COTEHELE Quay Gig Club entered two mixed crews in this year’s Great River Race – a 21 mile-plus handicap race on the Thames – which took place on September 9.

There were approximately 83 different types of craft taking part from four-oar dinghies to 16-oar dragon boats. Team Oarsome Cornish in Edgcumbe took 2 hours 41 minutes 13 seconds, placing 78th overall (16th fastest gig): team M’Ansome in Burcombe completed the course in 2.56.46, taking 209th place overall (38th fastest gig).

The start of the race was chaotic as usual with 323 boats endeavouring to get into the river in order of handicap. There were 76 gigs entered and they were set off towards the end as one of the faster craft - starting an hour after the first boats set off.

Teams rowed with the tide but there was a strong headwind, which meant the water was choppy at times, plus there was a lot of wash from the safety boats and spectator boats which made the conditions quite challenging. As both CQGC gigs were flying the Cornish flag it was obligatory to ‘oggy, oggy, oggy’ with the spectators when passing under the bridges – all 28 of them!

The CQGC crews were delighted with the results but the race was not about placing and statistics, it’s about the spectacle, having fun and the camaraderie between all the crews.