History

Articles

• PDF Article from Cornish World 1987

Rowing vs Sail ….

Before the advent of steam at the end of the 18th century rowing powered vessels where the only alternative to sail.  Rowing boats, although relatively slow and impractical for long journeys, had many advantages over sail, they were not reliant on wind, could maneuver quickly in tight spaces and had a shallow draft.

Serving a specific purpose …

When a ship enters a port (Often the most dangerous part of it’s voyage) it will often take on a pilot, the duty of this local mariner is to act as a senior adviser to the captain, helping him with local knowledge and pilotage.

Two types of vessel were built specifically for the purpose of carrying pilots out to ships approaching port, the ‘Pilot Cutter’ and ‘Pilot Gig’.  Both were built to be fast, seaworthy and capable of working off the coast all year round, the Gig would be used in light winds or close to land while the Cutters would sail many miles from land in search of vessels approaching port.

A race …

Pilotage off Cornwall and Scilly was a lucrative business and only the first pilot aboard an approaching ship would secure the pilotage fee for himself and his crew.

Cornwall & Scilly …

The Isles of Scilly are a group of isolated islands lying some 30 miles off Lands End in Cornwall and together they make the first landfall for vessels from the Atlantic bound for the English, Bristol and St George’s channels.  Ships would put into St Mary’s, the largest of the islands, for orders, victualling, repairs, exchange of letters and to wait for a fair wind up channel.  Scilly is a treacherous place to enter by sea, surrounded by isolated rocks, ledges and shoals an intimate local knowledge is essential for safe entry, this together with it’s location made piloting a large part of life on Scilly and at the end of the nineteenth century up to 50 Cutters and Gigs competed for business from the islands.

Other uses …

Thanks to their speed, seaworthiness and availability Gigs were used for many other purposes including salvage, smuggling and lifesaving – sometimes under sail but more often rowed by a crew of six.

End of an era …

By the late 1870s pilotage on Scilly was in decline, with the advent of steam and better navigation ships would sail past Scilly opting instead for safer ports with better facilities such as Falmouth.  These ports still used Pilots but this role was increasingly done using steam or diesel powered launches that were operated by harbour authorities.

The pilot gig today …

Early pilot gigs would have varied in size and dimensions, each builder striving to build faster and lighter boats to secure orders.  Today the Cornish Pilot Gig is built to a set of standard dimensions and scantlings that were set in 1987 by Ralph Bird and a group of interested parties who also formed the CPGA (Cornish Pilot Gig Association) to oversee the enforcement and measuring of these rules. These new standardised measurements were based on the “Treffry”, built in 1838 by William Peters of St. Mawes, the Treffry is still owned and raced by Newquay Rowing Club today.

The modern pilot gig is built from narrow leaf elm and measures 32 feet (9.8 m) long with a beam of four feet ten inches.

The fastest growing sport in Cornwall …

Today the sport of Gig Rowing is increasingly popular and those who compete are proud of the sports heritage and history.  Last year over 118 boats lined up on the start line for the World Pilot Gig Championships in Scilly and in 2010 this looks likely to top 125.  It is estimated that over 5,000 people row gigs, either recreational or to race each year and this number is increasing on an annual basis.