 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2019) |
The Cornish pilot gig is a six-oar rowing boat, clinker-built of Cornish narrow-leaf elm,[1] 32 feet (9.8 m) long with a beam of 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m). It is recognised as one of the first shore-based lifeboats that went to vessels in distress, with recorded rescues going as far back as the late 17th century. The original purpose of the Cornish pilot gig was as a general work boat, and the craft is used as a pilot boat, taking pilots out to incoming vessels off the Atlantic Coast. At the time pilots would compete between each other for work; the fastest gig crew who got their pilot on board a vessel first would get the job, and hence the payment.
There is a World Pilot Gig championship held in the Isles of Scilly each year at the beginning of May. [2]
- ^ "Timber for new gigs in short supply". Cornish Pilot Gig Association. 3 June 2019.
- ^ "World Pilot Gig Championships". Cornish Pilot Gig Association. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.