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Our three gigs (Wolf, Bolt and Cadmus) beached at the World Pilot Gig Championships in the Isles of Scilly 2008.

Rowing for All

The Salcombe Estuary Rowing Club (SERC) was originally established in 1992 to encourage the sport of rowing for all, regardless of age or experience. Since its inception, the Club has successfully introduced increasing numbers of individuals to the sport of rowing, continually ensuring that the original aims of the founder members are being met.

The Club currently owns three Cornish Pilot Gigs (BOLT, CADMUS and WOLF) and four small rowing boats. The three gigs are extensively used by all sections of the club including Juniors, Ladies and Men's racing crews, Veterans (hardly at over 40!), Superveterans, Social Rowers and for the teaching of beginners. Children begin in the clubs small boats also learning seamanship from CRB checked instructors. 

Newcomers are welcome to come and learn to row - if you are interested, classes for beginners will start again in May 2007. Contacts for all sections of SERC can be found in the "Club" section of this website.

Cornish Pilot Gigs
Cornish Pilot Gigs are traditionally built clinker rowing boats, each crewed by six rowers with a single oar and a coxswain. Originally used to ferry pilots to meet sailing vessels approaching the Cornish coast, speed was of the essence and gig construction had to reflect this need. "Treffy", a gig built in 1838 by William Petres of St. Mawes proved to be capable of outrunning all others and new gigs are today built to her measurements. She is still rowed by the Newquay Rowing Club!

The Cornish Pilot Gig Association oversees organisation of the sport, it co-ordinates the racing programme and controls measurement rules and new boat construction. There are approximately fifty gig clubs in existence with 7,000 active rowers, spanning the southern coast of England from the Isles of Scilly through Cornwall, Devon and Dorset to as far North as Ramsey Island in Wales. Overseas there are clubs who come to race in the UK from the Netherlands, the Faroe Isles and a growing participation in the sport in the USA.