By Lindsay Turpin

The World Pilot Gig Championships held on the Isles of Scilly are the highlight in the calendar for all gig rowers.

Cotehele Quay’s competitive members spent their winter and spring months training hard to get themselves fighting fit for the challenging races over the rowing weekend which ran from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 5.

The championships started well for the ladies’ super vets and ladies’ vets with their long race (St Agnes) seeing them come back 11th and 18th respectively. 

Sadly, the ladies’ vets were one of five crews that were disqualified due to a collision on the start line. 

The lady super vets then raced again for the ‘Nut Rock’ race and came ninth, landing them in the a heat for the final on Saturday. 

The final Nut Rock race saw them come in 12th. A proud position for the dedicated crew.

The St Agnes race for the open crews saw the ladies A team come in 12th while their B team counterparts were 38th.

The men found it tougher with the A team 61st and the B team 107th.

The following three ‘Nut Rock’ races saw some exciting conditions against intense competition. 

The final positions saw Ladies A race in the A heat final, finishing 12th in the world and securing a second boat for the club in next year’s championships. 

Ladies B came in 44th with the Men’s A and B teams 51st and 102nd respectively.

As a club were immensely proud of everyone and especially their three junior rowers who have graduated through to the men’s open crews for A and B - Kane Underwood, Jacob Long and Tom Walters.

Sheila Snellgrove, club chairman, said: ‘ We’ve had a wonderful Scillies, learnt a lot and are delighted with our results in an ever-more competitive championships that get harder every year, and we’re already excited for next year!’