Following their success at Weymouth’s regatta, Lyme Regis Gig Club have increased their momentum with impressive results from Swanage, Caradon and this past weekend’s Ilfracombe meetings, writes Chris Bowditch.

Top three places have been recorded across all categories at all of the meetings with some impressive wins, notably from the men’s A, men’s vets and ladies supervets’ crews.

In choppy conditions and having to negotiate the many jellyfish, the Ilfracombe regatta was a platform from which the Lyme crew would continue their good form with the men’s A winning their race after a thrilling finale in the closing stages.

Attributing to this victory was a manoeuvre on the final turn known as ‘tossing the oar’. On the command from their cox, Jeff Legge, the bowside rower, Zac Hunt, tossed the oar from bowside to the stroke side pins, in doing so helping to propel the boat through a tighter turn on the marker, after which the oar is returned to bowside, enabling them to power away and increase their lead going into the final straight to take the victory.

The men’s vet crew followed the good fortune of the A team by winning their race after a similar finishing format.

The Lyme crew had enough men rowers to enter a second vets team in a boat kindly loaned to them by neighbours Weymouth Gig Club.

After suffering a few technical issues with the Weymouth boat ‘Isolde’, the vet’s crew managed to secure a seventh place finish.

Meanwhile, the men’s supervets team finished third in their race and the men’s B crew finished fifth in theirs.

Well deserved credit must also go to the Lyme ladies’ supervets crew for posting an impressive victory after a course long battle with the eventual second placed boat.

Land and sea training continues for the Lyme club in readiness for the next meeting at Bridport.

Lyme Regis Gig club would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers and helpers at the Ilfracombe club for making the event an enjoyable one. Thanks also to Otter Breweries for their continued support of the club.