Mevagissey Gig Club

In July 2000 club secretary Martin Walton and rowing secretary Tristan Netherton travelled exclusively to the Faeroe Islands to participate and represent Cornwall for the Faroe Islands national rowing championships. The trip, kindly all expenses paid for by Amerada Hess was an invitation of good will from the Faeroese Islanders who have borrowed Mevagissey's Gig Sowenna in the past years and now our new gig Kerens. Don't forget that when this crew comes over to the Scillies, they are serious. The lucky crew that flies into Cornwall, then onto the Scillies, will have undergone fast time trials against other Faroe Crews in order to make it.

The Fareoes are a small country, proud of their heritage, and now once again they are going to try their strength abroad in the Isles of Scilly. The crew "Vestmennningur" attended in 1998 when they were the faroese champions in 1995 and 1997. These boys are eager to the best in the world. Amerada Hess has sponsored them to visit the Isles Of Scilly 2000, 2001 & 2002 World Championships and they are grateful for the invitation.

The members of the crew are from the town of Vestmanna. It is one of the oldest settlements in the Faroes, inhabited by people from Vestland – the western shore of Norway – as well as from the northern regions of Scotland. It was a good place for a settlement, the bay makes a splendid natural port, there were wide stretches of pasture, grass covered bluffs, and cliffs teaming with birds.

The people of Vestmanna participated in all sorts of competitions, and at the beginning of the century were among the best. In 1925 a crew of six oars entered the boat race of Torshavn, and so began a fine tradition of rowing excellence. Victory in the boat races were a matter of civic pride, and over the years Vestmanna and Torshavn have been great rivals. Other towns and villages have tried their hands at the sport too, and not without success. Crews from the Islands of Suouroy, Eysturoy, from the Northern Islands and elsewhere, have all participated. The record is clear though, the statistics from the Saint Olav's Day boat race show that the men from Vestmanna and Torshavn share the honours.

The Fareo Mens crew in Sowenna

The Fareo ladies crew who finished in Group A in 2000

[ Top of Page | Home Page | Feedback ]