History of Gigs  

                

              

               

Old style gig with a sail.

 

The first gigs , which date back to 1790, were used to take a "Pilot" out to incoming sailing ships when their sails were first spotted on the horizon. It was important for gigs to be fast and streamlined as the first gig to get to the incoming ship got the job of safely navigating them into potentially safe harbour, and money for the local town. This may have often been done in rough weather. In later years, the jobs of the Pilot Gigs involved smuggling and as emergency lifeboats due again to their seaworthiness.

 

  

 

Men racing at Newquay         Ladies on the Scilly Isles

 In 1838, William Peters, of St. Mawes, built the Pilot Gig "Treffrey", still owned by the Newquay Pilot Gig Club. It is this Gig which is the model to which the specifications for all of the Pilot Gigs must conform.

Today, Pilot Gigs are used mainly for sport, with around 100 clubs around the world. The main concentration is within Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, however there are clubs within Dorset, Wales and London. Internationally, there are clubs in France, the Netherlands, the Faeroe Islands, Australia and the USA.

 

 

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