The Across The Bay Race – 17th August 2011
21
August
The annual ‘Across The Bay’ Race hosted by Porthleven Gig Club took place in perfect conditions with a light swell and gentle side on breeze. The event was well attended by local gig clubs and the Mounts Bay club entered three crews. The crews set off under the backdrop of St Michael’s Mount in Marazion and proceeded to Porthleven.
The club’s oldest boat Taran proved that she is still an excellent racing boat and took an early lead over the clubs newest boat Comoran. The Taran crew of Logan Anderton (cox), Charlotte Roberts, Naomi Watts, Ryan Watts, Andy Tester, Zack Such and Ellisha Jenkin steadily extended their lead finishing just 200 metres in front of the Comoran crew and finishing the race in just under one hour to win the title for Mounts Bay once again.
The best racing of the event saw the club’s third crew in Kensa fighting it out for placings with crews from Hayle, Zennor and Helford. The Hayle crew led for most of the race leaving the other three crews constantly fighting for position. The Kensa crew maintained a consistent power stroke throughout the race and with a number of pushes along the way kept the Zennor and Helford crews behind them. The Zennor crew pushed Mounts Bay all the way but it was the challenge from the Helford crew in the last part of the race that forced all crews to show how much they had left. The Kensa crew finally turned it up a gear and rowed away from Helford and steadily through Hayle in the last 500 metres of the race. All these crews rowed down the harbour wall in Porthleven together and cheered on by supporters Kensa finished in third place.
The mixing of the age of the clubs boats with the varying experience of coxes and rowers within the Mounts Bay Club made it a real achievement to gain all three top places, and the quality of racing from all the clubs involved makes this race one of the most interesting and successful of the gig racing calendar.
The Mounts Bay crews are now in the final stages of preparing for the County Championship in Newquay in September. Both the mens and ladies A crews are aiming to once again compete for one of the top spots, with the clubs B and C crews also competing to get to the final rounds.
