Harbour Rowing Club prepares to welcome local crews to beautiful Boscastle Harbour lunchtime onwards Sunday 23rd August.
There are few finer sights in Cornwall than a fleet of pilot gigs slipping out of Boscastle Harbour, unless of course you count the sight of rowers returning afterwards, trying to look heroic while secretly wondering whether anyone has saved them a pasty. On Sunday 23rd August, Harbour Rowing Club will host a gig rowing regatta in the beautiful surroundings of Boscastle Harbour, bringing together several local clubs for a day of racing, rivalry, refreshments and, if the tide behaves, only the mildest amount of shouting from coxes.
Visiting crews can expect a warm welcome, though not necessarily an easy ride. The local gig rowing scene is known for its strong but friendly rivalry: the sort where everyone smiles on the quay, rows like fury around the course, and then insists afterwards that they were “just out for a social paddle”. Spectators should be prepared for close finishes, impressive teamwork, and at least one rower claiming the race was going perfectly until “the wind changed”, “the swell lifted”, or “someone looked at them funny from the bow seat”.
The race route promises to be as dramatic as the coastline itself, heading out from the harbour and around the rugged North Cornwall shore. It is the kind of course that reminds rowers why they love the sport: sea air in the lungs, oars biting into the water, cliffs rising around them, and the occasional realisation that the finish line is not quite as close as it looked from dry land. For those watching, Boscastle offers a natural theatre, with the harbour, cliffs and sea combining to provide a backdrop no village hall trophy table could ever hope to match.
Back ashore, the action will continue on Jane’s Lawn, where entertainment and refreshments will help restore rowers, supporters and anyone who has worked up an appetite by clapping enthusiastically. Expect the usual regatta essentials: good company, plenty of chat, proud club colours, and a steady stream of people explaining race tactics with the confidence that only comes after the race has already finished.
Of course, no Boscastle gathering would be complete without the support of the local hostelries, where post-race analysis may continue long into the afternoon. By then, the fiercest rivalries will likely have softened into laughter, shared stories and the traditional discovery that crews who were sworn opponents on the water are perfectly happy to become firm friends over a drink.
All that remains is to wish Harbour Rowing Club, the visiting crews, volunteers and supporters a splendid day. May the weather be kind, may the sea be kinder, may the oars stay in rhythm, and may every crew return with stories worth retelling. With beautiful Boscastle as the stage, lively racing on the water and plenty of cheer on land, Sunday 23rd August promises to be a regatta where new friendships are struck, old rivalries are renewed, and nobody admits their hands are sore until Monday.
Paul
Harbour Rowing Club
