Dart Gig Club made their first visit to Tamar and Tavy’s annual gig regatta last Saturday. The event is held on the east bank of the Tamar, at Weir Quay.
The day’s racing started off with the seven-mile Brunel race, from Weir Quay, down to Saltash, with a turn round the central pillar of the Brunel bridge, and the finish back at Weir Quay.
Dart had two crews in this race, the men’s vets crew racing in Smudger, with Andy Pomeroy stroking his first race, and a mixed crew racing in Lightning.
It is a handicapped race, with boats going off one by one at pre-determined intervals. Lightning went away fourth, and Smudger went off seventh out of eight crews.
The race started just after low water, so the tide on the way down to the bridge was negligible. It also meant that the river was narrow, with mud banks on either side of the river.
Coxes had to make sure they kept clear of the shallow water while maintaining the best line down to the bridge. The Lightning crew quickly overhauled the first three boats.
Ably coxed by Helen Watson of Cattewater, the crew made good progress down to the bridge.
A wide turn to keep clear of the pillar, and the boats were on the homeward leg with the tide under them.
Smudger overhauled Lightning not long after the bridge and the men’s crew of Cotehele quay in Teyeu, not long after.
In the wider reach of the river, just above the bridge, the easterly wind picked up, but once the boats were back in the confines of the Tamar, the boats flew along in the sheltered water.
The men’s vets in Smudger, were first over the finish line, with Teyeu second and Lightning third.
The racing continued with the usual shorter races. Dart only took part in the men’s vets, with a small fleet of Dart, Rame, Tamar Tavy and Cotehele.
Dart followed Tamar and Tavy’s lead and put their boat near the Cornwall shore on the start line. Just before the race, the crew realised that they were in very shallow water, so they were able to move into deeper water.
Off the start, the crew took an early lead.
It was tricky finding the mark, which was a green starboard hand pole, in waters that we didn’t know.
The turn was a full 180 degrees, but Dave Sharam in bow tossed on the mark and the bow was around smartly with the crew rowing strongly back to the finish line.
Smudger: Andy Pomeroy, Lea Humphreys, Chris Gale, Rupert Kempley, Tony Doidge, Dave Sharam and cox Tricia from Tamar Tavy. Lightning: Peta Chivers, Clare Thorp, Michael Bryant Mole, Katharine Money, Paula Hine, Stan Bray and cox Helen Watson.