THE rowers of Tamar and Tavy Gig Club will have possibly one of the best views of the water-borne celebrations marking the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this Sunday, as they take part in a 1,000-strong flotilla on the River Thames in London.

It will be the largest flotilla in modern times and will consist of rowing boats, working boats and pleasure craft, all of varying shapes and sizes.  

And the crew of Ginette, Tamar and Tavy's Cornish pilot gig, will be in the thick of it — mid-river, eight boats back from the specially constructed jubilee barge, Gloriana, with its star crew, including Matthew Pinsent and Sir Steve Redgrave — and directly in front of the Spirit of Chartwell, on which the royal family will be travelling.

Tamar and Tavy Gig Club chairman Tricia Stewart said the club was thrilled to have been selected to take part in the historic pageant.

She said: 'Our club comes to London every year to compete in the Great London River Race but seats for this event were in high demand, as so many of our members wanted to be a part of this flotilla.  

'In some ways, Ginette will be coming home. She was the first pilot gig built by Brian Nobbs — an East End shipwright who moved to Cornwall and was taken by the beauty and history of the Cornish pilot gigs.

'Ginette was Brian and our club's first gig and he built her for only the cost of the materials.

'In return he got to name her after his wife and daughter and painted her in West Ham Football Club colours!'

Nick Bailey, one of the lucky club members to be rowing on the day, said: 'We will have our backs to Gloriana — but we will be directly facing the royal party! It's going to be a magnificent position, and everyone watching the event on TV should be able to pick us out!'

Everyone taking part has been encouraged to have their boat 'dressed' with bunting, streamers and flags.

Ginette will be no exception — thanks to support from the National Trust's Buckland Abbey.

Nick said: 'All the participants of the pageant are given a special pageant flag — that will fly from the back of the boat, along with the Devon flag and the flag of St Piran.

'The rowers will be in kit colours, but Bill, our cox, and Brian, who built her, will be wearing Elizabethan costume loaned to us by Buckland Abbey, and they are also lending us a replica Elizabeth I royal standard and a replica of Drake's drum.

'We hope it will really demonstrate the historical significance of the Tamar and Tavy area.'

The spectacle will stretch for an estimated twelve and a half miles — a flotilla this large has not been seen on the river for more than 300 years.

The event has been over-subscribed with three boats for every space on offer.  The pageant organisers and representatives from the river community conducted the selection process. Judgement was made, based upon safety, fitness-for-purpose, the range of types of vessel and whether they had a historical significance or had an interesting story to tell.  

Ginette will be in the first section for man-powered boats — 250 of them, in rows of nine across the river.

Also taking their place in this section are the rowers from Cotehele Quay Gig Club in their pilot gig, Cream of Cornwall.