World Pilot Gig Championships
Encyclopedia
The World Pilot Gig Championships are an annual gig racing
event held on the Isles of Scilly
during the May Day
bank holiday weekend.
The World Championships were first held in 1990, only attracting a few crews from Cornwall, but in the intervening years the amount of pilot gigs attending has increased with crews coming from all over the South-West and some from even further afield.
St Agnes
The longest race is from the island of St.Agnes down to the finish line just off the quay of St. Mary's. Both veterans races follow this course to decide the winner of the trophy for these categories.
On the Saturday the men and women race separately, with a full line up of gigs, in 2009 119 gigs were on the start line, and the finishing positions of this race determine the seedings for the subsequent heats.
Nut Rock
Each gig is seeded based on the St.Agnes race and the heats are split into groups of 12 for the race from Nut Rock, back to St. Mary's. Two heats are held, one on Saturday and one of Sunday, with the top two gigs being promoted and the bottom two relegated.
The finals for both the men and ladies take place on the Sunday afternoon, again racing the same course. Each group then has a winner, and the outcome of group A decides who is the overall champions.
Women's Results
Cornish pilot gig
The Cornish pilot gig is a six-oared rowing boat, built of Cornish narrow leaf elm, long with a beam of four feet ten inches.It is recognised as one of the first shore-based lifeboats that went to vessels in distress, with recorded rescues going back as far as the late 17th century.The original...
event held on the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
during the May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
bank holiday weekend.
The World Championships were first held in 1990, only attracting a few crews from Cornwall, but in the intervening years the amount of pilot gigs attending has increased with crews coming from all over the South-West and some from even further afield.
Races
There are multiple races that take place over the weekend, of varying distance, all starting on the Friday night. The ladies and men's veterans races take place on Friday evening, with the main event happening on Saturday and Sunday, with a sailing race on the Monday.St Agnes
The longest race is from the island of St.Agnes down to the finish line just off the quay of St. Mary's. Both veterans races follow this course to decide the winner of the trophy for these categories.
On the Saturday the men and women race separately, with a full line up of gigs, in 2009 119 gigs were on the start line, and the finishing positions of this race determine the seedings for the subsequent heats.
Nut Rock
Each gig is seeded based on the St.Agnes race and the heats are split into groups of 12 for the race from Nut Rock, back to St. Mary's. Two heats are held, one on Saturday and one of Sunday, with the top two gigs being promoted and the bottom two relegated.
The finals for both the men and ladies take place on the Sunday afternoon, again racing the same course. Each group then has a winner, and the outcome of group A decides who is the overall champions.
Results
Men's Results| Year | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Truro | Isles of Scilly | Isles of Scilly |
| 1991 | Isles of Scilly | Fowey | Truro |
| 1992 | Isles of Scilly | Truro | Isles of Scilly |
| 1993 | Isles of Scilly | Truro | Isles of Scilly |
| 1994 | Isles of Scilly | Hayle | Caradon |
| 1995 | Caradon | Isles of Scilly | Par Bay |
| 1996 | Caradon | Truro | Roseland |
| 1997 | Caradon | Roseland | Par Bay |
| 1998 | Caradon | Par Bay | Roseland |
| 1999 | Caradon | Isles of Scilly | Par Bay |
| 2000 | Caradon | Roseland | De-Kaag Holland |
| 2001 | Caradon | Roseland | Falmouth |
| 2002 | Falmouth | Caradon | Rame |
| 2003 | Caradon | Rame | Isles of Scilly |
| 2004 | Caradon A | Falmouth | Caradon B |
| 2005 | Caradon A | Caradon B | Par Bay |
| 2006 | Caradon A | Roseland | Caradon B |
| 2007 | Caradon | Roseland | Par Bay |
| 2008 | Mounts Bay | Par Bay | Roseland |
| 2009 | Par Bay | Caradon | Falmouth |
| 2010 | Par bay | Caradon | Mounts Bay |
Women's Results
| Year | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Newquay | Padstow | Fowey |
| 1991 | Isles of Scilly | Roseland | Newquay |
| 1992 | Isles of Scilly | Padstow | Newquay |
| 1993 | Newquay | Isles of Scilly | Fowey |
| 1994 | Fowey | Isles of Scilly | Falmouth |
| 1995 | Falmouth | Port Isaac | Isles of Scilly |
| 1996 | Fowey | Falmouth | Truro |
| 1997 | Falmouth | Fowey | Isles of Scilly |
| 1998 | Falmouth | De-Kaag Holland | Isles of Scilly |
| 1999 | De-Kaag Holland | Falmouth | Charlestown |
| 2000 | Isles of Scilly | De-Kaag Holland | Falmouth |
| 2001 | Isles of Scilly | Par Bay | De-Kaag Holland |
| 2002 | Falmouth | Isles of Scilly | Mounts Bay |
| 2003 | Isles of Scilly | De-Kaag Holland | Salcombe |
| 2004 | Falmouth | Isles of Scilly | Charlestown |
| 2005 | Falmouth | Isles of Scilly | Caradon |
| 2006 | Falmouth | Mounts Bay | Caradon |
| 2007 | Falmouth | Roseland | Caradon |
| 2008 | Falmouth | Charlestown | Roseland |
| 2009 | Roseland | Falmouth | Mounts Bay |
| 2010 | Falmouth | Roseland | Scheveningen-Holland |