From Vision to Reality - Bermuda Pilot Gig Club

Rowing Towards a New Horizon: The launch of the Bermuda Pilot Gig Club is a testament to how far and fast you can row with a dedicated crew by unleashing the power of teamwork.

On October 8th 2014 an article in the daily newspaper invited the public to an information session at the World Heritage Centre in St George’s, outlining a plan to commission two gigs from the UK and bring them to the island for racing and historical demonstrations.

Spearheaded by the St David’s Island Historical Society, the presentation on pilot gig rowing was given by Steve Lock, who, as a member of the Appledore Pilot Gig Club in Devon, England, was able to present what gig racing means for Appledore; how gigs became a part of the education curriculum; and how the gigs became both an important part of historical tourism and for physical training.

By June of the following year, with the support of local residents as well as the Bermuda Tourism Authority, Argus Insurance Group and the Bermuda Diabetes Association, three gigs had arrived on the island! Each was named after a famous Bermudian pilot, Harry Fox, John Simmons and Jemmy Darrell, and painted in the official colours of St David’s, Somerset, and St George, respectively.

Although the 32-foot fibreglass vessels and the oars were manufactured in Cornwall in the south of England, they closely modelled the traditional gigs that took Bermudian pilots out to incoming ships to steer and negotiate their way through the dangerous reef system surrounding the island.

When pilot gigs were reintroduced to Bermuda, a crew of trainers from the UK were on-island to share their knowledge and help with training Bermudian rowers and coxswains so that the new gigs would be fully equipped with both rowers and the necessary safety equipment before open-ocean rowing and racing would take place.

The newly formed Bermuda Pilot Gig Club’s inaugural race was soon set, and it had a distinctly Cup Match flavour. Two gigs bearing the Blue and Blue of St George’s and Red and Blue of Somerset set off along Ferry Reach at 8am on the first day of the holiday. They raced a three-quarter mile-long course along the sea stretch for a coveted Thole Pin Trophy, carved out of 200-year-old Bermuda cedar. While Somerset may have had the edge on the cricket pitch in 2015, on the water, it was the St George’s team who came out on top in the inaugural Cup Match Race.

Only eleven months after the first public meeting, BPGC hosted its first regatta in September 2015. 42 men and women of all ages were divided into six teams of rowers who then battled in a series of races in St George’s. Even after a whirlwind of a year, there would be no slowing down the pace for the newly formed club; some big goals had already been set for the following year: to send a Bermuda team of rowers to the World Gig Championships in the Isles of Scilly in May and to host an international regatta in Bermuda.

“We are off and running. Rowing is our maritime heritage, great fun, a friendly team sport, healthy and competitive. The gig club is open to new members. The club aims to encourage people to come out to learn the art of rowing the pilot gig and to row for health and heritage with a view that one day soon, they can compete overseas. Teams can be made up of men and women, young and old but young at heart…” ~ Rick Spurling, BPGC Chairman, 2015

And the rest, as they say, is history! Thank you to all those involved in bringing pilot gig rowing back to life in Bermuda. Forward, and ready to row!