and fantastic crew effort in conditions, especially in the second half, that although challenging are quite normal during our training rows in the Hurst Narrows out on the Solent. This continues a very successful run this season in races we have entered, which for a small club on the Isle of Wight is quite an achievement.”

Photo credit: Alistair Gibson