We were delighted to be able return to the beautiful Isles of Scilly for the 31st World Pilot Gig Championships this weekend and incredibly proud when our crews put in their best ever performances. With over 85 clubs taking part, it was great to be back after a 3 year break.
Friday the vets and supervets kicked it off with some gritty racing. Both crews started with the longer St Agnes race, which acts as a seeding race to put the crews into groups. It was a tough race for both, with everyone fighting for position. At just under 2 nautical miles, it's a test of endurance and determination. The finishes were tight and saw some crews clashing but under the careful coxing of Will and Jem they stayed out of trouble and finished strong. Vets finished 19/28 and supers 21/45 and both went into group B for their second race that day.
Nut Rock race is around 1.2 nautical miles, so significantly shorter but is a tough race of pure power and aggression. As the crews are more evenly matched it can be a real battle where crews really have to dig deep to bring it home. The Vets race was incredibly close, with a hard fought clash with Bristol, so local rivalry came into play! They fought brilliantly and should be incredibly proud of their 20th place - 8th in their group. They never once gave up, it was amazing racing. The supers were in group B and put in a phenomenal performance to finish 21st overall and 9th in their group, racing against clubs like Helford and Fowey. A special mention to Debs who coxed a group of inspiring ladies from Porlock Weir- with a combined age of 433 and only having rowed for around 3 - 4 years, it shows you are never too old to row and just how inclusive the sport of Gig Rowing really is.
Saturday the battle passed on to the open crews. In the St Agnes race, with 115 boats on the start line it was a real sight to see and the ladies fought incredibly well and smashed it coming 40th - 22 places higher than their previous placing! They were put in Group D, amongst crews from experienced clubs like Salcombe and Swanage, Portishead was firmly put on the map! Their second race they held their ground and finished in the middle of group D, and were able to sleep soundly. The men came 76 in the long race, this was a good achievement having battled with illness and having a new crew it was great to see them rowing so well together. They were placed in Group G for the Nut Rock shorter race where they showed their fight and had a photo finish with Padstow, narrowly missing moving up to Group F. Portishead supporters were definitely the loudest on the quay!
Sunday there were lots of nerves with the ladies knowing they had a fight on their hands to stay in group D - but they dug deep and held it beautifully. Going in to the final race they were on a high, and achieved a finishing position of 41st. The men stormed their 3rd race coming a clear 2nd, which meant they moved up to F. The final was their best race, with incredible coxing from Paula in her first final and determined rowing from the crew, they finished an impressive 6th in the new group, beating crews who had previously beaten them. With a finishing position of 66, they were only 2 places under their achievements in 2019.
It was great to see the club work so well together, from all the crew members to the supporters and of course those who kept the boat and kit together. Thank you to Paul and Shane in particular for keeping Black Nore afloat! Celebrations went on long in the night, with the obligatory sea shanty session led by our very own Jem and Paul Weston.
It was an absolute blast and was certainly worth the broken bodies, blisters and lost voices. Everyone did Portishead proud - and we can't wait to get back on that erg and start training for 2023!
