TAMAR and Tavy Gig Club fielded an impressive six crews at Salcombe in the grand finale of the town?s week-long festival on Sunday. The Men?s B crew started the day?s racing in the club?s sole boat Ginette. The mix of experienced, novice and borrowed rowers was not enough to give the crew a good final position in the race but did provide valuable racing experience for both rowers and cox. The crew was Chris Dill, Matt Pinney, Bill Inkeson (Weymouth Sea Rowing Club), Roger Strode, Peter Revell (WSRC), Greg Lean, Cox Bill Stacey-Norris. The crew brought up the field in 12th position. The Ladies B ? Penny Twine, Debbie Vojkovic, Ruth Walker, Jenny Young, Helen Smith, Helen Lloyd, cox Kate Reeves ? gave a solid performance and the crew held its collective nerve when pressure and fatigue set in. The crew finished 10th/12. Next up was Tamar and Tavy Men?s A determined to show their strength. After an extremely strong start which kept the crew in close contact with the very top of the class, Ginette held on until past the first mark. There is no doubting the determination of the crew but lack of experience in a tight fight around the marker buoys from the cox left the crew with more to fight for than was needed. Ed Hillson, John Hillson, Ian Page, Richard Murrins, Nigel Jenkins and Tom Broadbridge, cox Kate Reeves, having kept in the field until the final marker, lost ground to crews on their way back upstream finishing 9th/10. Two last minute substitutes took place in the Ladies A. Helen Smith was dragged in fresh from her race with the Ladies B, and Nigel Churcher was requisitioned from World Champion club Caradon. After a speedy lesson in starting, the crew made the most of this new skill and hauled up through the field of 11 boats in punishing heat. Kate Reeves, Helen Smith, Julie Williams, Sam Adlam, Helen Dickinson and Nicky Sellers put their all into a race under the unfamiliar guidance of their guest cox who drew on the team?s grit and increasing skill to finish 4th/12. The highlight of the season for the Tamar and Tavy Super Vets (over 55) is the Super Vets Challenge at Salcombe for the Tamar and Tavy Trophy. Trish Dugmore, Maggie Cartwright, Ann Jeffries, Peter Clark, John Rogers, Graham Hodgson and Monica Mitchell gave the opposition a hard race while mixed in with the men?s veteran race. The crew finished a creditable second. Six veteran ladies ? over 40 ? got together for a row in the Ladies? Vets. Kate Reeves, Ruth Walker, Debbie Vojkovic, Sam Adlam, Helen Dickinson and Nicky Sellers enjoyed the inspirational and rather poetic coxing of John Hillson in a fight against six other crews. The crew pulled through the field and their individual pain barriers to finish 2nd/8. Still not run into the ground six Tamar and Tavy rowers put themselves up for the Barbarian Mixed race which involved putting one?s name in a hat and being drawn to row in one of eight random crews. John Hillson, Ian Page, Nigel Jenkins, Julie Williams, Kate Reeves and Jenny Young enjoyed possibly the most exhausting and fulfilling race of the day, the prize for which was a bottle of Cava for each rower of the winning crew. Two TnT rowers now have a bottle in the fridge. The club is particularly keen to encourage younger rowers, though no younger than 10 years old. For more information about how to join the club, whatever your vintage, and come for a ?taster? row, see the website http://www.tntgc.org.uk">www.tntgc.org.uk