Sidmouth Gig Club
Sidmouth Gig Club
Welcome to Sidmouth Gig Club
Our club was founded in the summer of 2009 to introduce the sport of Pilot Gig rowing, serving Sidmouth and the surrounding area. During the summer months we row from Sidmouth beach on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday mornings. In the winter we row on Sunday mornings.
In addition to pleasure rowing and crew training we take part in regattas along the coasts of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall where gig rowing has become very popular. Our racing crews usually go to the World Championship held annually in the Scilly Isles.
We are a member of the Cornish Pilot Gig Association (CPGA) who govern the sport in the UK, and provide standards, rules and policies for clubs.
We now have three boats. In August 2010 we were proud to launch our first training boat Alma, and our first wooden racing gig Keith Owen was launched in March 2012. In January 2018 we received our second racing gig, Little Picket.
The club is run by a committee that is elected by members at the AGM. We meet regularly to discuss and decide on plans for the club.
We have various social events, including dinners at the Watersports Hub after Friday night rowing during the summer.
Coming soon:
Sunday 10th August Breakfast row to Beer
Saturday 16th August Paignton regatta
Sunday 17th August Paignton Masters
Sunday 24th August Sidmouth Jurassic League regatta
Saturday 6th September Lyme Jurassic League regatta
Saturday 13th September Newquay Mens Champs
Saturday 20th September Great River Race
3rd - 10th October Club Tour of South Devon.
Access 4 All is now live. Our Crowdfunding project to make the Watersports Hub fully accessible. Find out more here
Our crowdfunded project to make the Hub accessible to all is now live.
Row, row, row the boat.....safely to the Isles of Scilly. Well not quite but almost.
On the 18th and 19th of July, a team of six foolhardy individuals from the Gig Club will gather as a team to row the equivalent distance from Sidmouth to the Isles of Scilly, the location of the Cornish Pilot Gig World Championships, a total of 232km (144 miles) on an Ergo rowing machine to raise money for the Access4All project. Commencing after the planned Auction of Promises on the evening of Friday 18th July, Julia, Edith, Charlie, Nigel, Philip and Richard W will row alternately until the distance has been completed, an anticipated 18 to 20 houses of unrelenting effort, aiming to complete the challenge by late Saturday afternoon. Good luck to all involved and let's support them!
Support them by Crowdfunder here.
Would you like to join us?
New to rowing or thinking about membership? Please click here.
Rowing Schedules
We row on Sunday mornings year-round and on Wednesday and Friday evenings between April and October. We use WhatsApp on a weekly basis for members to indicate their wishes to row, and schedules will be posted a day or two before the next session.
Is today's rowing On or Off? Messages are sent by WhatsApp, generally about an hour before rowing is due to start. If the weather's obviously unsuitable we may cancel earlier. Please make sure you're in the right WhatsApp group.
The CPGA 's list of upcoming regattas can be found here.
Sidmouth Weather and Tide forecast
Contact: For general enquiries please contact us at Secretary@sidmouthgigclub.co.uk
We're on Facebook
We share the operation of the Watersports Hub with the Sailing Club and other groups, which is available for hire. Details here.
Admiring the view en-route to Budleigh.