St. Ives Pilot Gig Club

In recent years gig rowing has become Cornwall's leading watersport, with race meetings taking place off the coast of many of the harbours on most weekends throughout the summer.

A gig, or pilot gig, is a 32 feet long clinker-built rowing boat with six rowers and a cox. Although many new boats have been built in recent years, some have survived since the early 19th century and are still in use.

The original gigs were used to take pilots out to sailing ships as they approached the Isles of Scilly or coast of Cornwall. The first pilot aboard the ship got the job, so the gigs evolved into very fast seagoing rowing boats.

St. Ives Pilot Gig Club was formed in 1990 and has two gigs, Porthminster (built 1992) and Defiance (built 1997) and has ladies' crews, men's crews and junior crews. The gigs can be seen in St. Ives Bay on most evenings, while the crews are training for the weekend competitions.

Each gig hosts a race meeting during the summer and in 2002 the St. Ives event takes place on June 2nd during the St. Ives Queen's Jubilee Celebrations. The gigs will be launched from Carbis Bay beach and will race across the bay towards St. Ives harbour and back to Carbis Bay.

In the mid 19th century at the height of the use of gigs as working boats, the fishermen of St. Ives, who were often away for many months on the fishing luggers, made wooden dolls to bring back for their children. These dolls were called Joannies.

They were carved from old oars and were often painted. Some of these original Joannies have survived and a collection of them is in St. Ives Museum where they will be featured as part of St. Ives Queen's Jubilee Celebrations.

Also on display in the town will be the Jubilee Joannies which have been carved by Steve Martin, a member of the gig club. There are forty five of these ten inch tall figures and they represent the people of St. Ives. They range from the vicar to a rugby player.