The weather exceeded forecasts, expectations and hopes this weekend, as one of the most testing and exciting Championships in years came to the sedate shores of Scilly. New Champions, men and women, and an overbearing sense of community and camaraderie, all resplendent features of the weekend.
The coverage did not manage to penetrate the national press to the extent to which it perhaps deserves, but possibly this will keep the sport select yet welcoming. One article did feature which was undeniably written for entertainment rather than value to the Sport. An article featured in a Saturday supplement of the Telegraph newspaper which provided little value to gig racing and indeed seemed to jab the Islands with utterances such as Scilly being ?effectively the toenail clipping of Britain’. Something which would be defeated by the enormous majority who have just spent the weekend there, either as spectators or as active participants.
The event ran like clockwork, reflecting the meticulous planning arrangements and the infrastructure in place. One gripe expressed by some was the time it took for the results to be posted, but overall, this can be seen as a minor problem when set against the rest of the operation, running from the gig commentary right through to the excellent catering. The start of the men’s St. Agnes race did exert cause for concern though, as the race starters seemed to over emphasise Scilly News advice in being lenient with the start line. The entire Southern half of the line appeared to start about two lengths ahead the Northern half, an anomaly easily visible from Kittern Hill on Gugh. Perhaps future events could see a judge on this hill in constant radio contact with the race starters.
And so on to the racing itself: Caradon were edged off their dominant perch by a youthful Falmouth crew competing in a Penryn gig, a crew who can now perhaps look to build on their achievements in future tournaments. In the end, it was a battle between experience and determination and the caradon crew (two of whom are in their mid forties) gracefully relinquished their 7 year crown to deserving winners. It was also good to see a Scilly representative on the stage, as 18 year old Nathan Woodcock helped the Falmouth crew collect their first ever men’s title. Other Scillonian contributions were not as successful but surely equally gritty. The top Scilly men’s crew came 7th in the Tregarthens, an improvement of two places on last years result.
The Scilly women partially failed to repeat their ?best crew / worst crew? title as the seemingly invincible Tregarthens Ladies succumbed to a fantastic display by another Falmouth crew, this time in the Idas, thus completing the first club double for the mens and womens events since 1992, when the Islands took the double crown. Scilly did have the last placed crew though, with the Dolphin protecting the wooden spoon for the Islands!
The Faeroese, the Dutch, the Americans and for the first time, the French, all took part in this years championships with varied results. The French crew enjoyed their time on the Islands and the hospitality they were given such as being loaned use of the Bonnet and Serica for their races. However, it was clear that they were not used to such craft (in Brittany sliding seat boats are used) but it was still good to see that they partook in the spirit of the event. One grievance from the French camp though, was the lack of seats, as it is a growing necessity for gig rowers these days. The Dutch Ladies slipped down to 5th overall whilst the top Dutch male crew rowed the Excalibur home in 15th. The Americans also displayed well, underlining the sports credentials as truly international. The blind crew also showed a considerable improvement on last year, earning the respect and admiration of all other crews taking part.
The Shah from St. Agnes, built in 1873.
With reports that ten new gigs are being built over the next year, we can expect to see a similar spectacle in 2003 and the organisers already have their fingers crossed for comparable weather! The crews are still indebted to the Steamship company for their generosity throughout the event, and contributions from a multiplicity of sources, which made these championships more entertaining and enjoyable than ever before.