Saturday 27th August was a Bank holiday weekend and also the date of this year’s Pilot Gig Boat regatta in the picturesque village of Clovelly. Barnstaple Pilot Gig club joined eight other clubs from around the West Country for a glorious day of inter-club races, enjoying calm seas, blue skies and the charming surroundings.
The boats were delivered to the top car park on the previous day, and Clovelly club members towed them down the steep service road that evening to park them on the beach ready for the racing on Saturday. The regatta started with the Vets and Supervets races, with Barum’s Supervet Men’s crew achieving a very creditable fourth place. This was followed by the B crew races and Lady Freda came in fourth with the Ladies crew and third with the Men’s crew. The Junior and mixed master’s races followed, for which BPGC did not enter crews, then the much-anticipated A crew races after that. In the Men’s A race Appledore were the clear winners, but Barum and Boscastle fought hard against each other all the way round, with Boscastle in Pentargon just taking second place at the very end from Lady Freda in third place.
The final race of the day was a Barbarian race, with individuals from different clubs making up crews for each boat. Much to the delight of BPGC members Lady Freda came in second, and as a reward this was the second boat to be carried off the beach and through the tunnel beside the Red Lion for loading on to the club trailer and towing back up to the top car park.
This was the first regatta organised by Clovelly since prior to the pandemic, and all taking part enjoyed the camaraderie and pleasure from meeting each other again and sharing the beautiful surroundings.
Write up: David Dixon
Photo: Natalie Pinto 
