TAMAR and Tavy Gig Club enjoyed a great time in the 22nd Cornish Pilot Gig World Championships, which were held on the Isles of Scilly — and even 'rowed' away with a trophy.

This event is the biggest and most hotly contested in the gig rowing year with 130 boats competing from all over the South West as well as from Wales and the Netherlands. Thousands of people pour onto the islands to take part in one of the country's fastest growing sports.

Tamar and Tavy crews arrived on St Mary's to glorious sunshine and fairly calm waters.

Each year many of the club camp at the Garrison campsite which overlooks the town and harbour sands which is a canvas of colourful gigs.

Racing began on the Friday night with the 'veterans' category for the over 40s. This was a 1.6 nautical mile race from St Agnes to St Mary's Quay. It was a tough 30 minute row but thankfully this year brought clear skies and relatively calm water.

The men's crew in Tamar celebrated their best ever position at the championships with 28th and the crew in Ginette 63rd (pic 3-4), with the ladies crew in Tamar coming 30th, Ginette 44th (pic 5).

Russell Baylis, a spokesman for the club, said: 'The rowers who had never competed in this championship before really enjoyed themselves and felt a huge sense of achievement.'

With 130 boats and a start line of 1.5 miles in length, Saturday's seeding race saw a considerable change in the sea conditions where crews rowed into a tough swell and brisk head wind.

The ladies crew in Tamar had an unfortunate tussle with Trefusis from Flushing and Mylor but the West Devon club finished strongly.

After the seeding race all boats are seeded and put into heats. The heats were from Nut Rock, just off Tresco, to St Mary's Quay and are 1.2 nautical miles long.

The two ladies' crews ended up in the same heat which made for a exciting and keenly fought battle. In the final both crews had tussles with other boats – Ginette with Daedalus, a boat from RNAS Culdrose, which cox Bill Stacey Norris did well to extricate them from, and Tamar with Young Bristol just yards from the finish line which unfort-unately cost them a few places. Tamar, coxed by Rae Bullough, achieved 92th place while the crew in Ginette made 88th.

After a long battle with Bideford in Jeannie Anne the men's crew in Tamar coxed by Carolyn Dawe pulled through winning their final heat and so were presented a trophy at the prizegiving. It was a really proud moment for the club and a huge achievement for the individual rowers.

The men's crew in Ginette, again coxed by Bill Stacey Norris, had a few battles with a Brittania Royal Naval College crew in Ajax. Ajax beat Ginette in one race but in the final Ginette triumphed to finish ahead of them.

During the winter the team captains — Russell Baylis (men's), Jo Cameron (ladies), and John Rogers (veterans) — have worked hard to arrange indoor rowing sessions and circuit training as well as sessions in the gigs all winter to help increase fitness levels. These results in the Isles of Scilly has shown this has really paid off.

The club were pleased to have had so much support this year — including some yachts from Weir Quay Sailing Club, who went over to cheer their local crews on.

Tamar and Tavy welcome new members with sessions to suit everyone from purely social rowing to training for competition and also junior sessions on a Friday night.

All ages are welcome with the current membership ranging from 10 to rowers in their 70s.

* For more information see the club website at http://www.tamarandtavygigclub.co.uk">www.tamarandtavygigclub.co.uk