Considering the fact that the World Championships are less than three weeks away, it was disappointing to see no outstanding performance in this, the first domestic race of the Scilly Gig racing season.
The top crews, we are told, have been training, as ever, for some months leading up to this first race of the season. Taking this into account, the fact that the ?unofficial racer? (rowed by one family from St. Martins) came second, seems all the worst for Scillonian chances in May. It is still hotly debateable whether this win was due to the poor performances from challengers or whether it has more to do with the advantages the gig has.
Following a recent gig committee review of the ‘Dauntless’, a reassertion was made that she did not resemble a pilot gig in a way that would be suitable for her to compete legitimately in any of the seasons races, including the World Championships. Friday’s display, however, indicated that this judgment would not deter the crew from taking part. Contention creeps into the equation when she affects other boats in the race.
The ‘Official? results were pretty much what we have come to expect in terms of positioning, if the performances were somewhat below par. The Eagle won it with space to spare, Bonnet second, Czar third and Shah fourth, just defending their position from the re-formed Tregarthens crew in the Serica. It is interesting to note that the top four finishers, all raced in the old Scillonian Gigs, (Eagle ? 1870, Bonnet ? 1830, Czar ? 1879, and Shah ? 1873).
This race has already been labelled by some as a ?warning shot across the bows’ for crews who hope to challenge for the title of ‘Men’s World Champions’ this time around. One thing is for sure though, the gradual narrowing winning margin of the Mary Newman crew has given new impetus to Falmouth’s Idas crew, and Roseland’s Killigerran, which could mean one of the most hotly contested Championships ever.