This is something I'd never come across before discovering it here in Appledore and am seriously tempted to give it a shot myself.
The pilot gig was the boat used to ferry the pilot out to sailing vessels as they approached harbour to guide them through the safe channels. The local pilots would compete to be first to reach the incoming ship as it was a case of first to arrive gets the job (and hence the remuneration). Thus the pilot gigs evolved into swift racing boats.
With modern technology and accurate charts however the gigs, and even the pilots, became redundant but their modern incarnation is as competitive seagoing racing boats.
The modern gigs are based on the Cornish pilot gig (also the name of the governing association) which is a clinker-built, six-oared boat with a cox, 32 feet in length and 4 and a half feet in girth. Racing takes place at several ports around the South-west with the annual World Championship taking place over the May Day bank holiday weekend on the Isles of Scilly. Whilst the competitors are mostly from the South-west there are also a significant number of American and Dutch and it all looks very competitive (tho' I gather there are a few beers involved afterwards which makes me even more tempted).
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Website: www.redearth-studios.co.uk/applegig/index.htm
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on Jun 8, 2008
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